FutureFlight

JetPack Aviation expects its 600-pound payload Speeder VTOL aircraft to begin its working life in military service beginning around 2024. Its requirement to have both a small footprint and significant payload meant that the company did not feel able to use either electric or hybrid-electric propulsion, but it says the partnership with Prometheus Fuels will make zero net carbon fuel available to its operators.

Eve Urban Air Mobility Solutions, which is a subsidiary of Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer, now has two launch customers for its four-passenger eVTOL aircraft. Brazilian helicopter operator Helisul Aviation says that it intends to operate up to 50 of the all-electric model in air taxi service, as does OneSky Flight's new Halo division. The partners intend to start early proof-of-concept operations using Helisul's existing helicopter fleet.

Rolls-Royce's 2.5 megawatt Power Generation System 1 is a demonstrator program aimed at producing bybrid-electric propulsion system for future regional airliners. The company is conducted ground testing with the new unit at its facilities in the UK and Norway.

EHang conducted a public flight demonstration with its EH216 eVTOL aircraft during a public event in Japan's Okayama prefecture as part of its efforts to build public and official support for advanced air mobility services. The Chinese company said it is being assisted by an unnamed local partner.

On June 10, Archer Aviation will provide the advanced air mobility sector with its first look at the Maker technology demonstrator it is using to develop a larger eVTOL aircraft due to enter commercial service in 2024. The event will be held in Los Angeles which, along with Miami, is a launch city for the company's planned air taxi services.

Eviation is preparing to conduct a first flight with its nine-seat, all-electric Alice aircraft before the end of 2023. It recently took delivery of the electric propulsion system provided by MagniX, and now it has the first set of integrated wings, empennage, and wiring from another key program partner, GKN Aerospace.

Astro has acquired Canadian start-up Horizon Aircraft in return for an initial five million of its shares. Now the company is looking to raise $25 million in fresh investment to fund the development of the Cavorite X5 model as it prepares for a listing on the Nasdaq stock market in the third quarter of 2021.

Skyports and Hanwha Systems anticipate a large worldwide market for advanced air mobility infrastructure services, which includes development of vertiports and drone delivery services. Seoul-based Hanwha pans to offer these services globally as well as in South Korea.

Joby Aviation has launched an alliance with parking facility operator Reef Technology and real estate acquisition company Neighborhood Property Group and develop a network of so-called skyports to use as operating bases for its planned eVTOL air taxi services from 2024.

As part of a formal answer to the lawsuit against it filed by rival Wisk Aero, Archer insists that its four-passenger eVTOL aircraft has been designed independently and that work was supported by a design consultant called FlightHouse Engineering. The company's lawyers forcefully refute Wisk's claims that the design was based on its patented technology for a "sixth-generation" eVTOL aircraft it had been working on in stealth mode.