MRO's Archives - Page 31 of 109 - Aviation, Inflight and Aero Connectivity Consultants

Avidyne and IS&S Reveal Helix Integrated Flight Deck

Avidyne Corporation and Innovative Solutions & Support (IS&S) announced the new Helix Integrated Flight Deck, a joint initiative that combines IS&S’s flat-panel displays with Avidyne’s Helios Flight Management Systems. (Photo: Avidyne)

Avidyne Corporation and Innovative Solutions & Support (IS&S) recently announced their brand-new Helix Integrated Flight Deck. Designed for turbine-class helicopters, this new system promises to bring more convenience and ease to helicopter operators across the industry.

Headquartered in Melbourne, Florida, Avidyne Corporation has designed and manufactured integrated avionics systems for the aviation industry for over 25 years. Avidyne mainly focuses on the development of integrated GPS and VHF navigation and communication systems.

IS&S acts as a systems integrator for the aviation industry by designing and manufacturing modernized and cost-effective flight navigation systems and instruments. Some of its products include integrated flat panel display systems, ThrustSense Autothrottle, flight management systems, and engine and fuel displays. Given the two companies’ complimentary focuses, the contributions of both to the Helix Integrated Flight Deck will allow it to bring some of the most updated technology to the flight decks of helicopters.

The Helix Integrated Flight Deck will utilize IS&S’s 10.4-inch flat-panel displays combined with Avidyne’s Helios Flight Management System, allowing significant improvements for the system’s capabilities. Some of Helix’s features, like 3D synthetic vision, electronic charts, and ADS-B weather will help pilots receive and understand flight data—all on large-format displays.

While this technology is modern compared to pre-existing systems in current air frames, Helix has applications to aircraft already in operation. As John Talmadge, Avidyne’s Vice President of Worldwide Sales, explained, “Avidyne and IS&S have put together a solution that is designed and targeted to extend the life of the large number of legacy helicopters still in operation, including the S-76C++, the Blackhawk, the AW109 and more. We are excited to be working alongside IS&S to develop Helix, which will give new life to these airframes at a cost that won’t break the bank, and that provides operators a whole host of new capabilities while dramatically improving reliability and dispatchability.”

The collaborative nature of the Helix Integrated Flight Deck extends well beyond the partnership between Avidyne and IS&S. Helicopter service company PHI MRO Services will act as a system integrator for Helix. The program will be certified initially in the S-76C++ helicopter, but PHI MRO will offer retrofits and additional support at their MRO sites across the world.

“We see the Helix system as a terrific upgrade solution for helicopter operators facing legacy avionics obsolescence issues, and who want to improve reliability and dispatchability of their fleet.” – Tom Neumann, President of PHI MRO Services (Photo: PHI MRO Services)

Tom Neumann, President of PHI MRO Services, demonstrated enthusiasm for their collaboration with Avidyne and IS&S, saying, “We are happy to have Avidyne and IS&S as avionics OEM partners for systems integration and support of their new Helix flight deck. We see the Helix system as a terrific upgrade solution for helicopter operators facing legacy avionics obsolescence issues, and who want to improve reliability and dispatchability of their fleet.”

While the Helix Flight Deck System is still pending certification, and certain details like pricing have yet to be revealed, Avidyne, IS&S and PHI MRO have shown confidence that this new system will help helicopter operators modernize their flight decks in a cost-effective manner.

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GE Aerospace Tests Next-Gen Rotor Analysis Diagnostics

GE Aerospace is testing the next-generation Rotor Analysis Diagnostic System (RADS) for civil and military operators which was designed to reduce pilot time and to save fuel. (Photo: GE Aerospace)

GE Aerospace recently announced the testing of its next generation Rotor Analysis Diagnostic System (RADS). This program, which is designed for application to both civil and military sectors of the aviation industry, will help operators by replacing its existing RADS-AT (Advanced Technology) and RADS-AVA (Aviation Vibration Analyzer) with a more modern diagnostic solution.

GE Aviation is an industry giant, designing and manufacturing jet engines, aircraft components, and various systems for both commercial and military applications. When combined with its joint ventures, the company has installed more than 40,000 engines on commercial aircraft and 26,000 on military aircraft. In addition to these products, the company has a worldwide service network to enhance their offering, all while maintaining a commitment to creating more sustainable flight.

