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NASA Researchers Field-Test New Technology to Aid Drone Pilots in Fighting Fires

A project led by NASA’s Ames Research Center commenced field-testing of a kit prototype for drone pilots. The technology is intended to support scaling up of drone use for responding to disasters like wildfires. (Photo provided by NASA)

NASA’s STEReO (Scalable Traffic Management for Emergency Response Operations) project, led by the Ames Research Center, has developed a prototype of a drone pilot’s kit intended to help scale up the use of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) for disaster response applications. The prototype technology is designed to increase awareness of other aircraft for drone pilots by notifying them of the position of any crewed aircraft. This UAS pilot’s kit, or UASP-kit, makes it easier for the pilot to perform safe fire response operations.

In March, NASA’s STEReO team trained members of the U.S. Forest Service in using the UASP-kits, then observed firefighters as they conducted prescribed burns in national forests in the southern U.S. The Forest Service uses drones to start these intentional fires for strategic land management. The prescribed burns result in less available vegetation for unintentional fires to burn. These field tests lasted for two weeks, and the researchers from NASA gathered useful data from the fire-response professionals following the use of the UASP-kits in a real-world setting.

Using drones to fight fires is not a new concept. In 2019, drones were an integral part of minimizing the damage caused by the fire that broke out at the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris. The firefighters used two camera-equipped DJI drones to most effectively direct their firehoses.

Another of NASA’s UASP-kit field tests took place in Redding, California, in May this year. NASA researchers participated in an aerial firefighting training course, led by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE). CAL FIRE has one of the largest firefighting air fleets in the worldWhile trainees learned to direct numerous aircraft operating over a simulated fire, the STEReO team tested out some of the new features of the UASP-kit.

Research psychologist Joey Mercer, who is the principal investigator on NASA’s STEReO project, spoke with Avionics International about the field tests conducted this spring. Mercer has a background in human factors and a strong interest in the decision-making process of drone operators. He explained that the purpose of these field tests is to explore the advantages that capabilities developed by NASA can provide to firefighters. “There’s no intent to automate something, or replace humans in their roles,” he said. “These are the world’s experts on fighting fires.”

The UASP-kit, Mercer remarked, functions to locally source information to enhance awareness for the UAS operator. Pilots conducting UAS missions “understand that they are the ones that shoulder that burden for see-and-avoid,” he said, rather than pilots of larger aircraft having the responsibility of avoiding any small drones.

“We were able to see right away if a new feature was working well, or if it needed immediate attention from our team’s software engineers,” said Joey Mercer, research psychologist with NASA’s Ames Research Center. “This rapid prototyping approach, when validated in these operational settings, is the fastest way for us to be sure we’re giving these users the capabilities they need.” (Photo: NASA)

A drone pilot or flight crew can use manual methods to detect other aircraft operating near the UAS. For example, visual observers can be positioned in multiple locations. They can also include an extra member of the flight crew that is responsible for noticing any other aircraft and alerting the operator. “The UASP-kit is meant to supplement their procedures,” Mercer remarked. They can still carry out all of their processes in the same way, he said, “but now we have this extra digital visual observer who can essentially tap us on the shoulder. This notion is what we’re calling technology-enhanced situational awareness.”

Mercer described a solution for UAS operators where information gathered from aircraft broadcasting their positions via radio signals is translated onto a map-like display. The operators can interact with that display to define their UAS mission’s operating area.

“We could go one step further and set up alerting rings,” he said, such as: “Please beep at me if something gets closer than X, or double beep at me if it gets closer than Y.” This eliminates the need for a member of the flight crew to be completely responsible for monitoring other aircraft. “That sort of workflow is what is supplementing that kind of proactive see-and-avoid,” he added.

One challenge is that the technology powering the antenna detecting other aircraft’s positions is dependent on line-of-sight, and can’t see something behind a ridgeline, for example. Mercer explained that there are some blind spots in the “view shed” of what the antenna can pick up, but that this challenge is surmountable.

“We’re already working to establish satellite nodes—sort of secondary nodes of these antennas,” he said. They could leave an antenna on top of the ridge which communicates with the antenna on the UASP-kit to increase visibility.

The STEReO team’s primary focus is refining the technology’s capabilities in a way that ensures safety and enables operators to do more while using the UASP-kit.

Firefighters use drones to fly into places that are considered too dangerous for conventional aircraft. Drones can help firefighters on the ground by detecting where a fire is growing fastest. (Photo: National Geographic)

Four of these kits are currently being used for real-world fire management; CAL FIRE is using one of the UASP-kits, Mercer noted. All of the feedback gathered from users will be used to improve future iterations of the UASP-kit, like making the operator’s workflow easier via the interface, or enabling more efficient decision-making.

A UAS services provider, Precision, operates aircraft for mapping wildfires and emergency response missions, most recently in support of the U.S. Forest Service and the Department of the Interior in New Mexico and Arizona. Their team can deploy UAS within 48 hours and is not limited to performing operations only during the day or when visibility is high.

