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LanzaJet, producer of SAF, is a subsidiary of the American firm LanzaTech, which specializes in recycling CO2 using biotechnological processes.
Boeing, having been awarded the X-66A designation for the Sustainable Flight Demonstrator, will now move on to the goal of building the technology demonstrator. This will be based on an MD-90.
The new demonstrator will be tested on the ground and in the air, using a modified Airbus A330 APU. The tests will take place at Airbus UpNext's facilities in Spain.
Heading a consortium comprising IFP Energies Nouvelles, Avril, Axens, CEA, TotalEnergies and ThyssenKrupp Uhde within the company Bionext, Elyse Energy is to set up a biofuel production plant in the Lacq basin (Pyrénées-Atlantiques).
Safran Helicopter Engines has validated the operation of its Mode Eco hybrid propulsion system during ground tests at Bordes, in preparation for its forthcoming flight tests on the Airbus Racer, a high-speed helicopter demonstrator. For the first time, this hybrid electric propulsion system was tested in a configuration similar to that which will be used on the Racer, in terms of equipment and size.
ZeroAvia announced today that it has identified clear applications for zero-emission hydrogen-electric propulsion for regional aircraft.
ONERA has unveiled its Gullhyver project for the single-aisle aircraft of the future, featuring a non-circular fuselage, a high aspect ratio shrouded wing and a hydrogen-powered engine with a non-ducted fan.
With just a few days to go before the next Paris Air Show, there's a certain excitement surrounding possible order announcements for aircraft manufacturers and, by extension, engine manufacturers.
Socomore and Aerowash offer a 100% biodegradable aircraft cleaning solution, requiring little or no hot water, combined with a washing robot, the AW3. The solution has been approved by Airbus and Boeing.
The FAA has outlined a draft of new regulations for eVTOL. Pilots working for ADAVe manufacturers could form a group of primary instructors, while eVTOL would follow the same operating rules as traditional aircraft used for private and commercial flights and sightseeing. The proposal would comply with the requirements of the International Civil Aviation Organization, enabling American pilots to operate in other countries.
The French government is providing a grant of 5.6 million euros, via BPI France, as additional funding for VoltAero's development of its Cassio electric-hybrid aircraft, the first of which in the family to be developed, certified and produced will be the Cassio 330.
Piasecki, or at least PiAC, is moving its R&D division to new premises. More precisely, the helicopter manufacturer has announced the acquisition of the former Lockheed Martin Sikorsky Heliplex site in Coatesville, Pennsylvania, which previously served as a production and delivery center for Sikorsky's S-76 and S-92 helicopters. The new R&D facility will be used to develop the PA-890, whose hydrogen-powered electric motor is being studied in partnership with ZeroAvia.
Natilus is a Californian start-up developing three autonomous mixed-wing cargo aircraft (BWB) projects. Together with ZeroAvia, the two companies have announced a strategic partnership to jointly develop hydrogen-powered electric motors for the Natilus Kona cargo plane.
VoltAero's customer base for its Cassio family of aircraft has been further expanded with a pre-order of 15 of its electric-hybrid aircraft by Sky2Share, a Swiss-based aviation company that offers fractional ownership and is focused on radically reducing the CO2 footprint of its operations. This commitment begins with the five-seat Cassio 330, while offering Sky2Share the opportunity to incorporate the six-seat Cassio 480 and 12-seat Cassio 600 versions. With this latest agreement, VoltAero now has a total of 218 orders and commitments for its Cassio aircraft line.
Kawasaki Motors Ltd. has become a strategic investor in VoltAero, participating in the Series B financing for the development, production and certification of VoltAero's Cassio family of electric-hybrid aircraft.
The EcoJet research project aims to develop and mature technologies to support the sustainable future of business aviation. Bombardier has reached important milestones in its EcoJet research project and continues its groundbreaking work in sustainable aviation. The aircraft manufacturer has completed the first phase of flight testing of the EcoJet research project, using an integrated wing and fuselage aircraft model. The next phase of testing, focused on flying a larger model aircraft, is progressing.
Rolls-Royce announced on May 18, 2023, that it has successfully completed initial testing of its UltraFan technology demonstrator at its Derby, UK, site. The initial tests were conducted on 100 percent sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).
