Aviation International News reports, “Whisper Aero, a U.S. start-up developing quiet electric propulsion systems, revealed a family of autonomous aircraft concepts for contested logistics missions on May 6 during the Special Operations Forces (SOF) Week event held in Tampa, Florida. With funding from the U.S. Air Force, Whisper said it will spend the next four years building and flying multiple full-scale prototypes as it strives to bring the technology into service on a program of record.”
Full Story (Aviation International News)
Tag: Aerospace
SpaceX Receives FAA Approval to Increase Rate of Starship Launches from Texas
Reuters reports, “SpaceX received key U.S. regulatory approval on Tuesday to increase the annual rate of Starship rocket launches from Texas and booster landings in various bodies of water, allowing” the space company “to significantly expand development of its giant Mars rocket … The Federal Aviation Administration, capping a years-long review, said SpaceX’s proposal to increase the number of Texas Starship launches from five to 25 would not have a major impact on the surrounding environment, nor would associated booster landings or potential rocket explosions over the Gulf of Mexico and some international waters.”
Full Story (Reuters)
USMC Receives Extended Range MQ-9A RPAS from General Atomics
Unmanned Systems Technology reports, “General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) has delivered an MQ-9A Reaper® Block 5 Extended Range (ER) Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) to the U.S. Marine Corps (USMC). The aircraft was officially handed over on April 22, 2025, and is now assigned to Marine Operational Test and Evaluation Squadron One (VMX-1), located at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma in Arizona.”
Full Story (Unmanned Systems Technology)
Stratolaunch Reusable Hypersonic Vehicle Exceeds Mach 5 in Two Test Flights
Space News reports, “The U.S. is re-entering the era of reusable hypersonic flight testing for the first time in more than half a century, using an autonomous drone developed by Stratolaunch. The hypersonic vehicle named Talon A2 exceeded Mach 5—the threshold for hypersonic speed—in two Pentagon-backed test flights conducted in December 2024 and March 2025, the Defense Department confirmed May 5.”
Full Story (Space News)
V-22 Official Anticipates Return of Normal Osprey Ops by End of 2026
Defense Daily reports, “The V-22 Joint Program Office manager expects the Ospreys to finally move back to unrestricted flight operations by the end of 2026 once several component changes to improve safety are implemented, he said during a recent conference. Notably, the metal used…”
Full Story (Defense Daily – Subscription Publication)
Amazon Prime Air Plans First Drone Delivery Service in a Major U.S. City
Flying Magazine reports, “Less than one month after resuming drone delivery following a voluntary two-month operational hiatus, Amazon’s Prime Air is eyeing its first service in a major U.S. city. Amazon spokesperson Andy DiOrio told the Kansas City Star that Prime Air is considering moving into the Missouri metroplex. Kansas City would represent the company’s third and largest operation. Its population of half a million people dwarfs the number of customers it could reach with its other services in College Station, Texas, and Tolleson, Arizona.”
Full Story (Flying Magazine)
FAA Signals It Will Release Beyond Visual Line of Sight Proposal Soon
Aviation International News reports, “While continuing a transition with changeover in leadership and new U.S. administration, the FAA is prioritizing activities surrounding advanced air mobility (AAM), drones, and rulemaking that may enable future technologies, including eVTOL aircraft, according to acting Administrator Chris Rocheleau.”
Full Story (Aviation International News)
U.S. Army to Substantially Increase Its Use of Drones
The Wall Street Journal reports, “The U.S. Army is embarking on its largest overhaul since the end of the Cold War, with plans to equip each of its combat divisions with around 1,000 drones and to shed outmoded weapons and other equipment. The plan, the product of more than a year of experimentation at this huge training range in Bavaria and other U.S. bases, draws heavily on lessons from the war in Ukraine, where small unmanned aircraft used in large numbers have transformed the battlefield.”
Full Story (Wall Street Journal – Subscription Publication)
SpaceX to Launch Private Ax-4 Astronaut Mission to ISS May 29
SPACE reports Houston company Axiom Space “announced on Tuesday (April 29) that it’s targeting May 29 for the launch of its fourth” astronaut mission to the International Space Station, “a mission known as Ax-4.”
Full Story (SPACE)
Vega-C Rocket Launches European Forest-Monitoring Satellite from South America
SPACE reports, “A European forest-monitoring satellite headed toward orbit from South America early Tuesday morning (April 29). The European Space Agency’s (ESA) Biomass spacecraft lifted off atop a Vega-C rocket from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana on Tuesday at 5:15 a.m. EDT (0915 GMT; 6:15 a.m. local time in Korea). Arianespace’s stream began at 4:55 a.m. EDT (0855 GMT), and the launch can now be watched on demand.”
Full Story (SPACE)
Video
Flight VV26 | Biomass | Vega C (Launch occurs at 22:45)
(Arianespace; YouTube)