The company’s latest news involves its popular RADS-AT and RADS-AVA systems. By now, over 5,000 units have been supplied for use on a wide range of over 200 rotorcraft in both civil and military settings, including models like the Airbus H125 (Eurocopter AS350), the Bell 412, the Boeing CH-47, the Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk, and the Leonardo AW139. The company claims that just one unit can support an entire fleet.

GE has begun testing and demonstrating an updated version of this system: the RADS-NG (Next Generation). This advanced system further evolves the 30 year-old product by offering a portable vibration diagnostics solution for operators. This system will be especially helpful in cases where permanent installation is not desirable or where existing systems need to be supplemented. The flexibility that comes with this system gives it a versatility that allows it to offer fixed-wing vibration tests for aircraft like the Lockheed C-130 Hercules.

This new system will provide many benefits for operators. As Steve Schoonveld, product director of Connected Aircraft for GE Aerospace, explains, “The upgraded Rotor Analysis Diagnostic System allows operators the ability to complete their rotor track and balance operations and diagnostics in fewer flights while significantly reducing flight and pilot time and saving fuel.”

Demonstrations for the new system have already begun, and GE hopes to begin deliveries in the fourth quarter of this year.

“The upgraded Rotor Analysis Diagnostic System allows operators the ability to complete their rotor track and balance operations and diagnostics in fewer flights while significantly reducing flight and pilot time and saving fuel.” – Steve Schoonveld, product director of Connected Aircraft at GE Aerospace (Photos: GE Aerospace)

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CesiumAstro Jumps into IFC Market With New Phased Array Antenna

This week, CesiumAstro unveiled its new in-flight connectivity satellite communications terminal. Pictured above is a Ka-band IFC terminal installed on a commercial aircraft. (Photo: CesiumAstro)

CesiumAstro is jumping into the in-flight connectivity (IFC) market, unveiling a new multi-beam flat panel terminal for aviation on Monday, March 13. It is an active phased array that can support multiple Ka-band constellations for airborne commercial and defense markets.

CesiumAstro designs phased arrays for satellites. This is its first user terminal for the aero market.

With the multi-beam, phased array technology, the antenna is able to track multiple satellite beams for seamless handoffs to perform make-before-break connections, CEO Shey Sabripour told Via Satellite.

“This is a seamless handoff. One of the features of having a multi-beam antenna is that all of this is done electronically. It’s flat, you don’t have any connectivity issues when the aircraft banks or has turbulence. It automatically tracks the satellite, you don’t lose connectivity,” Sabripour said.

It can also connect to multiple satellites and multiple constellations at once, including Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) and Geostationary Orbit (GEO) at the same time. The back end of the array is software-defined, and it can be compatible with several different modems to be compatible with different constellations.

The company plans to demonstrate the antenna with Airbus this year. CesiumAstro was one company Airbus selected to build an IFC antenna prototype. The company plans to deliver its prototype to Airbus in a couple of months to be flown on a commercial aircraft demonstration later this year.

“Airbus R&T is committed to evaluating the latest technologies in the industry so that we can provide our customers best in class connectivity,” said Olivier Hauw, leading Fast Track Connectivity at Airbus, said in a press release. “CesiumAstro’s flat panel array technology is at the cutting edge, and we look forward to working together further.”

It is not an exclusive deal with Airbus, and Sabripour said CesiumAstro has also own government contracts to demonstrate the antenna for government applications.

This article was originally published by Via Satellite, a sister publication to Avionics International. Click here to read the original version >>

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U.S. Air Force Decides on Engine Core Upgrade for F-35 Fighter

The U.S. Air Force has decided to move forward on Raytheon Technologies‘ Pratt & Whitney Engine Core Upgrade for the F-35 fighter and end the service’s Advanced Engine Transition Program. (Photo: Lockheed Martin)

The U.S. Air Force has decided to move forward on Raytheon Technologies‘ Pratt & Whitney Engine Core Upgrade (ECU) for the F-35 fighter and end the service’s Advanced Engine Transition Program (AETP), which received the Air Force-requested amount of $286 million last year.

The Air Force’s fiscal 2024 budget requests $245 million for ECU and increases research and development funding for an advanced engine for the Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) manned fighter.