Eve Air Mobility, Embraer's Brazilian subsidiary, recently completed wind tunnel testing of its electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicle (eVTOL). The tests, conducted in a wind tunnel near Lucerne, Switzerland, involved a scale model of Eve's eVTOL, which is scheduled to enter service in 2026.
Archer Aviation announced May 11, 2023, the completion of final assembly of its first electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) Midnight aircraft. With final assembly and initial testing complete, the aircraft was shipped last week from Archer's Palo Alto facility to the flight test site in Salinas, California, where it was reassembled for ground testing.
As part of the DJINN project, DLR conducted tests on the interaction between engines and aircraft in different configurations. The researchers investigated new configurations and materials to reduce engine noise. The experiments conducted determined that porous metamaterials reduce pressure fluctuations in the turbulent boundary layer.
Swedish aircraft investment and leasing company Rockton will acquire up to 40 Heart Aerospace regional electric aircraft, the ES-30, by converting an earlier letter of intent with the Swedish aircraft manufacturer into firm orders for 20 aircraft with purchase rights for another 20.
Wisk Aero and Japan Airlines (JAL) are partnering to bring Wisk's autonomous, fully electric air cab services to Japan. A memorandum of understanding establishes a framework for research to launch the operation of a fleet of Wisk's 6th generation air cabs, including the approval of type certification in Japan by JCAB, the local equivalent of the FAA.
The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has published the world's first proposal for assessing the noise generated by air cabs. The Environmental Protection Technical Specification (EPTS) applies to electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft (eVTOL) propelled by multiple, vertical, non-tilting and uniformly distributed rotors.
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration has released a draft operational plan for airspace and procedural changes to allow urban air mobility operations and other air cabs to operate safely within U.S. airspace. Not surprisingly, it includes traffic adjustment.
On May 1, 2023, Alaska Airlines presented ZeroAvia with a Dash 8 Q400 regional aircraft that will be equipped with a hydrogen-electric propulsion system in an effort to expand the scope and applicability of zero-emission flight technology. The 76-seat Q400 will be developed by ZeroAvia.
Boeing today announced its 2023 plan to evaluate 19 technologies on the Boeing 777 ecoDemonstrator, as well as the addition of "Explorer" aircraft to test specific technologies. The first ecoDemonstrator Explorer aircraft, a 787-10 Dreamliner, will be used in partnership with four countries for operational efficiency testing.
The Ofelia (Open Fan for Environmental Low Impact of Aviation) demonstrator program aims to establish the energy efficiency benefits of an Open Fan architecture to meet the needs of the next generation of short- and medium-haul aircraft by 2035, and the aviation industry's goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2050. French engine manufacturer Safran will work with 26 key European industrial partners, including Airbus, Avio Aero, GKN Aerospace, as well as research laboratories such as ONERA and universities in several European countries. The OFELIA consortium will receive €100 million in European funding from Clean Aviation.
The Lufthansa Group and the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology are turning the Lufthansa Airbus A350-900 "Erfurt" into a flying research laboratory. The measuring probe will record more than 100 different trace gases, aerosols and cloud parameters. First flight in 2024.
Wright Electric, the U.S.-based electric motor manufacturer, presented a mock-up of its 2-megawatt electric power train at the ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit 2023.
The partnership between global liquid hydrogen (LH2) leaders Absolut Hydrogen and ZeroAvia aims to enable the operability of aircraft with up to 80 seats by 2027 and the development of robust airport infrastructure.
Cranfield Aerospace Solutions (CAeS) has selected Evolito, a UK technology innovator, as the motor and inverter supplier for its technology demonstrator, the Fresson project. The twin-engine aircraft is scheduled to make its maiden flight at the end of this year.
Liebherr-Aerospace is developing an air supply system for high-powered fuel cells to power Airbus demonstration aircraft.
H2FLY has reached an important milestone in the development of its hydrogen-electric aircraft powertrain by passing the first filling tests with the integrated liquid hydrogen tank.
On March 25, Liaoning Ruixiang Aircraft, a Chinese aircraft manufacturer, made the first demonstration flight of the RX4HE, a passenger-type aircraft equipped with a hydrogen engine that gives it a one-hour flight range at a speed of 180 km/h.
