SPACE reports, “Skyfall is happening, and it will get to Mars in a totally new way. Last summer, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the Virginia company AeroVironment unveiled their Skyfall mission concept, which would send a fleet of tiny helicopters to explore the skies of Mars.”
Full Story (SPACE)
Skyfall – Future Mission Concept for Next-gen Mars Helicopters and Exploration
(Aerovironment; YouTube)
Aerotime reports, “Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company, has unveiled the S-70UAS U-Hawk, a fully autonomous variant of the UH-60 Black Hawk designed to operate as a heavy-lift cargo drone. Developed in just ten months, the prototype replaces the Black Hawk’s cockpit with actuated clamshell doors and a loading ramp, transforming the crewed helicopter into a platform capable of operating without pilots on board. Equipped with MATRIX™ autonomy software and a new fly-by-wire system, the aircraft can take off, fly, and land entirely under autonomous control.”
Full Story (Aerotime)
Aerotime reports the US Army demonstrated the AH-64E Apache’s ability to detect, track, and defeat drone threats, underscoring its value as a mobile counter-UAS platform. “The tests, conducted with the South Carolina Army National Guard, involved the Army’s Program Manager Apache, Program Manager Tactical Aviation and Ground Munitions, and the team responsible for the helicopter’s 30mm proximity-fused ammunition.”
Full Story (Aerotime)
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)
Aviation Week reports, “Global helicopter MRO demand is projected to surpass $81 billion through 2033. The 2024 edition of the Aviation Week Network’s Commercial Aviation Fleet & MRO Forecast projects how the world’s aircraft fleet and aftermarket will evolve over the next 10 years.”
Full Story (Aviation Week)
Aviation International News reports, “Safran Helicopter Engines will continue to support its Arriel engines powering U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) MH-65 helicopters, following the renewal of its support-by-the-hour (SBH) contract. More than 240 Arriel engines are covered under the five-year renewal period. Engine support will be provided by Safran Helicopter Engines USA in Grand Prairie, Texas.”
Full Story (Aviation International News)
Aviation International News reports that Airbus Helicopters “has opened a new 3D printing center at its Donauwörth, Germany site, expanding in-house capacity for this technology.” The airframer now “operates three machines for components made of titanium, four for plastic, and one for aluminum.” Airbus is “using the process for serial production parts as well as for components for prototype aircraft such as the CityAirbus NextGen eVTOL and the high-speed Racer experimental compound helicopter.” Airbus Helicopters Managing Director for Germany Stefan Thomé said, “Among other advantages, 3D printing can reduce the weight of aircraft components, which leads to less fuel consumption. Such potential can bring financial benefits and contribute to reducing CO2 emissions during operations.”
Full Story (Aviation International News)
SPACE reports that NASA is drawing on experience from the Ingenuity Mars helicopter’s nearly 50 flights in designing the two Mars Sample Recovery Helicopters for the Mars Sample Return campaign. At the American Astronautical Society Guidance, Navigation and Control Conference, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory Chief Engineer of Autonomy and Aerial Flight Håvard Fjær Grip “outlined plans for how Ingenuity’s guidance, navigation, and control system would be adapted and extended.” In an interview afterwards, he said, “What’s fairly clear is that the fundamental rotorcraft configuration and how we control it has been worked out and is heritage that can be relied upon.”
Full Story (SPACE)
The AP reports that two helicopters “collided in an Australian tourist hotspot Monday afternoon, killing four people and critically injuring three others in a crash that drew emergency aid from beachgoers enjoying the water during the southern summer.” One helicopter “was taking off and the other landing when they collided near the Sea World theme park in Main Beach, a northern beach on the Gold Coast, Gary Worrell, Queensland state police acting inspector, said at a news conference.” One helicopter “landed safely on a sandbank, but debris from the other was spread across an area police described as difficult to access.” The dead and “three most seriously injured people were all in the crashed helicopter.” The pilot “was killed and three of its six passengers.”
Full Story (Associated Press)