Such NGAD advanced engine development—Next Generation Adaptive Propulsion (NGAP)—would receive $595 million in fiscal 2024, as opposed to $220 million appropriated by Congress last year, according to budget documents.

That $220 million appropriated for NGAP in fiscal 2023 was a nearly $153 million increase over the Air Force budget request (Defense Daily, Jan. 4).

Pratt & Whitney developed ECU, a block upgrade for the F135, with the objective of providing an affordable, low risk, and agile pathway to fielding meaningful propulsion capability for all F-35 customers. (Photo: Pratt & Whitney)

Five companies–General Electric, Pratt & Whitney, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman–received contracts last year under an umbrella, $975 million effort for the prototype phase of NGAP.

Pratt & Whitney has said that it will be able to outfit 24 F-35 squadrons with ECU by 2030—seven squadrons in 2029 and 17 in 2030.

As part of AETP, General Electric proposed its XA100 Tri-Variant Adaptive (TVA) engine to accomodate the envisioned Block 4 weapons and other upgrades for the Lockheed Martin F-35.

Last October, 48 representatives urged DoD to invest in next generation, adaptive propulsion for fighters in a letter co-sponsored by Sens. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) and Rep. Brad Wenstrup (R-Ohio).

In all, 13 of 16 Ohio representatives signed the letter.

General Electric’s GE Aviation subsidiary has its headquarters in Evendale, Ohio outside of Cincinnati.

GE has said that it began working with the F-35 Joint Program Office in the fall of 2021 on evaluating whether GE could alter the proposed XA100 for the U.S. Air Force’s AETP to fit on the U.S. Marine Corps F-35B.

“This [fiscal 2024] budget fails to consider rising geopolitical tensions and the need for revolutionary capabilitites that only the XA100 engine can provide by 2028,” GE said on March 13. The company said that continuing AETP would also acknowledge “the role competition can play in reducing past cost overruns.”

In addition, GE said that DoD has already spent $4 billion on AETP thus far and that ECU would not provide the improvements needed for the F-35 and provided by the XA100.

The company has said that it has verified $10 billion in savings for the XA100 through fuel efficiency, improved durability, and maintenance costs compared to the original program requirements

The $10 billion “is the net savings for AETP unique costs offset by fuel savings over the life of the program,” GE said. “This number was calculated as a contractual deliverable under AETP based on USAF provided assumptions. This is a conservative number and does not take into account savings that would be delivered through increased engine durability which reduces time to overhaul and unscheduled maintenance. Again, the XA100 delivers ready capabilities with real taxpayer lifetime savings, as our number is not calculated based on cost avoidance due to existing engine issues.”

GE said that it would advance development of the XA100 this year.

Since 2016, the Air Force has funded the AETP.

The F-35 program has said that while the XA100 TVA is based on the F-35A’s F135 engine the TVA would require an independent development program.

Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall said that the Air Force’s decision in fiscal 2024 to pursue ECU and end AETP for the F-35 was based on affordability and that the service may have pursued AETP for the fighter “if the [AETP development] cost had been lower.”

This article was originally published by Defense Daily, a sister publication of Avionics International. It has been edited. Read the original version here >>

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Innoflight CEO Says Northrop Contract Represents “More Agile Approach To Space”

Northrop Grumman chose Innoflight as a strategic avionics supplier for the Space Development Agency (SDA) Tranche 1 Transport Layer (T1TL) program. (Photo: Innoflight)

San Diego-based Innoflight CEO Jeff Janicik said a contract with Northrop Grumman to provide avionics equipment for U.S. Space Development Agency (SDA) low earth orbit (LEO) space vehicles, announced this month, is the start “a lot more work in the future” on space-based communications for the aerospace technology firm.

“This is a very meaningful contract for Innoflight,” Janicik told Avionics International in an interview. “It’s validation of an original mission and vision of the company [founded in 2005], which [foresaw] the emergence of a smaller, more agile approach to space–the proliferated constellation, the resilient architectures. These are the things that coincide with the way we saw space solutions coming to prominence.”

Describing Innoflight’s capabilities, Janicik said: “We build space computers, we build advanced processors, we build storage and network processing, basically anything under the umbrella of space processors and computers.”