The Japanese company IHI has succeeded in developing a compact 250 kW electric motor prototype for a hybrid propulsion system. IHI plans to increase the power of the motor to more than 1 MW and install it as a hybrid electric propulsion system in a medium-sized 200-seat passenger aircraft.
Lilium and its partner Customcells are accelerating the production of high silicon battery cells. The two industrialists are organizing themselves in order to be able to make the elements traceable in order to facilitate the certification of the aircraft and its propulsion system. The first flight of the compliant aircraft is scheduled for the second half of 2024 according to the manufacturer's schedule.
ZeroAvia announced a four party agreement to develop commercial routes using its hydrogen-electric powertrain systems on routes from ZeroAvia, the leader in developing zero-emission solutions for commercial aviation, today announced a four party agreement to develop commercial routes using its hydrogen-electric powertrain systems on routes from Skellefteå Airport in North East Sweden. As part of the agreement, ZeroAvia will work with the airport, the municipal energy company Skellefteå Kraft and Braathens Regional Airlines to demonstrate flights and explore launching commercial operations.
Archer Aviation has had its ADAVe (eVTOL) Midnight model flown again, this time at the Ruag wind tunnel in Emmen, Switzerland. The test at Ruag provided the manufacturer with valuable data to validate the Midnight's configuration, aerodynamic models, external load predictions, aircraft performance, stability and control characteristics, and performance degradation in icing conditions.
Lyte Aviation unveiled its 40-seat SkyBus and SkyTruck (hybrid) ADAVe (eVTOL) programme on 23 March. Intended to carry loads of up to 4.5t, both aircraft are based on the Fairey Rotodyne concept and are expected to adopt a mixed powerplant combining turbo engines and electric motors.
United Airlines and Archer have selected O'Hare International Airport (ORD) to serve Chicago's Vertiport as the next point-to-point route on which the two airlines will use Archer's electric vertical takeoff and landing (ADAVe or eVTOL) aircraft as part of the development of their urban air mobility (UAM) network.
Through sometimes very vertical roundtables, the common thread of the Arab Aviation Summit, which took place in the Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah, was the decarbonization movement of air transport.
ZeroAvia today announced that it has achieved record-breaking performance in testing of its High Temperature Proton Exchange Membrane (HTPEM) systems. Early testing of the pressurized 20kW HTPEM stack power module in ZeroAvia’s UK R&D location has demonstrated a record 2.5 kW/kg specific power at the cell level, paving the way for 3+ kW/kg system level densities in the next 24 months.
Airbus Helicopters has partnered with the Norwegian Air Ambulance Foundation to develop CityAirbus NextGen’s future missions for medical services in Norway.
GKN Fokker, NLR - Netherlands Aerospace Centre, Delft University of Technology and SAM|XL, have successfully manufactured one the world’s largest thermoplastic components as part of the Multi-Functional Fuselage Demonstrator (MFFD) project led by Airbus.
VARO Energy could supply the Lufthansa Group with large volumes of SAF from as early as 2026, for example to the Munich airport hub.
Liebherr-Aerospace Toulouse is working on systems and equipment to reduce fuel consumption, but also to contribute, at its level, to more carbon-neutral aircraft. The equipment manufacturer recently acquired a hydrogen cell installed in its test center at the Toulouse site. This new investment in test facilities will enable Liebherr-Aerospace Toulouse to demonstrate the ability to generate electrical power, using fuel cells, to supply the major non-propulsive electrical systems of a new-generation single-aisle aircraft, while ensuring the thermal management of the whole (fuel cells and electrical systems).
Leasing company LCI is adding Elroy Air and its autonomous vertical take-off and landing cargo aircraft to its portfolio of aircraft and helicopters. Under the terms of the deposit-backed agreement, LCI will initially acquire 20 aircraft with an option for a total of 40 units. The ADAVs are currently under development at the facilities of Elroy Air, a start-up with a staff of about 40 in South San Francisco, California.
Toulon Hyères airport is the third hub in Vinci Airports' management portfolio to be supplied with SAF, after Clermont-Ferrand Auvergne and Grenoble Alpes Isère.
Avio Aero has launched a new technology demonstration program that continues to advance development of hybrid electric propulsion technologies for commercial aviation to reduce CO2 emissions.
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