FutureFlight

Electra has completed a fully integrated test of its hybrid-electric propulsion system for a nine-seat electric short takeoff and landing (eSTOL) demonstrator that is scheduled for first flight by the end of the year. Planning eventually to scale the system for larger aircraft, the company also wants to adapt its eSTOL vehicle for hydrogen and battery-electric power.

VPorts, a Mirabel, Québec-based company founded in 2021 to develop AAM infrastructure, last week announced its plans to create the region’s first eVTOL vertiport network.. Initially, VPorts will focus on regional cargo flights and the transportation of patients and medical supplies, including organs for transplants. 

Volant Aerotech has unveiled a full-scale technology demonstrator of the four-passenger eVTOL aircraft VE25, for which it aims to achieve type certification in 2026. The Chinese company rolled out the first full-scale example of the lift-and-cruise design on September 2 at an airfield in Yixin, a city near Shanghai.

Safran has begun talks to acquire Thales’s aeronautical systems business next year. The proposed transaction would involve Thales Avionics Electrical Systems and Thales Avionics Electrical Motors companies, which operate sites in the Paris region in Chatou, Meru, and Conflans-Sainte-Honorine, as well as the support, maintenance, and production activities for aeronautical electrical equipment in Florida and Singapore.

Destinus, a Swiss start-up that aims to develop a hydrogen-powered hypersonic aircraft for high-speed cargo deliveries, has resumed test flights with its Jungfrau technology demonstrator after the initial test flight of a second, larger prototype didn’t go as smoothly as planned. 

Jeju Island has announced its intention to launch eVTOL air taxi routes for tourists in 2025, making it South Korea’s first municipality to adopt plans for urban air mobility. Three flight paths along the island’s coastlines will connect the Jeju International Airport to some of the island’s most popular tourist destinations. 

Kaman Aerospace is preparing to start flight testing its Kargo UAV logistics vehicle later this year, with the U.S. Marine Corps having contracted it to build a prototype to be used for demonstration and evaluation purposes. The company is marketing the autonomous vehicle as a pilotless alternative to far heavier and more costly piloted helicopters such as the MV-22 Osprey that are currently used to resupply troops.

A lithium-ion battery pack erupted in flames inside a Beta Technologies shipping container at the company’s facilities near Burlington International Airport in Vermont last week. Beta Technologies is working with the local fire department to determine what caused the fire. 

Certification group Bureau Veritas Marine & Offshore this week issued an approval in principle (AiP) to Regent Craft covering its in-development wing-in-ground-effect (WIG) sea glider. According to Regent, the approval is a significant milestone in its efforts to complete certification of the 12-passenger, all-electric Viceroy model under maritime regulations.

Jaunt Air Mobility and MintAir are partnering up to bring advanced air mobility services to South Korea. In a letter of intent announced on August 29, MintAir agreed to purchase up to 40 of Jaunt’s Journey eVTOL aircraft. The company will also be Jaunt’s exclusive AAM partner in the region.