Northrop Grumman Strategic Space Systems was awarded a potentially $700 million prototype contract from SDA in February 2002 to research and develop 42 Tranche 1 Transport Layer (T1TL) satellite space vehicles to be ready for launch in 2024. Lockheed Martin and York Space Systems were also awarded T1TL space vehicle contracts by SDA.

SDA has said T1TL will be a “mesh network” of 126 LEO space vehicle satellites enabling “a resilient, low-latency, high-volume data transport communication system … [allowing for] global communications access and … persistent regional encrypted connectivity.”

Innoflight will deliver to Northrop S-band software-defined radios for Telemetry, Tracking and Control (TT&C) data links, Type-1 “bulk” and “mesh network” End Cryptographic Units (ECUs), network Internet Protocol (IP) routers with Multi-Protocol Label Switching (MPLS), network Ethernet switches, flight processors with on-orbit data storage and precision navigation timing.

Deliveries of some equipment will start as early as this spring, Janicik said.

Janicik noted the LEO communications network being planned by SDA is “very similar to the way terrestrial networks work, especially when you start looking at wireless aspects,” he explained. “There are some more advanced networking protocols used in space. The challenge is you’ve got greater distances, either in space or [from space] to the ground.”

Janicik said security will be a key function of the equipment Innoflight is providing to Northrop. “You have to secure these connections,” he noted. “You have to authenticate the different nodes and that is done through the electronics. The challenge is interoperability, the same as it was when terrestrial wireless networks started becoming more common when WiFi was established.”

Janicik said supply chain bottlenecks are a barrier to be overcome by Innoflight and other avionics suppliers. “Organizations like the Space Development Agency recognize that,” he explained. “But when you get to large quantities [of parts], it’s a large risk for our company. We’re still a small-size company, but it’s a risk for even the big suppliers in space technology. And in some cases, we’re going up against the automotive industry and computer industry [for parts], depending on what kind of class of parts you’re talking about. So, everyone’s vying for those parts.”

Because of supply chain delays, the Innoflight CEO said it is critical for space avionics suppliers to know “what’s coming down the pipeline” as far in advance as possible. “That’s the tough part—knowing exactly what’s coming down the pipe and what needs to be built,” Janicik said. “You don’t really know that until the requirements are set. It’s a little bit of a challenge.”

The value of the Northrop-Innoflight contract was not disclosed.

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Updates from Sikorsky at HAI Heli-Expo 2023

President Paul Lemmo and Vice President of Global Commercial and Military Systems Leon Silva spoke during a press conference at HAI Heli-Expo 2023 to share some updates from the past year as well as some of the innovations they see going forward.

Sikorsky Aircraft celebrated its 100th anniversary on March 5, just before the start of this year’s HAI Heli-Expo event in Atlanta. President Paul Lemmo and Vice President of Global Commercial and Military Systems Leon Silva spoke during a press conference to share some updates from the past year as well as some of the innovations they see going forward.

One of the highlights mentioned was that more than 3,000 lives were saved with Sikorsky aircraft in 2022. The company also delivered 95 helicopters last year across their commercial and military portfolio. Lemmo shared that he is most proud of the fact “that we had three of our platforms that were in development together that all went through successful Initial Operational Test and Evaluation, and achieved IOC—initial operational capability—with their respective services.”

These three platforms were the VH-92A, the CH-53K, and the Combat Rescue Helicopter. “The CH-53K lifted a Black Hawk that had been downed in the high-altitude mountains of California at about 12,000 feet,” Lemmo remarked. He also mentioned that the CH-53K successfully lifted an F35 helicopter.

The Combat Rescue Helicopter (Photo: Sikorsky)

The Combat Rescue Helicopter went through its IoT in mid-2022 and was declared IOC early fall. “I’m not sure how many helicopter companies can put two or three major programs through development simultaneously and achieve IOC,” Lemmo said. “That’s a pretty amazing accomplishment if you understand how complex these machines are, and the development that we go through.”

He commented that although they accomplished a great deal in the past year, they were disappointed in the decision on the Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA) program.

“We continue to push forward with X2—we believe that this delivers some revolutionary capability and speed, range, maneuverability, and survivability,” Lemmo said. “We think it’s a great fit for the Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA) program. We remain deeply involved in that competition.”