The post NASA Researchers Field-Test New Technology to Aid Drone Pilots in Fighting Fires appeared first on Aviation Today.

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New Research Recommends Streamlining Regulations to Enable Drone Operations in the U.S.

A new research report recommends creating drone corridors to enable advancements and growth of the commercial drone industry. The report also features a scorecard that ranks each state’s “drone readiness” based on multiple factors. (Photo courtesy of the Mercatus Center, George Mason University)

New research from George Mason University’s Mercatus Center indicates the need for states to create and manage drone routes in order to enable growth of the commercial drone industry in the U.S. The research paper, authored by senior research fellow Brent Skorup, also features a ranking system that compares the “drone readiness” of each state. Oklahoma ranks as the most prepared for commercial drone services, followed by North Dakota, Arkansas, Arizona, and Minnesota. Three states tied for last place as the least prepared to enable urban air mobility: Nebraska, Rhode Island, and Mississippi.

Skorup’s ranking of states’ preparedness for commercial drone services includes six factors: airspace lease law, avigation easement law, task force or program office, law vesting landowners with air rights, sandbox availability, and jobs estimates.

The drone industry needs to work with local regulators and landowners in a way that the conventional aviation industry hasn’t had to, Skorup explained in an interview with Avionics International. While noise concerns have existed for a long time, with conventional aircraft these concerns are only an issue for residents living next to an airport or heliport. In contrast, unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) fly at low altitudes and could be targeted by trespassing or nuisance lawsuits.

Skorup had the idea that enabling drones to fly above public roadways would eliminate most of these issues. “Roadways are already dedicated for transportation; they’re fairly noisy and handle a lot of logistics,” he said. “Establishing drone corridors above public roadways at low altitudes is a fairly simple and elegant way to open up millions of miles of these corridors.”

One of the few sites in the U.S. where the FAA currently allows test flights for drones is the 50-mile drone corridor in New York. NUAIR, a nonprofit that manages operations at the New York UAS Test Site, received FAA authorization for drone operations beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) for 35 miles of airspace within the corridor.

The report published by the Mercatus Center demonstrates the importance of allowing use of airspace over public roadways to make drone flights more feasible. Skorup also sees avigation easements as a priority. Avigation easement laws enable drones to fly as long as they are at an altitude high enough to not disturb people on the ground.

Skorup’s research includes the suggestion that establishing many more designated places for testing new drone technologies would allow companies to more effectively demonstrate their products to regulators and investors. These places, referred to as sandboxes, could be underused airports or rural airspace. “It’s important in this industry to show proof of concept, and have something to show investors and regulators—not just business plans,” he remarked. Developers of drones, electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, and UTMs (UAS Traffic Management) could all benefit from dedicated public facilities for testing.

Even though drone technology is fairly advanced, Skorup said, it’s difficult for companies to make a business case while depending on one-off waivers from the Federal Aviation Administration. There are a lot of pilot programs in the U.S. for drones, such as Zipline’s, he noted. Zipline recently received its Part 135 Air Carrier Certificate from the FAA, and has been performing drone flights in Arkansas under the FAA’s Part 107 rule since last year.

“A lot of companies in the past year or two have really struggled. They need access to airspace,” Skorup stated. He recommends that the FAA and state departments of transportation coordinate in whitelisting low-altitude airspace—below 200 or 400 feet—for drone companies to begin routine flights and testing. He also sees a need for allowing private property owners or cities to negotiate with drone companies to get drone corridors up and running.

He also hopes to see more sandboxes open up for tests and demonstrations. Each sandbox may have different priorities; “a drone company that wants to operate in Manhattan is going to look very different than one [designed for agricultural applications] in Texas or Oklahoma,” he said.

Brent Skorup used six factors to score and rank each of the 50 states regarding their preparedness for commercial drone services. (Photo: Brent Skorup / Mercatus Center)

In spite of the challenges that drone companies and regulators are facing, Skorup believes that the regulatory framework for drone operations in the U.S. compares favorably to those in other countries. “From what I can tell, most countries and national regulators are looking to the US for leadership, and follow closely what happens here,” he commented.

China is one country that appears to be further along in the cargo and passenger drone industries. Earlier this year, Brent Skorup and colleague Will Gu wrote a report comparing drone policy and industrial policy in the U.S. and China, and also offered recommendations for lawmakers in the U.S. “Chinese regulators perceive their nation as lagging the United States and Europe in traditional commercial aviation,” according to the report. “That perception seems to serve as a motivation to leapfrog the West and lead the globe in developing commercial drone, eVTOL, and urban air mobility (UAM) standards and services.”

Skorup and Gu’s research also showed that drone regulations in China “preserve significantly more discretion for national regulators (and uncertainty for industry),” while the regulatory environment in the U.S. is at a disadvantage due to “a system of ad hoc and temporary waivers for long-distance drone operations.” However, they noted, “U.S. regulators appear prepared to apply more rigorous and general policies in the near future.”

