The Aviationist reports, “Northrop Grumman’s MQ-4C Triton High-Altitude Long-Endurance (HALE) surveillance and intelligence UAV ‘successfully demonstrated’ its ‘navigation system’s ability to operate at high latitudes deep within the Arctic Circle,’ the company said in a release on Sep. 19, 2024.”
Full Story (The Aviationist)
Tag: Aviation
USAF’s First Autonomous Combat Jets Might Carry Extra Munitions for Crewed Fighters
Flight Global reports, “The first batch of autonomous ‘Collaborative Combat Aircraft’ being developed for the US Air Force will primarily be tasked with carrying extra precision munitions aloft, with other combat functions coming in subsequent designs.”
Full Story (FlightGlobal – Subscription Publication)
AIAA and HYSKY Society Announce New Advanced Hydrogen Aviation Short Course
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 19, 2024 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is pleased to announce a new continuing education course on hydrogen aviation developed in collaboration with HYSKY Society, an association committed to decarbonizing aviation with hydrogen. The course, “Advanced Hydrogen Aerospace Technologies and Design,” debuts Tuesday, 8 October, with instruction online twice weekly through 7 November. Participants also can access recorded sessions.
Hydrogen aviation uses hydrogen fuel cells or combustion, and represents a groundbreaking shift in aerospace engineering, with the potential to reduce the global warming effect of flying by 50 to 90%, according to Clean Aviation. With global emphasis on decarbonization and sustainable energy solutions, hydrogen-powered aviation is at the forefront of transforming air travel and could feasibly power short-haul aircraft as early as 2035.
“AIAA is pleased to partner with HYSKY Society on this timely new course. Hydrogen-powered flight is an important part of our efforts to reduce CO2 emissions in aviation. Leveraging technical expertise from both organizations, this new continuing education offering accelerates our community’s leadership toward a sustainable aviation future,” said AIAA CEO Dan Dumbacher.
Taught by leading experts in hydrogen aviation, the course targets aerospace engineers, electrical/ mechanical engineers, and professionals interested in zero-carbon electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, unmanned aircraft systems, and launch vehicles. Students will learn hydrogen fundamentals before deep diving into fixed wing and VTOL H2 design. The course concludes with sessions on the future of hydrogen-enabled airports, regulatory policies, and economic implications of this aerospace transformation.
Attendees will earn 20 classroom hours or 2.0 CEU/PDH. The AIAA member price is $945; student member enrollment is $495; non-member pricing is $1,145. Group discounts are available.
For more information or to register, visit the AIAA course webpage.
Media Contact: Rebecca Gray, [email protected], 804-397-5270 cell
About AIAA
AIAA is the world’s largest aerospace technical society. With nearly 30,000 individual members from 91 countries, and 100 corporate members, AIAA brings together industry, academia, and government to advance engineering and science in aviation, space, and defense. For more information, visit aiaa.org or follow AIAA on X/Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.
Air Force Addresses Major Flaw in its Drone Wingman Strategy
Defense News reports, “Whatever the next chapter of U.S. air power will look like, there will be drones — and lots of them — accompanying manned fighters into battle. But as Air Force leaders translated their vision into an acquisition strategy, a novel meeting of the minds — at least by Defense Department standards — may have saved the service from a major miscalculation: A new cohort of so-called collaborative combat aircraft, as originally envisioned, wouldn’t be able to fly far enough to be effective in combat, which would have been a serious problem in the Pacific theater.”
Full Story (Defense News)
Heart Aerospace Shows Off Full-Scale Demonstrator for First Time
Flying Magazine reports, “Swedish hybrid-electric aircraft manufacturer Heart Aerospace unveiled Wednesday a 30-seat demonstrator dubbed Heart Experimental 1, or Heart X1. The aircraft—the company’s first full-scale demonstrator of its ES-30 aircraft under development—will serve as a testing platform and marks a ‘major milestone’ for development of the regional airplane set to make its fully electric first flight in the second quarter of next year, the company said.”
Full Story (Flying Magazine)
Vertical Aerospace Completes VX4 Phase One Testing
Reuters reports, “UK-based Vertical Aerospace has completed the first phase of piloted testing of a prototype of its air-taxi, VX4, it said on Thursday, sending the company’s shares up 3.9% in U.S. premarket trading. The VX4 has 1,500 pre-orders worth $6 billion from companies including Virgin Atlantic, American Airlines and Japan Airlines. The phase one testing included multiple piloted tethered flights and ground runs. It completed 70 individual test points to validate its safety in the real-world flight scenarios.”
Full Story (Reuters)
Joby Aviation Submits Application for Air Taxi Certificate in UAE
Aerotime reports, “Joby Aviation is moving forward with its plans to launch commercial eVTOL operations in the Middle East. On September 9, 2024, the Californian company announced that it has submitted an application to aviation authorities in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to become certified as an air taxi operator. The announcement was made during the Advanced Air Mobility Symposium, organized by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), which is taking place in Montréal, Québec, Canada, between September 9-12, 2024.”
Full Story (Aerotime)
Army Revamping Air Crew Training With Focus on Aircraft and Simulators
Defense News reports, “After several fatal Army aircraft crashes and the arrival of a more complicated airspace in the future, the service is reviewing and updating how it trains its pilots and its warrant officers in particular. Those changes will likely include a look at the types of helicopters soldiers are training with, simulator time and effectiveness, new rotor blades and tail rotor drive systems for the Apache and warrant officers sticking to their technical tasks for longer in the careers.”
Full Story (Defense News)
Self-Flying Cessna Begins Testing for FAA Validation
Flying Magazine reports, “Self-flying aircraft may be closer to takeoff than you think. On Thursday, Boston-based Merlin Labs announced it began what it claims is the first test campaign of a certification-ready, takeoff-to-touchdown autonomous flight system. The company’s Merlin Pilot is designed to one day allow small aircraft to fly with no humans on board.”
Full Story (Flying Magazine)
U.S. Air Force to Boost its MH-139 Fleet by Adding Over a Dozen Helos
Breaking Defense reports, “After moving to halve the fleet in fiscal year 2025, a new Pentagon review says the Air Force now plans to add over a dozen MH-139A Grey Wolf helicopters back into the aircraft’s program of record — averting a “critical” cost breach in the process. The planned procurement boost is likely a boon to prime contractor Boeing as well as Italian firm Leonardo, whose commercial AW139 serves as the Grey Wolf’s baseline.”
Full Story (Breaking Defense)