Tag: Unveils

Aurora Unveils High-Speed VTOL X-Plane Concept Design

Aviation Week reports, “Aurora Flight Sciences on Oct. 8 unveiled new details of a notional operational variant of the fan-in-wing concept it is proposing for a high-speed, vertical-takeoff-and-landing (VTOL) X-Plane. The operational version of the Boeing-owned company’s candidate for a DARPA demonstrator program would boast nearly the same wingspan and payload weight of a Lockheed Martin C-130J, yet fly up to 90 kt. faster and be able to take off and land vertically like a helicopter.”
Full Story (Aviation Week)

Honeywell Unveils Its SAMURAI AI-Enabled Counter-Drone Swarm System

National Defense Magazine reports, “Honeywell has launched its Stationary and Mobile UAS Reveal and Intercept system, or SAMURAI, which is designed to counter swarm drones and protect critical assets in an increasingly contested airspace, the company announced Sept. 16. The system, which can be used on vehicles and fixed-based platforms, combines ‘beyond-visual-line-of-sight communication with command-and-control capabilities’ to ‘detect, track and then counter drone swarms.’”
Full Story (National Defense Magazine)

Saab Providing Drone Swarming Capability for Sweden’s Armed Forces

Aviation Week reports, “Sweden’s armed forces have revealed a secret drone swarming program using software developed by Saab. The system, developed over the past year, is designed for sub-25-kg (55.1 lb.) uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS). It allows individual soldiers to control as many as 100 drones at a time to gather intelligence, defense officials say.”
Full Story (Aviation Week)

Embraer’s Eve Unveils First Air Taxi Prototype

Flying Magazine reports, “Eve Air Mobility, the electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) air taxi subsidiary of Embraer, this week joined a select group of eVTOL manufacturers. At the Farnborough International Airshow in the U.K., Eve unveiled its first full-scale eVTOL air taxi prototype, assembled at Embraer’s test facility in Brazil’s São Paulo state.”
Full Story (Flying Magazine)

DARPA Announces 6 New Designs for Uncrewed VTOL Military Aircraft

SPACE reports, “The U.S. military could soon have new uncrewed aircraft that carry weapons and take off and land vertically. The vehicles could undergo test flights as early as 2026. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has announced it is moving into a new testing phase for proposed experimental aircraft in which designs will be assessed for risk and analyzed for efficiency.”
Full Story (SPACE)

 

Video

DARPA’s AdvaNced airCraft Infrastructure-Less Launch And RecoverY X-Plane program
(DARPAtv; YouTube)

Virgin Galactic Reveals Dates for First Commercial Space Flights

The Street reports that Virgin Galactic has unveiled its inaugural commercial flight dates. “Seats have been assigned for the Virgin Space Ship Unity and for the inaugural Galactic 01, a scientific research mission,” which is “scheduled between June 27 and 30.” The next flight, Galactic 02, is scheduled for August “with the first group of excited space ticket holders.”  Initial presale tickets may have “seemed like a steep price but now the going rate for a single ticket is $450,000, more than double the original price.”
Full Story (The Street)

Wisk Aero Unveils New Tiltrotor Aircraft

Aerospace America reports that at a press conference, Wisk Aero unveiled its new tiltrotor aircraft, which features four seats and a 15 meter wingspan. The Generation 6 aircraft, which seats four, “has six booms, each mounted with two propellers. The front six propellers are tilt rotors, while the back six are only for lift and are stowed in an aerodynamic position for forward flight.” In a press release, Wisk said, “With this aircraft, Wisk will redefine long-standing concepts of flight and usher in a safer, scalable, and more accessible era in aviation.”
Full Story (Aerospace America)

South Korea Unveils Loyal Wingman Air Combat Drone

Yahoo News reports, “South Korea today unveiled a new stealthy loyal wingman-type drone, the Low Observable Unmanned Wingman System, or LOWUS, which it plans to operate alongside the locally developed KF-21 Boramae next-generation fighter. The new drone is part of a growing fleet of low-observable drones being developed in South Korea as the country seeks to introduce new uncrewed technologies for a range of missions.”
Full Story (Yahoo News)

Pulsar Fusion Unveils ‘Sunbird’ Nuclear Rocket Concept Designed to Reach Mars in Half the Time

SPACE reports, “Pulsar Fusion just released a video showcasing its planned Sunbird nuclear fusion rocket, which is designed to reach speeds of about 329,000 mph (500,000 kph). That would make it the fastest self-propelled object ever created by humankind. (NASA’s Parker Solar Probe has reached greater velocities during close solar flybys, thanks to the sun’s powerful gravitational pull.)”
Full Story (SPACE)

 

 

 

Video

Pulsar Fusion Sunbird – Migratory Transfer Vehicle
(Pulsar Fusion; YouTube)

Whisper Aero Unveils ‘Collaborative Logistics Aircraft’ Family

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)

Blue Origin Unveils Plans for Enabling Long-Term Human Presence on the Moon

SPACE reports, “Blue Origin has begun revealing how it plans to establish itself as a provider of hardware to enable long-term human stays on the moon. One newly unveiled key element is the “Transporter,” a vehicle that can be launched on a single Blue Origin New Glenn rocket into low Earth orbit. It will harvest leftover propellant from the booster’s second stage and then haul the hydrogen and oxygen to lunar orbit.”
Full Story (SPACE)

AURA AERO Unveils French Alternative to Reaper Drone

Aerotime reports, “Toulouse-based aircraft manufacturer AURA AERO has unveiled ENBATA, a new “low-cost high-performance” MALE (Medium Altitude Long Endurance) drone, marking its formal entry into the defense sector. The news was first reported by OpexNews in an exclusive interview with AURA AERO CEO and co-founder Jérémy Caussade.”
Full Story (Aerotime)

Airbus Debuts New Light Twin-Engined H140 Helicopter

Aerotime reports, “Airbus Helicopters has introduced its H140 rotorcraft which is expected to enter service in 2028 for emergency medical services.  The multi-mission helicopter was unveiled during the vertical lift industry show VERTICON in Dallas, Texas, Airbus announced on March 11, 2025. The company said that the helicopter “raises the bar” in the light twin-engined category, for “performance, cost-effectiveness, and passenger and crew comfort.”
Full Story (Aerotime)

 

 

Video

Airbus Introduces the Light Twin-Engined H140
(Vision Effect TV; YouTube)

Embraer Shares More Details About its New Autonomous Takeoff System

Simple Flying reports, “During the Farnborough Airshow earlier this year, Embraer introduced a new takeoff system it calls E2TS, which stands for Embraer Enhanced Takeoff System. It’s a world-first automated takeoff system, which will see the pilots not rotating the aircraft off the runway. … At a media briefing last week, Embraer revealed more details about the E2TS system and how it works, as well as its potential to influence the wider aviation industry, not just the E2 family of aircraft.”
Full Story (Simple Flying)