In general, things are moving extremely slowly for the commercial drone industry in the U.S. “The FAA has a lot on its plate,” Skorup told Avionics. “It manages traditional air traffic in the U.S. amongst a lot of other things. I see drones falling through the cracks: it doesn’t seem to be a priority for the agency.” He is optimistic that more airspace can be opened up for drone operations if regulators enable local authorities to whitelist low-altitude airspace and to establish drone corridors over public roadways.

The post New Research Recommends Streamlining Regulations to Enable Drone Operations in the U.S. appeared first on Aviation Today.

Eve Unveils Full-Size Mock-Up Of Its eVTOL Cabin

Eve revealed the full-sized mock-up of their eVTOL aircraft’s cabin at the Farnborough Airshow this week. (Photo, courtesy of Embraer and Eve)

Eve Holdings revealed a full-sized mock-up of the cabin of its electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft for the first time at the Farnborough Airshow. In another announcement at the airshow this week, Eve disclosed the signing of a Letter of Intent with Embraer and BAE Systems that includes a potential order of 150 of Eve’s eVTOLs. BAE Systems and Embraer also signed a Memorandum of Understanding this week indicating a possible collaboration to develop a variation of Eve’s eVTOL for defense applications.

Eve is a subsidiary of Embraer, previously known as Eve Urban Air Mobility. The subsidiary formed a business combination with Zanite Acquisition Corp. in May of this year, and began trading on the New York Stock Exchange at that time.

Flavia Ciaccia, Vice President of User Experience of Eve, commented on the unveiling of the eVTOL aircraft’s cabin: “This mock-up brilliantly materialises the cabin concept we have been co-creating with potential users for years. We recently received feedback from our advisory board. […] Our solutions were designed considering essential market needs, such as accessibility, safety, sustainability, and ticket price.”

The current design of Eve’s aircraft includes a conventional wing and tail. This differs from the vehicle’s previous canard configuration. (Photo: Eve)

The current design of Eve’s aircraft includes a conventional wing and tail. This differs from the vehicle’s previous canard configuration. The company’s co-CEO, Andre Stein, remarked that Eve has been “accelerating our resources engagement and evolving the project’s maturity.”

Stein noted the potential of Eve’s eVTOL to be adapted for applications such as humanitarian response and disaster relief. The Letter of Intent (LOI) signed with Embraer and BAE Systems is non-binding, and the two companies intend to evaluate the application of the eVTOL for defense and security missions. President and CEO of Embraer Defense & Security, Jackson Schneider, noted that a defense variant of Eve’s aircraft could be a sustainable and cost-effective vehicle that offers adaptable capability.

Ian Muldowney, BAE Systems Air Chief Operating Officer, also commented on the announcement about the LOI with Eve. Muldowney shared that the operating environment of their customers is increasing in complexity. “eVTOL is just one example of how we’re looking at emerging technologies, including those from the commercial market. We are exploring how we can adapt these solutions to bring vital operational capability to our customers quickly and at a lower cost.”

This week, Eve also selected Halo Aviation as the launch customer for its Urban Air Traffic Management (UATM) software solution. Halo provides custom private travel services for the urban air mobility (UAM) market. Halo and Eve entered into a LOI in which Halo will acquire Eve’s UATM software and collaborate in the development and optimization of UAM operations.

Eve and Halo intend to develop an operational model, which would be deployed in the U.S. and the U.K. for specific missions.

Andrew Collins, Halo’s President and CEO, described the agreement as a unique and collaborative partnership. He stated that their team looks forward to working with Eve because the company is working to deploy a series of agnostic solutions to drive UAM, rather than solely focusing on manufacturing their eVTOL aircraft.

“We’ve been accelerating our resources engagement and evolving the project’s maturity.” co-CEO of Eve, Andre Stein (Photo: Eve)

Eve’s Andre Stein remarked on the LOI with Halo, saying, “We believe that collaborations such as ours are vital to fostering a thriving UAM market. […] Eve’s agnostic portfolio of solutions addresses the complexity of UAM networks, which require holistic and integrated services across the ecosystem that connect stakeholders to maintain and improve safety, optimise performance, and reduce operating costs. Halo’s outstanding travel services, coupled with our solutions, make this partnership extremely promising.”

In March, Eve announced the formation of two new partnerships. Global Crossing Airlines Group signed an LOI with Eve to order as many as 200 eVTOL aircraft. The companies expect to collaborate further in exploration of UAM ecosystem development and supporting infrastructure for eVTOL operations. A week later, Eve and Acciona, a renewable energy solutions developer, entered into a strategic partnership. Acciona plans to invest $30 million into Eve as part of the partnership.

