FutureFlight

Magpie Aviation says it has successfully demonstrated the world’s first automated aircraft tug, or “aerotow,” connecting two airplanes mid-flight. In theory, the company says the aerotowing concept could enable large electric passenger airplanes to fly farther by connecting with smaller, uncrewed airplanes packed full of batteries.

Electro.Aero has signed partnership deals with Aerovy Mobility, Altaport, Greenstar Aviation Partners, and Skyportz covering software, leasing, and infrastructure development. The Australian company is already delivering charging equipment to several eVTOL aircraft developers.

New aerostructures require composite materials for lighter aircraft structures that have more versatile uses and are suitable for lower-cost, high production rates. This is the focus of an extended technology partnership between thermoplastics specialist Solvay and GKN Aerospace.

Students at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) in Prescott, Arizona, had the opportunity to test out Reliable Robotics’ voice communication system for remotely piloted, highly autonomous aircraft. Researchers with Reliable Robotics visited ERAU's Air Traffic Control laboratory earlier this month to demonstrate the company’s autonomous flight and remote piloting capabilities using the university’s virtual simulators. During the demonstration, students took on roles of remote pilots and air traffic controllers to simulate communications in busy airspace.

The UK’s Britten-Norman and Cranfield Aerospace Solutions (CAeS) have signed a heads-of-terms agreement to merge and start delivering hydrogen-powered regional airliners in 2026. The company aims to achieve certification for both converted and new-build examples of the nine-seat Britten-Norman Islander aircraft.

A £7 million "loan investment" from South Yorkshire's regional government is expected to underwrite Hybrid Air Vehicles' plans to establish a production facility for its Airlander 10 hybrid-electric airship at Doncaster in the UK. The company still needs to raise at least £100 million to start construction of the facility.

Zuri is developing a five-seat hybrid-electric VTOL aircraft that it says will have a range of up to around 700 kilometers that will support regional air services connecting smaller cities with larger hubs. The Czech company, which has already conducted hover testing with a technology demonstrator and has also flown a sub-scale model, is now seeking to raise around $16.5 million.

Natilus, a California-based aerospace start-up developing autonomous cargo airplanes, has successfully flown a subscale technology demonstrator for the first time. The company intends to introduce a family of remotely piloted cargo freighters featuring a unique blended-wing-body (BWB) design that will be capable of carrying more cargo than traditional airplanes of comparable size.

Taiho is the second company to publicly commit to buying SkyDrive's SD-05 two-seat eVTOL aircraft, which will have a range of just 10 kilometers and is expected to enter service in 2025. Japan-based SkyDrive has also logged preorders from one of its early backers, the venture capitalist Kotaro Chiba, and from Vietnam's Pacific Group.

As the city of Miami gears up to become a possible early adopter of eVTOL air taxi services, a local college has launched a consortium of academic, industry, and government partners to help bring the vision of urban air mobility to fruition. The University of Miami's College of Engineering has announced the creation of the Miami Engineering Autonomous Mobility Initiative, which “aims to advance autonomous mobility technology and anticipate challenges to implementation in today’s cities.”