He noted that they continue to fly the S-97 Raider which provides value for further developments. “It’s a testament to an experimental aircraft that we’re still able to fly this aircraft,” he stated. “It serves as a testbed for all of our X2 activities. It’s 80% of the scale of our Raider X aircraft, so every time we fly this, whether it be for a customer demonstration, or an engineering test—of which we’re still doing many—it continues to build our confidence in the digital model that we have for Raider X.”

Raider X is 95% complete, he revealed, having been 92% complete as of last October. The team hopes to install the Improved Turbine Engine Program (ITEP) soon, and begin ground and flight testing this year.

The International Twin, a larger-scale concept than the Raider X, is a dual-engine based on X2 technology and is primarily intended for the international utility market at the moment. “We are working collaboratively with Leonardo on a study for the Italian government to see how X2 fits into their next-generation fast helicopter program and meets their requirements,” Lemmo added. “We’re also closely watching the next-generation rotorcraft capability that’s being developed by NATO. There’s a lot of studies going on that we’re participating in. We certainly think that that X2 fits very well with a number of the requirements that they have.”

Another recent achievement by Sikorsky is the delivery of 5,000 Hawk variants, which was celebrated in January. “This aircraft continues to thrive in the market,” Lemmo said. “In Australia, we recently were awarded a contract for 40 Black Hawks worth nearly $2 billion. Australia is in the process of tripling their Hawk population from 23 aircraft to 76.”

“The multi-mission UH-60M Black Hawk provides the Australian Army with critical capabilities that will strengthen Australia’s readiness, interoperability and security for decades to come.” – Paul Lemmo (Photo: Sikorsky)

“We’re also looking at putting a modular open systems architecture backbone on the aircraft and cockpit to take it into 21^st-century warfare capabilities and be able to interoperate with future vertical lift aircraft,” explained Lemmo.

“We also were looking at [incorporating] a digital vehicle management system—think of that as a fly-by-wire capability—so that we can implement our matrix capability. We’ve seen that fly on a Blackhawk, and we know that the Army has interest in the contested logistics mission of potentially using some of those capabilities for an unmanned Black Hawk. There is a lot to come from the Black Hawk fleet from a modernization perspective, and we are continuing production both domestically and internationally.”

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PLANA Signs MoUs with LG Uplus and Jeju Air

PLANA signed an MoU last month with LG Uplus to conduct joint research on 5G/LTE-based avionics data communications for urban air mobility (UAM). PLANA also announced the signing of an MoU with Jeju Air, the largest South Korean low-cost airline, earlier this month. They will work together to create an advanced air mobility ecosystem. (Photo: PLANA)

Hybrid eVTOL manufacturer PLANA signed an MoU last month with LG Uplus to conduct joint research on 5G/LTE-based avionics data communications for urban air mobility (UAM). They will collaborate on the development of technologies to enable UAM aircraft to communicate operational data to each other and to traffic management platforms.

A 5G network would ensure a greater level of safety for high-density traffic involving UAM aircraft like eVTOLs, particularly between altitudes of 1,000 and 2,000 feet.

“It is quite a meaningful moment for LG Uplus to start a collaboration with PLANA, a Korean hybrid eVTOL startup, which offers intracity to intercity flight operations,” commented head of corporate service development lab of LG Uplus, Youngseo Jeon. “We plan to maximize the safety of UAM’s operation and passenger convenience through deploying 5G/LTE technologies to UAM.”

PLANA signed a MoU with Jeju Air, Korea’s leading low-cost carrier, to explore the AAM ecosystem. (Photo: PLANA)

PLANA also announced the signing of an MoU with Jeju Air, the largest South Korean low-cost airline, earlier this month. They will work together to create an advanced air mobility ecosystem.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport is conducting its Korean Urban Air Mobility (K-UAM) Grand Challenge in the second half of 2023. PLANA and Jeju Air plan to cooperate in the first phase of this challenge. The companies also intend to work together for the training of industry workers, including pilots, and for AAM-related Air Operator Certificate (AOC) qualification standards.

“We will be able to provide clients the unique experience of long-distance flying services with over 500 kilometers flight range, which has become PLANA AAM’s competitive edge,” remarked Braden J. Kim, CEO of PLANA, on the partnership with Jeju Air.