Additionally, Eve have also recently been exploring the potential of autonomous flight. The companies collaborated with Iris Automation, Near Earth Autonomy, and Daedalean to conduct experimental flights that tested new technologies for autonomous systems. Key functions being evaluated were visual traffic detection, visual positioning, and visual landing functions.

The post Eve Unveils Full-Size Mock-Up Of Its eVTOL Cabin appeared first on Aviation Today.

SESAR JU Leads Project for Medical Drone Delivery in Belgium

SAFIR-Med, a project that is part of the SESAR Joint Undertaking, recently received authorization to perform a drone flight beyond visual line of sight over a populated area in Belgium. (Photo: SAFIR-Med)

The Belgian Civil Aviation Authority recently authorized a first-of-its-kind beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) drone flight in Antwerp. This was the first BVLOS drone flight over a populated area operating within the European Union Aviation Safety Agency’s new regulations for unmanned aircraft, and complying with the Specific Operations Risk Assessment (SORA).

The flight took place in June as part of the SAFIR-Med project to explore the feasibility of using drones to perform urgent medical deliveries. The team, including drone operator Helicus, used an X-8 multicopter, developed by SABCA, for the flight.

The SAFIR-Med project is one of many led and funded by the SESAR Joint Undertaking—a public-private partnership that manages research and innovation related to air traffic management (ATM) in the European Union. The Joint Undertaking, or JU, is part of the Single European Sky ATM Research (SESAR) collaborative project.

As drone operations become more frequent, it is necessary to ensure that unmanned aircraft are integrated safely into the existing airspace. (Photo: SAFIR-Med)

In 2017, the SESAR JU drafted a blueprint for enabling U-space, a framework to facilitate the safe integration of routine drone operations into the existing airspace. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) Committee approved a regulatory package for U-space in February 2021, and the European Commission adopted the regulations in April.

The regulatory framework for U-space includes requirements for ATM and ANSPs, and rules for ensuring that manned aircraft that operate alongside unmanned aircraft are electronically conspicuous. The U-space regulations will be applicable beginning on January 26, 2023.

Robin Garrity, Senior External Relations Officer of the SESAR 3 JU, commented that there will not be an immediate increase in the number of commercial drone activities taking place once these U-space regulations are in effect.

“The Regulation sets the rules for States to create, pretty much from scratch, a whole new ecosystem to support routine, commercial drone operations, and there are many pieces that need to be in place. Only when a State has all the key pieces in place can routine operations begin,” Garrity wrote in an emailed statement to Avionics International. The U-space regulations set the baseline for each State to work from when implementing a U-space environment that is operational.

Above is the X-8 multicopter, designed by SABCA with an integrated parachute. The drone is fully compliant with the flight test requirements specified in the ASTM F3322-18 Standard Specification. (Photo: SAFIR-Med)

At the end of June, the SESAR 3 JU announced three new projects as part of the Digital Sky Demonstrators that serve to test solutions for U-space and urban air mobility (UAM). These include U-ELCOME, coordinated by Eurocontrol to facilitate market uptake of services for U-space; BURDI, coordinated by Belgian ANSP skeyes, a project that will demonstrate management of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) operations in different environments; and EALU-AER, coordinated by Future Mobility Campus Ireland to demonstrate U-space architecture operations and ATM integration by leveraging drone traffic management technology solutions.

The Digital Sky Demonstrator projects are designed specifically to support States as they transition from demonstrations to deployments of a U-space environment, Garrity explained. “Until it becomes routine for drone operators to be able to use U-space services, the demand for such services will remain somewhat abated,” he noted. “As operations are increasingly enabled, the number of drone operators making use of the services is expected to increase and this, in turn, is expected to render this new ecosystem commercially viable.”

The SESAR 3 JU works closely with standardization and regulatory bodies. The ICAO UAS Advisory Group is a global body of standardization for UAS operations and ATM that the SESAR JU participates in. The JU also participates in the European U-space Standardisation Coordination Group (EUSCG) and some EUROCAE Working Groups. Garrity added that they work closely with EASA—in particular, during execution of demonstration projects to ensure adherence to regulations and to maintain safety.

“All SESAR research projects, not just those dealing with U-space, are required to provide insight and recommendations for standardization and regulation,” he shared. “Any findings from our research and demonstration projects are immediately fed into EASA and EUSCG/EUROCAE activities so that they can be incorporated in new standards and regulations.”

“The close partnership between the SESAR 3 JU, SESAR project members, EASA and standardisation bodies is vital and fundamental to the successful realisation of the U-space vision,” Garrity wrote. He also emphasized the importance of ensuring that commercial operations are carried out safely, especially because the creation of an entirely new aviation ecosystem is such an ambitious undertaking.

Another project led by SESAR, called AURA, is a two-year-long program focused on U-space solutions. The first objective is to identify the requirements for communications with ATM and validate U-space services. Second, the AURA team will define an ATM-U-space Concept of Operations for drone operations alongside manned aircraft.

