FutureFlight

European aircraft charter and management group ASL is providing input to help German start-up Vaeridion develop an all-electric fixed-wing aircraft called the Microliner that it says will carry nine passengers on flights of up to 500 kilometers. The new partnership is part of ASL's wider efforts to decarbonize its fleet, which already include a preorder for Lilium's Pioneer Edition eVTOL aircraft.

Shareholders in tech group Inpixon are now set to vote on a proposed merger with XTI Aircraft on September 8 after an earlier meeting to address the definitive merger agreement announced on July 25 was adjourned to allow more time to consider the proposal. If the merger is approved, the two companies will have a combined listing on the Nasdaq exchange under the new name XTI Aerospace, for which a management team and board will be appointed.

Maglev Aero says its rim drive design in which multiple blades rotate around a circular duct of magnets offers a more efficient approach to distributed electric propulsion for new aircraft. The Boston-based start-up says it is in talks with aircraft developers about possible applications and has a partnership in place with GE Additive.

Hyundai subsidiary Supernal is setting up an office in Washington, D.C., to support its efforts to bring the SA-1 eVTOL aircraft to market. Plus, Eve and DHL are working on improving supply chains; the AAM Institute wants to honor female innovators; Clermont Group, AIR, Heart, ans Aura Network Systems have announced new leadership appointments; GKN, Parker and Marshall are collaborating on hydrogen propulsion; and Ryse is crowdfunding for its Part 103 Recon eVTOL vehicle.

The U.S. Air Force has commissioned JetZero to build and fly a full-scale technology demonstrator for a blended-wing body (BWB) aircraft intended for military and commercial airline applications. The California start-up, which was today awarded a $235 million contract from the Department of Defense’s Defense Innovation Unit, is developing the aircraft in partnership with Northrop Grumman and its Scaled Composites subsidiary.

TCab Tech this week reported it has started flight testing an early skeleton technology demonstrator for the five-seat E20 eVTOL aircraft the Chinese company is developing. According to a company statement issued on August 15, engineering teams have successfully completed a series of tests, including system joint debugging and a ballast durability assessment, as well as both tethered and untethered flight testing.  

Business aviation services group FlyExclusive is to be the first member of the customer advisory group that Textron’s eAviation division is establishing for its new Nexus eVTOL aircraft. The companies announced today that FlyExclusive, which operates private charter flights and a fractional ownership program, will provide Textron with input on the development of the hybrid-electric Nexus, including the perspectives of pilots and passengers.

Chinese business aviation services group Sino Jet is planning to add eVTOL aircraft to its fleet. On Friday, the Hong Kong-based company reported that it had signed an agreement with Aerofugia to buy 100 of its AE200 tiltrotor vehicles.

Rival eVTOL air taxi developers Archer Aviation and Wisk Aero have reached a settlement in their two-year-long legal dispute over allegations of intellectual property theft. In a surprising turn of events, the two California-based competitors have agreed to collaborate on autonomous flight technology that could one day enable unpiloted, passenger-carrying air taxi operations.

ZeroAvia has developed a compressor to ensure the high flow of oxygen its hydrogen fuel cell propulsion systems need to provide electric power for aircraft. The propulsion innovator said the new compressor will have the capacity to support fuel cell systems with a power rating of up to 900 kW, which includes the 600 kW ZA600 powertrain it is developing for aircraft with up to 19 passengers.