The airline’s CEO, Kim E-bae, shared that their expertise will be valuable for creating a stable business model for AAM services. Jeju Air will be able to expand its business model beyond UAM operations through its work with PLANA.

The hybrid eVTOL developer plans to demonstrate a pure battery-based scale model of its aircraft by conducting the first flight this year. PLANA also intends to open an office in the U.S. by the end of 2023 to collaborate more closely with the Federal Aviation Administration.

The former vice president of the Advanced Defense Technology Research Institute (Korean DARPA) at the Agency for Defense Development (ADD), Dr. Taekyu Reu, joined PLANA as a senior vice president of aircraft configuration engineering, the company announced this week. Other experts employed at PLANA have previous experience at Airbus, Collins Aerospace, Hyundai Motor, and Honda, among other leading OEMs and companies.

Dr. Taekyu Reu (Photo: PLANA)

PLANA selected an electric powertrain supplier, Electric Power Systems, for its hybrid-electric aircraft last October. The eVTOL developer also concluded its pre-series A funding round last fall with a total of $9 million USD, bringing total investment in PLANA to about $10 million. FuturePlay, Kibo Technology Fund, Schmidt, DSC Investment, Shinhan Asset Management, Dt& Investment, Industrial Bank of Korea, and Xenoholdings Asia all participated in the pre-series A fundraising round.

The post PLANA Signs MoUs with LG Uplus and Jeju Air appeared first on Avionics International.

BETA Plans to Certify a Fixed-Wing Electric Aircraft Alongside Its eVTOL

BETA Technologies announced plans to certify its fixed-wing electric aircraft, the CX300, alongside its electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) vehicle, the ALIA. (Photo: BETA)

BETA Technologies announced plans this week to certify its fixed-wing electric aircraft alongside its electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) vehicle, the ALIA. The eCTOL prototype performs conventional take-off and landing. BETA has already flown it more than 22,000 miles during 2+ years of full-scale testing. The eCTOL, the CX300, has undergone qualitative evaluation flights by FAA, Air Force, and Army test pilots and has completed a 386-mile test flight.

BETA’s Founder and CEO, Kyle Clark, commented that they have conducted test flights with the eCTOL prototype along airport-to-airport routes. “Global operators are looking for practical solutions to help meet their sustainability commitments, and after seeing the cost and performance of this prototype, our customers are eager to integrate it into their fleet,” said Clark. “With its known certification and operational path, this aircraft represents an opportunity to get electric aviation into the market, and into the hands of our customers, as quickly as possible.”

The ALIA and the CX300 “are common in their design, allowing us to economize validation of our high performance solutions,” according to BETA’s CEO, Kyle Clark. (Photo: BETA)

United Therapeutics, Bristow, and Air New Zealand are some of the customers that have placed orders for BETA’s eCTOL aircraft. Certification and delivery are expected in 2025. Air New Zealand intends to fly its first zero-emissions commercial demonstrator flight in 2026.

Clark remarked that the ALIA and the CX300 “are common in their design, allowing us to economize validation of our high performance solutions. With the eCTOL aircraft launch we have further de-risked our path to commercialization and concurrently provide lower cost, more utility and optionality to operators. This has given us the confidence to industrialize and invest heavily in production at scale over the last year.”

Pictured above is a comparison of the CX300 and ALIA-250 aircraft. (Photo: BETA)

A partnership between BETA, the UAE government, and UPS was made public recently. The partners are collaborating on the operation of electric aircraft in the UAE. February 28 marked the achievement of a Minimum Viable License, or MVL, to operate BETA’s electric cargo aircraft in the country. The temporary MVL was issued by the UAE Regulations Lab “with an aim to accelerate the shift towards sustainable and eco-friendly transportation modes and enhance the sustainability of the air cargo industry in the UAE,” according to the press release from the UAE Government Media Office. The initial stages of the collaboration will involve the operation of conventional take-off and landing (CTOL) vehicles.

Maryam Al Hammadi, Minister of State, Secretary General of the UAE Cabinet, is quoted as saying, “The Regulations Lab works with a number of experts, legislators from the federal and local government entities, private sector and entrepreneurs. The Lab’s mission is to develop new legislations that contributes to designing and adopting a flexible legislative system that keeps pace with the requirements of sustainability, and aligns the speed of regulations with the speed of innovation.”