A representative of the AURA project told Avionics in an emailed statement that the project’s flight plans are authorized by default. However, manual authorization of flight plans is required for “very high-risk environments at the airport and surrounding areas,” the representative explained. “We manage it with flight plan authorizations by ATM/geofences requiring authorization (even applying initial Dynamic Airspace Reconfiguration concepts).”

AURA includes Honeywell Aerospace, ENAIRE, Airbus, EUROCONTROL, Leonardo, Thales, NATS, and Indra, among several other partners.

The post SESAR JU Leads Project for Medical Drone Delivery in Belgium appeared first on Aviation Today.

Boeing Shifts to 2.0 Phase of Smart Networked Cabin Research Project

Results from the i+SCabin2.0 research project are expected to become available by mid-2023. (Photo courtesy of Boeing Global Services)

Boeing is moving forward with the second phase of a research project designed to provide networked aircraft cabin components with the ability to send data and information to ground-based airline, maintenance, and OEM information systems with “i+SCabin2.0.”

According to a July 8 announcement from Boeing Global Services (BGS), i+SCabin2.0 is a follow-on initiative to a research project first launched as part of Boeing’s 2019 ecoDemonstrator program that demonstrated the use of smart cabin sensors to capture the technical status or health of a commercial aircraft cabin filled with passengers in real time. The 2.0 phase of the project seeks to add a data link between the networked cabin components and relevant ground systems.

“The approach of the new i+SCabin2.0 research project is to enable sharing of data obtained from the cabin with ground stations during the flight for automated processing and evaluation using artificial intelligence,” according to the BGS announcement.

Jeppesen has been tasked with using the smart sensors and edge computing technologies introduced during the first phase of the research initiative to create an operational digital twin of the average Boeing aircraft cabin that could improve the maintenance and records management processes for airlines and aircraft lessors. Further, Jeppesen seeks to capture and analyze data about individual cabin components and systems for maintenance data analytics purposes.

One of the key goals in this second phase of the smart cabin research project is the development of a generic standardized “software application hosting environment designed to accommodate applications from manufacturers, OEMs, and service providers running on an onboard cabin server.”

Boeing is working with a European alliance of aerospace industry suppliers for the i+SCabin2.0 project that includes Airbus Operations GmbH and is led by Diehl Aerospace, the Überlingen, Germany-based interiors and avionics supplier. An update on their involvement in the project released by Diehl last month notes that the company has some specific research goals it would like to achieve as part of the project as well.

“Another work package investigates wireless mechanisms that assign specific devices to a functional position,” the company writes. “For example, a passenger service unit can be assigned to a specific seating group. As part of i+SCabin2.0, Diehl investigates whether and how the determined position information can contribute to digitizing the cabin configuration process.”

Diehl will also use their involvement in the project to assess the possibility of automating cabin inspections and accelerating the passenger onboarding process, among others. The company expects the i+sCabin2.0 research project’s results to become available by the “middle of 2023” presented in a technology demonstrator.

The post Boeing Shifts to 2.0 Phase of Smart Networked Cabin Research Project appeared first on Aviation Today.

Airbus Secures Flight Management Computers, Vision Systems Suppliers for Eurodrone

Airbus has confirmed two new suppliers for the Eurodrone, pictured here at the ILA Berlin air show in the form of a mockup at Airbus’ static display. (Photo courtesy of Airbus)

Airbus Defence and Space has secured two new technology supplier agreements with Kappa Optronics and Saab for Eurodrone, the next generation military unmanned aircraft system (UAS) program that the French manufacturer is leading development on.

Saab will be supplying modular computers that will enable “multiple functions” for the Eurodrone’s flight management and airspace integration systems, according to an announcement made by the Swedish aerospace and defense manufacturer last week. That award comes several weeks after Airbus signed an agreement with Kappa Optronics, the German aviation camera maker, to provide vision systems for the Eurodrone.

Kappa Optronics and Saab are the latest in a series of supplier agreements established by Airbus following its signing of the Eurodrone global contract with the Organisation for Joint Armament Co-operation (OCCAR) in February. Under the agreement reached in February, Airbus is serving as the industry prime for Eurodrone while representing Airbus Defence and Space S.A.U in Spain, Dassault Aviation in France, and Leonardo S.p.A. in Italy as the three major sub-contractors. OCCAR signed the agreement on behalf of the launch nations, Germany, France, Italy, and Spain to acquire 20 Eurodrone systems and five years of initial in-service support, while seeking to develop the UAS entirely using European technologies.

Johannes Overhues, co-shareholder and CEO of Kappa Optronics, with José-Maria Hernandez-Garcia and Miguel Angel Escudero Garcia from Airbus DS with the signed Eurodrone contract they announced in June. (Photo, courtesy of Kappa Optronics)

Airbus describes Eurodrone as a Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) remotely piloted aircraft that will be tasked with supporting Intelligence, Surveillance Target Acquisition, and Reconnaissance (ISTAR) missions, homeland security operations, and other future defense needs. Each individual Eurodrone consists of three unmanned aircraft controlled by a single ground station.

