Aircraft
From autonomous flying-taxis to experimental hypersonic craft, check out what's new in the world of aviation.
LATEST NEWS
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Airbus' FlightLab flies itself while pilot rides shotgun with a tablet
November 29, 2023Having shown off simplified copter controls, Airbus Helicopters' FlightLab has completed a fully automated flight testing a new simplified tablet-based human machine interface (HMI) designed to reduce pilot workloads and increase safety. -
Autonomous air-to-air refueling system will radically boost endurance
November 26, 2023Airbus innovation division UpNext is testing its next-gen autonomous systems for air-to-air in-flight refueling, which could be a revolutionary leap forward for a variety of military and civil aircraft, safely extending range and endurance. -
Gravity tests head-tracking, shoulder-mounted firearms on its jet suit
November 23, 2023In a video posted to TikTok, Gravity Industries founder Richard Browning has shown off what appears to be live-fire aerial testing of a shoulder-mounted, head-tracking weapons system for the Iron Man-style jet suit he's been flying since 2017. -
Gulfstream completes historic transatlantic flight with renewables
November 22, 2023Gulfstream Aerospace has flown into history as one of its G600 aircraft completed the world's first transatlantic flight burning 100% Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) from Savannah, Georgia, to Farnborough, England, in six hours and 56 minutes. -
Electra's eSTOL demonstrator aircraft makes its first flights
November 21, 2023Two years ago, American air mobility company Electra announced that it was partnering with the US Air Force on the development of an ultra-short takeoff and landing (ultra-STOL) aircraft. Earlier this month, a demonstrator version of that plane made its first two flights. -
DARPA picks competitors for high-speed VTOL X-Plane contract
November 15, 2023DARPA has announced the four companies that will compete for the contract to design, build and test an X-Plane demonstrator capable of high-speed cruise, hover and VTOL for its Speed and Runway Independent Technologies (SPRINT) project. -
Rolls-Royce cranks world's largest jet engine up to maximum power
November 15, 2023Rolls-Royce has taken a major green step, announcing that not only has its giant UltraFan demo jet engine been run at full power on 100% Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), but tests have proven all its current civilian engines are compatible with 100% SAF. -
Joby makes a manned eVTOL air taxi flight in NYC
November 14, 2023Just weeks after its first manned flight in the California desert, Joby Aviation has taken its S4 eVTOL air taxi out for a piloted demo flight in the Big Apple, demonstrating just how much quieter and less disruptive it'll be than a helicopter. -
World-first automatic safety system lands a helicopter without power
November 14, 2023Huge props to these two helicopter test pilots, who have white-knuckled it through one of the most harrowing experiences in rotorcraft flight – an unpowered autorotation emergency landing – allowing an autonomous system to take the controls. -
Samson Switchblade: First flight for fold-out flying car
November 09, 2023A year after it was pronounced airworthy by the FAA, and 14 years after it was first announced, the Samson Sky Switchblade is officially off the ground. This street-legal three-wheeler converts to a 200-mph (320-km/h) airplane at the touch of a button. -
Lyte Aviation's 44-seat SkyBus: VTOLs as public transport
November 08, 2023London startup Lyte Aviation is thinking big when it comes to VTOL aircraft. Forget your piddly five-seaters, Lyte says its first aircraft will be a 44-seat monster with a 300-km/h (186-mph) top speed and a range over 1,000 km (620 miles). -
Ballistic multi-parachute system saves eVTOL in low-altitude fall
October 29, 2023What happens when something goes very wrong in an eVTOL aircraft? China's AeroHT has released video of its innovative low-altitude multi-parachute system turning a catastrophic propulsion system failure into a soft-ish landing from just 50 m (164 ft) up. -
China's flying supercar company unveils surprising new vehicles
October 29, 2023China's AeroHT is making rapid progress with its eVTOL flying cars, and it's now shown two fascinating new concepts – a six-wheel-drive hybrid-electric "aircraft carrier" van, and a new version of the flying supercar, with a fully concealed airframe. -
Sergey Brin's 400-foot airship reportedly cleared for takeoff
October 26, 2023Google co-founder Sergey Brin quietly founded LTA Research in 2015, and its massive rigid airship prototype is preparing for its first outdoor flights, with a view to speeding up disaster response and starting zero-infrastructure cargo flights. -
Archer's production-spec Midnight eVTOL starts flight testing
October 25, 2023The eVTOL air taxi Archer is pushing toward production has now lifted off for the first time. The handsome, five-seat Midnight aircraft is scheduled to enter service in 2025, providing clean, quiet, short-range, traffic-busting hops over urban areas.
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