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LIFT Conducts First Piloted eVTOL Flights in Japan

This week, LIFT Aircraft completed nine successful demonstration flights in Japan with its eVTOL aircraft, HEXA. (Photo: ©︎GMO Internet Group)

This week, LIFT Aircraft announced that it has completed the first piloted eVTOL demonstration flights in Japan. Following the nine flights completed in Osaka this week, the demonstration tour will continue in the cities of Niihama and Imabari.

LIFT’s electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, HEXA, was reviewed by the Japan Civil Aviation Bureau (JCAB), which gave approval for this week’s demonstrations. Marubeni Corporation partnered with LIFT to conduct the flights, and GMO Internet Group also participated. Masatoshi Kumagai of GMO was introduced to the eVTOL aircraft and successfully completed three flight patterns following a training session.

Matt Chasen, founder and CEO of LIFT Aircraft, commented, “JCAB was thorough in their review of our safety standards and our aircraft, and gave us the green light to fly. It’s an honor that our aircraft was selected to be the first eVTOL ever piloted in Japan.”

“This is a strong indication to the world, and especially the thousands on our waitlist, that they will have the opportunity to fly very soon.” – Matt Chasen, CEO at LIFT (Photo: ©︎GMO Internet Group)

The eVTOL developer has already worked with the U.S. Air Force to formally conclude Phase 1 flight test and beginner flight envelope development. The HEXA eVTOL conforms to the Federal Aviation Administration’s Part 103, and it can be flown in the U.S. without a pilot’s license or aircraft type certification. LIFT has now launched Alpha Flights which allows for flights conducted by people outside of LIFT’s Flight Operations and Test teams.

The team at LIFT Aircraft has conducted flight testing of its eVTOL concept with the support of the U.S. Air Force since 2020 through a Phase 2 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract. Last spring, a Phase 3 contract was awarded that supports a rigorous flight testing program for HEXA as well as further development of use cases for the aircraft. HEXA is one of many eVTOL aircraft that the Air Force is evaluating through its Agility Prime program.

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USAF Budget to Include About a Dozen New Starts

Pictured above is the Kratos XQ-58A Valkyrie. Late last year, the 40th Flight Test Squadron at Eglin AFB, FL, took possession of the first of two government-owned XQ-58As. The aircraft is a low-cost, high-performance uncrewed air vehicle that is rocket-launched off a rail system and is controlled from a ground station or airborne fighter by an onboard computer system that is capable of determining the best flight path and throttle settings to comply with commands, the U.S. Air Force said. (Photo: AFRL)

The upcoming U.S. Air Force fiscal 2024 budget request is to include about a dozen new start programs that will require congressional authorization, and Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall told reporters on March 7 at the Air & Space Forces Association conference in Aurora, CO, that he is concerned that the toxic political division on Capitol Hill may impede the establishment and progression of such programs.

Such new starts would include the Next-Generation Air-Refueling (NGAS) tanker and a buy of perhaps 1,000 Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCAs) to be employed by 200 Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) manned fighters and 300 Lockheed Martin F-35As.

The Air Force has about 300 F-35As and has planned to buy 1,763.

The 300 F-35As for deploying CCAs “is a reasonable target point,” Kendall said on March 7. “It’s somewhat arbitrary. I don’t know what the ultimate inventory of CCAs would be or exactly what the ratio would be. We’re starting out with the intent to have at least two per fighter working together, but it could be more than that. It’s gonna be a question of what the technology is and what works out best operationally.”

The Air Force fiscal 2024 budget is to include funding for operational unit experimentation with uncrewed, autonomous drones to develop CCA operational concepts and training.

“We want to get as much operational combat capability as we can out of this [CCA] concept, but, if we shoot too far, we’re gonna have a program that gets caught in schedule and cost overruns,” Kendall said. “We’re assessing the technology. We’re gonna do this competitively..I wanna push the technology without pushing it too far. That’s something we’re gonna have to figure out as we go along.”

Kendall warned against the Air Force “gold plating” service requirements, “which has gotten us in trouble in the past” on other programs.

This article was originally published by Defense Daily, a sister publication of Avionics International. It has been edited. Read the original version here >>

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