The selection of Kappa will be the company’s second major supplier agreement with Airbus; it already supplies the camera system for the A330 MRRT. A representative for Saab told Avionics International in an emailed statement that the computer they’re providing as part of their Eurodrone selection is a “multiple processor” system.

“The solution is based on extensive Background IP from Saabs existing Safety Critical Computer platform product line including among other features a Cross Channel Data Link solution similar to the solution in the similar computer Saab once developed for Airbus for the Talarion program,” the representative said. “First delivery from Saab is due 2024.”

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Merlin Labs Raises $105 Million In New Funding Round, Announces Software Work On C-130J

Autonomous flight technology developer Merlin Labs on Wednesday said that company has raised $105 million in new funding as it continues to build out its three phased—crawl, walk, run—approach to introducing autonomy to large and small aircraft.

The Series B funding round was driven by investments from Snowpoint Ventures and Baille Gifford, and includes “major participation” from existing investor GV. In 2021, Merlin raised $25 million in a Series A round led by venture capital firm GV and First Round Capital.

Merlin, which is based in Boston, primarily plans to use the new funding to boost its staffing, particularly for software and avionics engineers, and expand testing. The company also will continue to build out its air charter Part 135 freight capability in New Zealand.

One of Merlin’s engineers works on their autonomous system at their hangar in Mojave, California. (Photo, courtesy of Merlin)

Merlin is aiming to employ its artificial intelligence technology so that large aircraft can fly with reduced crew and small aircraft require no crew. Last year, the Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand awarded its first certification basis for an autonomous flight system to Merlin.

The company says its AI technology integrates into existing flight decks to augment current flights and power future autonomous flights. Ultimately, their goal with their autonomous system is to establish its ability to perform all the duties of a human pilot using a “sense, think, act” control loop. Their system uses GPS/INS, air data, and attitude and heading reference system (ADHRS) to update the system with a three-dimensional position of the aircraft and its attitude at all times.

The company also said it has entered a partnership with the Air Force to bring autonomy to the service’s C-130J transport aircraft with the goal being enhancing safety and providing operational flexibility. Under their “Other Transaction Agreement” contract with the Air Force, Merlin plans to enable autonomy in the cockpit by introducing software and hardware to accompany the pilots.

A U.S. Air Force Lockheed Martin C-130J Hercules aircraft. (Photo: U.S. Air Force.)

Merlin is flying with its technology on a surrogate aircraft in Mojave, Calif.

On its website, Merlin says it has flown more than 400 autonomous missions and accumulated more than 800 hours of flight time on five models of aircraft.

This article was first published by Defense Daily, a sister publication to Avionics International, it has been edited.

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Vertical Aerospace Chooses Molicel to Provide Battery Cells for the VX4 eVTOL

eVTOL developer Vertical Aerospace selected Molicel to provide battery cells for Vertical’s VX4 eVTOL aircraft. (Photo: Vertical Aerospace)

Lithium-ion cell manufacturer Molicel was recently chosen by Vertical Aerospace to supply battery cells for the VX4 air taxi. Vertical is designing and manufacturing the VX4, its electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, with capacity for a single pilot and four passengers. The eVTOL developer is targeting entry into service in 2025 for the VX4.

Vertical revealed its full-scale design of the VX4 in December 2021, and the company announced a merger with Broadstone Acquisition Corp. around the same time. Since then, Vertical’s ordinary shares have been listed on the New York Stock Exchange as EVTL. Conditional pre-orders for Vertical’s aircraft total 1,350, including customers such as American Airlines, Avolon, and Bristow.

Following the latest announcement from Vertical Aerospace, Molicel, or E-One Moli Energy Corp, will work in coordination with Vertical as a strategic partner to supply high-power cylindrical cells for the eVTOL aircraft. Vertical selected Molicel in part because of its high-power cylindrical cell format, which will help Vertical, in the process of certifying its aircraft, to demonstrate management of thermal runaway events.

“The cylindrical cell format has been selected by many OEMs, not only for eVTOLs but also automobiles, due to its CID top cap safety design which allows internal pressure to be released so as not to further accumulate heat inside,” a source from Molicel told Avionics International in an emailed statement.

The company’s representative noted that the format offers the ability to release the pressure in a specific direction, enabling a high level of safety in the battery system. Additionally, the source wrote, “Its rigid body can protect a single cell to remain independent in a thermal runaway situation, which means the chances of propagation [are reduced] by the battery pack design.”

Based on the current agreement, Molicel’s team will support Vertical Aerospace throughout the certification process and during its eVTOL’s entry into service.

