FutureFlight

The U.S. Air Force and U.S. Special Operations Command are evaluating Jaunt's MAV55 Multi-Mission Air Vehicle among 35 contenders for the High Speed VTOL Concept Challenge organized by the Afwerx unit of the Air Force Research Laboratory. It is intended for missions such as getting special forces in and out of conflict zones, medical evacuations, and tactical mobility.

Embraer subsidiary Eve Urban Air Mobility says it will "deploy" at least 100 of its four-passenger eVTOL aircraft to unspecified operators in the Asia Pacific region, with flights to be marketed via Ascent's rideshare platform. The company says that beginning in 2026 when the EVA model is due to enter commercial service, it will guarantee at least 100,000 flight hours for trips out of cities including Singapore; Tokyo; Bangkok, Thailand; Manila, Philippines; and Melbourne, Australia.

RED Aircraft's A03 piston engine is being used for new programs such as Hybrid Air Vehicles' Airlander 10 airship and Otto Aviation's Celera 500L aircraft, for which it promises a compelling combination of power and fuel efficiency. The German company, which has already supplied high-performance engines to many leading carmakers, says that the technology is well-suited to hybrid-electric powertrains and is also a retrofit option for existing aircraft and rotorcraft.

Vinata Aeromobility is one of two eVTOL start-ups based in the Indian city of Chennai looking to serve both passenger- and cargo-carrying applications in urban areas. The other one is ePlane, and both companies are embarking on fundraising rounds to support plans to get their respective hybrid-electric and all-electric models to market.

Samad Aerospace's eStarling family of hybrid-electric aircraft will now include a dedicated cargo version, offering a payload of 220 pounds and a range of 150 miles. The UK company has increased its engineering team with four new recruits and has also made two appointments in the sales and marketing department.

Electra's hybrid-electric eSTOL aircraft will be operated by a single pilot and carry up to seven passengers on flights of up to around 500 miles when it enters service in 2026. The company has begun early engagement with the FAA over the type certification process under Part 23 rules, having recruited an experienced director of certification who has previously held senior roles with several other aircraft developers, including supersonic pioneer Aerion.

The Connext data distribution software developed by Real-Time Innovations is already supporting around 250 autonomous vehicle operations, and now it is set to be applied to eVTOL aircraft and vertiports. The company is partnering with Varon Vehicles to develop UAM urban air mobility infrastructure networks in Latin America.

Airflow has appointed former Embraer CEO Paulo Silva to its advisory board to support its efforts to bring a hybrid-electric eSTOL vehicle into commercial service for passenger or freight operations by 2025. Following an apparent flurry of sales activity since June, the company has tripled the value of the letters of intent it now holds from 11 prospective operators, swelling its provisional order book to a value of more than $600 million.

Dufour has published a more complete set of specifications and projected performance for its reworked Aero3 hybrid-electric eVTOL tiltwing aircraft but has yet to freeze the design for a manned prototype that should be flying in late 2022 or early 2023. The Swiss company is now preparing to launch a new funding round to support its strategy to develop a family of aircraft for multiple roles.

Honeywell will supply compact satellite communications technology for Pipistrel’s fixed-wing Surveyor and both unmanned Nuuva UAV platforms, the V300 and smaller V20. The company is already providing the manufacturer with its fly-by-wire system and other avionics equipment.