Tag: aircraft

XQ-58A Valkyrie Test Flight Successful

Unmanned Systems Technology reports Kratos Defense & Security Solutions “recently completed a successful flight of its production XQ-58A Valkyrie aircraft for the Block 2 Valkyrie Maturation Program.” During a test flight performed at Yuma Proving Ground, the XQ-58A flew “longer, higher, at a heavier mission weight, and at a longer range than the platform has previously been approved for” and demonstrated. The flight also “demonstrated encrypted communications with redundant radios/communications” and “key autonomous capability for the end of mission phase of flight and recovery of the aircraft without RF comms.”
Full Story (Unmanned Systems Technology)

Despite Jammed Solar Panel, Cygnus Capsule Docks with ISS

AP reports, “A Northrop Grumman capsule delivered several tons of supplies to the International Space Station on Wednesday despite a jammed solar panel.” After liftoff, only one of the craft’s two solar panels opened. Despite controllers’ best attempts to open the stuck panel, the rocket still drew enough power with the functioning solar panel.
Full Story (Associated Press)

Boeing Recommends Air Taxi Safety Standards Mirror Those for Commercial Jets

Reuters reported that The Boeing Company “urged regulators on Tuesday to subject a new generation of air taxis to the same strict safety standards as commercial jets, saying the aircraft designed for short flights on demand should not be judged on a par with small planes.” Federal regulators are innovating design and operational requirements for the eVTOL air taxis, which would allow airline passengers to bypass street traffic. “Analysts say certification standards that air taxis must meet will be make-or-break for many of the new projects vying for investment.”
Full Story (Reuters)

NASA’s X-57 to Fly as Soon as December

Aviation Week reports, “NASA plans to attempt first flight of its X-57 Maxwell electric aircraft ‘no earlier than’ this December. The initial flight will be ‘very short’ and will set the stage for a series of follow-on flight tests of the fixed-wing demonstrator.”
Full Story (Aviation Week)

Air Taxi Business May Get Early Business from Airline Alliance

Aerospace America reports that electric air taxi aircraft are seeing early customers in the form of the major airlines of American, United, and Delta. Examples include Delta’s $60 million investment in Joby Aviation, American placing a large pre-order with Vertical Aerospace, and United pledging to buy from Archer Aviation and Eve Air Mobility.
Full Story (Aerospace America)

United Airlines Aiming to Fly Electric Planes by 2030

CNBC reports that as United Airlines aims for net zero by 2050, it looks to fly electric planes on regional routes by 2030. The battery-powered aircraft are under development by “Swedish start-up Heart Aerospace,” and United ordered 100 of them in 2021 as well as making an undisclosed investment in the company. United Airlines Ventures President Mike Leskinen said, “We cannot continue doing and operating our business the way we do; it is imperative that we change it, and the way we’re going to change it is through investing in technology. Existing technology is going to either cause us to fly less, which is an unacceptable alternative, or continue with a carbon footprint, which we believe is equally unacceptable.”
Full Story (CNBC)

Battery-Powered Aircraft May be the Future of Aviation

The Washington Post reports on electric aircraft. Several airlines including United, Mesa and Air Canada “have started putting orders in for a battery-operated aircraft called the Heart Aerospace ES-30. The Swedish-made four-propeller, battery-powered plane seats up to 30 people and could fly short-haul routes such as Palm Springs to Los Angeles or Denver to Aspen without emitting any carbon. It’s slated to be in the air by 2028.” However, battery technology is an ongoing issue standing in the way of the viability of battery-operated aircraft.
Full Story (Washington Post)

KC-46 Flies First Combat Refueling Sortie

Aviation Week reports that the Boeing KC-46 “has flown its first combat refueling sortie as part of an exercise to employ the tanker downrange before it is officially operational.” A KC-46 deployed to Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar “fueled up two Boeing F-15E Strike Eagles” on August 29.
Full Story (Aviation Week)

Air Force Special Operations Command Grounding Fleet of Osprey Tilt-Rotor Aircraft

The Hill reports the US Air Force Special Operations Command “has grounded its entire fleet of CV-22 Ospreys due to two recent safety incidents involving the aircraft’s clutch.” The decision “stems from an ‘increased number of safety incidents’ involving the Ospreys, including two in the past six weeks and a total of four since 2017.” The decision to ground the aircraft “follows two accidents that killed nine Marines earlier this year involving the Marine Corps’ MV-22B version of the aircraft.”
Full Story (The Hill)