The main advantage of Molicel’s battery cell, according to the company’s representative, is the low impedance—referring to both internal resistance and reactance. The low-impedance battery cell technology is well-suited for applications requiring a high rate of power discharge during the take-off and landing phases, as well as fast charging capabilities to increase ridership capacity. “Since the battery cell is designed for high power discharge and fast charge, the life cycle thus is much better compared to high impedance types of energy cells,” the source explained.

A joint working group was established between Vertical and Molicel that is focused on safety of the battery cell system for the VX4 as well as reliability and performance. Vertical’s eVTOL and the battery system from Molicel will be certified with both the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and the European Union’s Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).

Molicel operates a facility in Taipei with 1.6GWh in annual production capacity, and the company plans to open a second Gigafactory in Kaohsiung City, also in Taiwan, next year. According to the representative, annual capacity at this new facility is expected to reach 1.8GWh in 2024. The production process is designed to support Molicel’s customers with solutions for customization, and improved levels of accuracy are “key for keeping our latest low impedance cells INR21700-P45B suitable for high-quality mass production,” commented the company’s spokesperson. They added that this factory will have the highest production capacity for high-power cell manufacturing in the world.

According to the announcement from Vertical Aerospace, Molicel’s advanced manufacturing technology includes a unique approach to cell traceability that “will guarantee the consistency and quality required to meet aerospace standards.”

The founder and CEO of Vertical, Stephen Fitzpatrick, commented that safe, high-performance battery systems are necessary for electrifying aviation. “Molicel has a rich history of innovation and pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in energy storage. We see many similarities between ourselves and Molicel and we couldn’t think of a better partner to bring the VX4 to market,” Fitzpatrick stated in response to the formation of the new strategic partnership.

Molicel’s high-power lithium-ion cells offer Vertical Aerospace the ability to keep the aircraft’s weight low, and enable increased safety as well as improved charging capabilities, said Dr. Limhi Somerville, Head of Battery for Vertical, regarding the partnership with Molicel. “It has been a privilege to work alongside the excellent Molicel team in testing, evaluating and analysing their lithium-ion cells. Both here and in Taiwan,” Somerville remarked.

Avolon, an aircraft leasing company and one of several companies that has pre-ordered eVTOLs from Vertical Aerospace, placed an order for 500 VX4 aircraft last year. An announcement in March revealed that Air Greenland committed to purchasing or leasing multiple VX4 eVTOLs from Avolon to add to its fleet. Air Greenland and Avolon have also formed a working group to evaluate applications for eVTOL transportation in Greenland.

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Spirit Airlines Rolls Out New FlytLIVE In-Flight Connectivity Service

Spirit Airlines released this and a series of other images Wednesday showing its A320 and A321 fleet equipped with new antennas and radomes connecting passengers to its FlytLIVE in-flight internet service, which became available for the first time on July 13. (Photo courtesy of Spirit Airlines)

Spirit Airlines has begun providing in-flight internet services to its passengers across most of its Airbus A320 and A321-operated flights, according to a July 13 announcement.

The rollout of in-flight connectivity (IFC) by Spirit comes following several years of delays in getting the service launched, with the Miramar, Florida-based low-cost airline’s former president Ted Christie initially targeting mid-2019. Starting today, passengers now have the ability to connect to Spirit’s IFC service using the Thales “FlytLIVE” cabin portal that the Toulouse-based company describes as a platform that supports “full Internet services including video streaming, games, social media and live television” to passengers.

The service is currently active across all of Spirit’s A320 and A321 aircraft, with expansion to their A319 fleet expected to occur at a future date that is not yet determined. According to Thales, FlytLIVE is enabled by a set of strategic agreements first established with satellite operators SES and Hughes Network Systems in 2017. Under the agreements, SES contracts Hughes for service on EchoStar XVII and EchoStar XIX HTS satellites, and combines them with its AMC-15 and AMC-16 satellites to provide the four-satellite network initially enabling connectivity for Spirit passengers.

A fifth satellite, SES-17, was confirmed as operational by the U.K.-based operator on June 16. SES-17 is a High Throughput System (HTS) Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO) satellite, the first operated by SES to feature a totally digital payload. It features 200 spot-beams that can be dynamically adjusted and aligned to changing customer needs.

“This is a real groundbreaking moment in the industry as Spirit adds in-flight amenities and product options that have previously not been available on ultra-low fare carriers.” – Matt Klein, Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer for Spirit Airlines. (Photo courtesy of Spirit Airlines)

Spirit is claiming that once FlytLIVE starts leveraging the SES-17 satellite’s capabilities, its in-flight internet experience will “offer the best availability in the Americas and will be faster than other airlines based on published data.”

IFC purchasing options for Spirit passengers have been separated into a browsing category that starts at $2.99 and a streaming category that starts at $5.99. Pricing for both options increases based on the duration of the flight, with Spirit also claiming that the streaming option is “20x faster than our browsing option.”

In a separate press release announcing the availability of the new service, Thales claims FlytLIVE will deliver “ultra-high speeds of up to 400 Mbps” to Spirit aircraft.

