Tag: Aeronautics

MQ-9B Passes Key Icing Tests, Boosting Operational Flexibility

Unmanned Systems Technology reports, “General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) has conducted a series of flight tests aimed at certifying the MQ-9B Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) for Flight Into Known Icing (FIKI). The flight tests began last year, and all planned testing was successfully completed in early April from GA-ASI’s Flight Test & Training Center (FTTC) near Grand Forks, North Dakota, using a company-owned MQ-9B.”
Full Story (Unmanned Systems Technology)

AIAA Announces 2026 Design/Build/Fly (DBF) Competition Winners

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 19, 2026 – Wichita, Kansas – AIAA announced the winners of the 30th Annual AIAA Design/Build/Fly (DBF) Competition:

  • First Place ($3,000): University of Ljubljana
  • Second Place ($2,000): University of Washington-Seattle
  • Third Place ($1,500): University of California, Los Angeles
  • Best Report Score ($100): University of Southern California
  • Stan Powell Award for Lessons Learned: Washington University in St. Louis

Complete results are posted at aiaa.org/dbf.

This year, 1,179 students on 89 university teams attended the fly-off onsite. The fly-off was hosted by AIAA Corporate Member Textron Aviation in Wichita, Kansas. Teams represented 12 countries during the fly-off weekend, including the U.S. with 31 states and Washington, D.C.

This year’s flight objective was to design, build, and test a banner-towing bush plane, conducting charter flights for passengers (rubber ducks) and cargo (hockey pucks) to pay for the airplane and start a banner towing business. Recordings of the livestream video of the fly-off is available on AIAA’s YouTube channel.

“DBF is our aeronautics highlight of the year,” said AIAA CEO Clay Mowry. “The students’ passion for DBF reflects the promising future of flight and the next generation of aerospace professionals. DBF is a team sport. Our competitors are gaining hands-on experiences that make them even more attractive to potential employers. DBF teams are tackling the engineering challenges of flight, solving problems, and dealing with setbacks. Most importantly, they’re showing incredible resilience over the course of four days. Congratulations to all of the students who flew during this 30th year of DBF!”

Russ Althof, director of the DBF Organizing Committee, said, “We owe our thanks for the success of the DBF Competition to the efforts of many volunteers from Textron Aviation, RTX, and the AIAA sponsoring Technical Committees: Applied Aerodynamics, Aircraft Design, Flight Test, and Design Engineering. These volunteers collectively set the rules for the contest, gather entries, judge the written reports, and execute the fly-off.”

Contact: Rebecca Gray, [email protected], 804-397-5270

About AIAA

AIAA is the world’s largest aerospace technical society. With more than 33,000 individual members from 91 countries, and over 100 corporate members, AIAA brings together industry, academia, and government to advance engineering and science in aviation, space, and defense. Visit www.aiaa.org or follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, and X.

Air Combat Command Tests Anduril’s YFQ-44A CCA Prototype

Defense Daily reports, “Last week, the Air Force’s Experimental Operations Unit (EOU) at Nellis AFB, Nev., tested an Anduril Industries YFQ-44A Fury prototype Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA), which flew from a company site in southern California to Edwards AFB, Calif., for the testing and back again, Anduril said on Thursday.”
Full Story (Defense Daily)

Vertical Hits Major eVTOL Milestone With Two-Way Flight

Aerotime reports, “Vertical Aerospace has achieved what its CEO Stuart Simpson described as the ‘most significant technical milestone’ in its history after the air taxi developer became the first outside the US to execute a piloted two-way transition flight. On 14 April 2026, at its spiritual home at Cotswold Airport (GBA), Chief Test Pilot Simon Davies successfully switched Vertical Aerospace’s electric vehicle takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft from helicopter mode to plane mode and back again.”
Full Story (Aerotime)

Boeing Delivers 143 Aircraft in Q1 2026, Led by 737 Output

Aerotime reports, “Boeing delivered 143 commercial aircraft in the first quarter of 2026, a figure that demonstrates the company’s output is holding steady after last year’s recovery took hold. Though deliveries fell short of Boeing’s brisk late-2025 pace, the most recent quarter was led by 114 deliveries of the 737, along with six 767s, eight 777s, and 15 787s.”
Full Story (Aerotime)

AIAA AVIATION Forum 2026 to Showcase Next Generation Flight Technologies

FROM THE INSTITUTE
The future of aviation takes flight in San Diego this June. AIAA unveiled the program for AIAA AVIATION Forum 2026, 8-12 June, at the Manchester Grand Hyatt and it’s built to match the rapid pace of change in aerospace. This year’s theme, “From Velocity to Altitude – Accelerating Toward Tomorrow,” captures the acceleration of aviation technology. Registration for the forum is open, with early-bird rates ending 11 May.

FAA Clears Hermeus Quarterhorse for Supersonic Flight Testing

Aerotime reports, “Hermeus announced on March 12, 2026, that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a Special Airworthiness Certificate in the Experimental Category (SAC-EC) for its unmanned Quarterhorse Mk 2.1 aircraft. The certification clears the way for Hermeus to proceed with flight testing as it works toward achieving supersonic flight. According to the company, the process involved a rigorous inspection by FAA agents, who assessed the aircraft ahead of its planned flight-test campaign.”
Full Story (Aerotime)