The FlytLIVE service will initially be available on the majority of the routes operated by Spirit, with the exception of select routes in the Caribbean Islands, as well as Central and South America. Once FlytLIVE connects to the SES-17 satellite however, the service is expected to expand to all routes operated by Spirit.

“The system’s reliability and performance is getting rave reviews from Spirit’s passengers who can now stream to their heart’s content.” – TK Kallenbach, CEO Thales InFlyt Experience

Matt Klein, Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer for Spirit Airlines, commenting on the go-live date of satellite connectivity featured on passenger-carrying flights, calls it a “groundbreaking moment in the industry as Spirit adds in-flight amenities and product options that have previously not been available on ultra-low fare carriers.”

Spirit now joins Southwest, JetBlue, and Breeze Airways as the only U.S.-based low-cost carriers providing—or committed to in the case of Breeze—in-flight internet service. Avelo, the California-based low cost carrier launched last year, has previously told Avionics International that it will eventually equip its fleet with IFC. A representative for Frontier has also previously told Avionics the weight and cost of the equipment prevents them from investing in IFC, while Allegiant and Sun Country have remained open to the possibility of eventually connecting their passengers to in-flight internet.

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Full-Scale AIR ONE eVTOL Prototype Performs Its First Hover Flight

AIR just announced the successful completion of its AIR ONE eVTOL aircraft’s first hover test, which was performed in June. (Photo: AIR)

AIR successfully completed the first hover test of its electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) prototype, according to an announcement from the company this week. The initial flight took place on June 21 in northern Israel, and the AIR ONE aircraft performed multiple hover flight tests over the following two weeks. AIR published a video of the eVTOL aircraft’s hover flight along with the announcement.

AIR’s CEO and co-founder Rani Plaut told Avionics International in an interview that the company has focused on two main objectives: developing a full-scale flying prototype, and creating the mass production unit which will be the basis for certification.

The full-scale prototype program started about 14 months ago, said Plaut. Next, the team will be “expanding within about two months to full-envelope flight testing,” and performing a full range of testing by the end of this year. He added that they expect to put a person inside the aircraft for flight testing in early 2023.

The wingspan of this prototype is about 7.5 meters, or about 24.5 feet. “We have flown things up to 9 meters in wingspan,” Plaut remarked, “but this is the first time we are starting to fly with the full form factor of the product in a configuration that can take two people.” AIR is validating the performance and components with this unit before implementation in the final product. The eVTOL prototype has a take-off weight of 868 kilograms (about 1,900 pounds) and the capacity for 250 kg of payload (about 550 pounds). Its maximum speed will be 155 miles per hour.

The AIR ONE is described as a personal aerial vehicle, targeting customers who want to use an eVTOL for commuting and leisure activities. (Photo: AIR)

Plaut noted that the end product will start flying in the U.S. towards the end of 2023. AIR is working towards certification with the Federal Aviation Administration with this mass production unit, which has already received more than 150 pre-orders. At the beginning of 2022, that number was closer to 50 units.

AIR is building its supply chain and has already signed a few agreements with leading companies. “About 20% to 25% of the components are already assigned to vendors,” according to Plaut. Though he has observed that the number of companies supplying components to eVTOL developers is growing quickly, it is currently a relatively small pool of potential suppliers. The vendors that AIR selects, he said, need to meet not only performance requirements but also supply chain requirements because the company is targeting mass production of units in the thousands.

Flying the AIR ONE prototype was a significant milestone for the company. The next challenge the team is facing is establishing a robust supply chain. Rani Plaut commented that many suppliers have changed, or are in the process of changing, their prices and scope. The problems with the supply chain are, of course, not unique to any one eVTOL developer. “This is a global problem. We are all in the same boat,” he stated.

“It was truly awe-inspiring to watch AIR ONE lift off the ground for the first time. We’ve been on this upward journey for nearly five years and cannot wait for the public to join us on this ride,” said Rani Plaut, CEO and co-founder. (Photo: AIR)

The regulators have been very constructive, Plaut affirmed, and are “actively looking for ways to make it easier, rather than harder.” He added that their strategy of targeting the personal transportation market rather than the commercial route, which most eVTOL companies are pursuing, has made things somewhat easier. AIR will still face some hurdles related to certification, but in general, there will be fewer hoops to jump through on the private route.

“Putting something in the sky—it’s just the beginning of a solution,” Plaut said. “Once you have a commercial solution, you need to start a company which cannot start operating unless it solves the whole formula. You need airways, places to land; it is a much more structured solution.”

A differentiating factor of the AIR ONE is that it is aimed at making eVTOL flight accessible to a wide range of people. It is intended to be used for commuting or leisure activities. “Of course, a pilot license is required, but we are aiming for a very low level of training,” Plaut told Avionics in January during an interview. He explained that the aircraft will be extremely simple to operate, with minimal training required.

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