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Supernal to Utilize Microsoft Azure for eVTOL Development

Supernal is collaborating with Microsoft in development of its eVTOL aircraft for advanced air mobility. The collaboration aims to advance autonomy, cloud integration technologies, and digital operations by leveraging Microsoft Azure. (Photo: Courtesy of Microsoft)

Hyundai’s Supernal recently announced that it is collaborating with Microsoft in development of its electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft for advanced air mobility. The collaboration aims to advance autonomy, cloud integration technologies, and digital operations by leveraging Microsoft Azure, a cloud computing platform.

Microsoft will provide early access to Project AirSim to Supernal’s team. Project AirSim is a simulation platform that uses Azure to generate environment and sensory data that is used for training machine learning models. These models simulate different phases of flight in addition to changing weather conditions. By using Project AirSim, Supernal will be able to leverage simulation capabilities to build, test, and validate an autonomous vehicle in a safe manner.

Dr. Jaiwon Shin, President of Hyundai Motor Group and CEO of Supernal, remarked in the announcement, “Supernal has an obligation to ensure safe and secure deployment of eVTOL vehicles. We are pleased to collaborate with Microsoft, a software leader, in responsibly advancing AAM [advanced air mobility] autonomous systems and information-sharing.”

Dr. Shin previously shared insights into Supernal in an interview with Avionics International. He mentioned that their team is engaging with other stakeholders to open up the market for AAM, in addition to focusing on vehicle development. He also noted that two of the main technological barriers for the industry are related to batteries and autonomous flight.

Dr. Jaiwon Shin, left, and Ulrich Homann, right (Photo: Supernal and Microsoft)

Supernal is targeting certification for its first eVTOL aircraft in 2028. Mike Whitaker, Chief Commercial Officer, told Avionics that automation is more likely to happen in the mid-2030s. “It’s not just the certification of the vehicle and the technology. It’s also new airspace rules, because the FAA right now doesn’t have rules for autonomous operations in civil airspace,” he explained.

Ulrich Homann, Corporate Vice President of Cloud + AI at Microsoft, also commented on the new collaboration with Supernal, saying, “Air transport is a key pillar in the democratization of mobility, connecting more people, goods and places through safe flight experiences.”

“With the Microsoft Cloud, Supernal can unlock the computing power it takes to build, validate, and deploy electric air vehicles at scale, spurring the commercialization of advanced air mobility solutions.”

Microsoft is also collaborating with eVTOL developer Volocopter to develop an aerospace cloud system in Microsoft Azure. Azure will help to enable Volocopter’s VoloIQ digital platform as a flight support system. The two companies have collaborated since 2020, when Volocopter announced that it had selected Azure as its core cloud computing infrastructure for digital UAM operations.

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Northrop Grumman and NASA Form Partnership for UAS Airspace Integration

Northrop Grumman is working with NASA to develop and test solutions for integrating large uncrewed aircraft systems into the national airspace. They will focus on air cargo operations. The project is part of NASA’s Air Traffic Management-eXploration Pathfinding for Airspace with Autonomous Vehicles subproject. (Photo: NASA/Maria Werries)

Northrop Grumman announced a new collaboration with NASA today. Their efforts will center around development and testing of solutions for the integration of large UAS (uncrewed aircraft systems) into the national airspace. The primary focus of the partnership is defining technologies and procedures to enable remotely piloted air cargo operations. Through these efforts, Northrop Grumman will be contributing to NASA’s Air Traffic Management-eXploration (ATM-X) Pathfinding for Airspace with Autonomous Vehicles (PAAV) subproject.

Experts from Northrop Grumman and NASA will coordinate with the Federal Aviation Administration, plan flight demonstrations and simulations, and conduct flight readiness reviews.

Tom Jones, corporate vice president and president of Northrop Grumman Aeronautics Systems, explained in the company’s press release that they are partnering with NASA to detail the requirements for enabling the integration of UAS into the airspace.

“Our work together will improve airspace access and transform how uncrewed systems are used to transport goods across U.S. airspace and help establish airspace integration critical to future manned unmanned teaming efforts,” he stated.

The current phase of the ATM-X project involves planning several simulations, tests, and demonstrations. This will inform the compilation of recommendations to the FAA for a possible framework to allow autonomous air cargo operations in the national airspace. According to a Northrop Grumman spokesperson, the next phase of the collaboration will involve performing the provided recommendations.

Subject matter experts from Northrop Grumman shared their insights into the collaboration with NASA during a media roundtable this week. Richard Sullivan, Vice President Future Programs, Global Surveillance Division, noted that they have been building towards this effort for a while and are excited about the potential. “It really enables us to highlight our eight decades of experience in developing autonomous capabilities,” he said.

“We’re able to leverage this experience to inform NASA’s efforts to integrate uncrewed aircraft systems into national airspace.”

Advanced technologies are currently being developed that will enable collaboration and interoperability between jetliners flying in the airspace today and large UAS.

A Northrop Grumman-built MQ-4C Triton, the U.S. Navy’s premier high-altitude, long-endurance, maritime intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) platform (Photo: U.S. Navy)

Sullivan added, “As an industry leader in autonomy, we have developed the first distributed autonomous framework. It allows military commanders today to control numerous uncrewed aircraft simultaneously. We see that as a close parallel of how the commercial and national airspace is going to be implemented.”

What needs to happen next, he said, is the updating of technologies, procedures, and policies. This will ensure a seamless and scalable integration for the implementation of cargo UAS operations. “It’s our work with NASA that is putting the things in place for the FAA to implement these policies,” he remarked.

Randy Willis, senior policy advisor at Northrop Grumman, confirmed during the media roundtable that Northrop Grumman has a strong relationship with the FAA. “We’ve petitioned for and received many special airworthiness certificates for our new and novel aircraft for test and demonstration purposes,” he explained.

Willis also mentioned that the company established the Office of Independent Airworthiness in 2014. “One of the focus areas is airworthiness certification, but another important piece is airspace integration,” he explained. “If the policies and procedures are not in place, the airframe cannot conduct its mission.”

Northrop Grumman has more than 400,000 hours of experience operating UAS, a key advantage in the partnership with NASA. That expertise, combined with advanced technologies, will enable the partners to achieve their objectives.

As the collaboration continues, Willis said, “Identifying operational gaps and particular policies and standards that need to be created in order to enable autonomous flight is key to our discussions with NASA.”

The post Northrop Grumman and NASA Form Partnership for UAS Airspace Integration appeared first on Avionics International.

Skyfire and AeroVigilance Partner on Counter-UAS Services

In an announcement this week, Skyfire Consulting shared news of its official partnership with AeroVigilance to provide counter-UAS services. Through the partnership, these two companies are now able to offer training via industry experts and customized technology solutions to clients. (Photo: Skyfire)

In an announcement this week, Skyfire Consulting shared news of its official partnership with AeroVigilance. Skyfire is a consulting group focused on public safety UAS (uncrewed aircraft systems). AeroVigilance offers consulting and training services for counter-UAS. Both companies are platform-agnostic.

Through the partnership, these two companies are now able to offer training via industry experts and customized technology solutions to clients. They also provide mentor support as well as assistance with policies and procedures.

A spokesperson for Skyfire provided detailed information about the new partnership in an emailed statement to Avionics International. “With our AeroVigilance partnership, we can now help organizations begin to develop their airspace awareness programs, policies, procedures, and training,” the company representative shared.

“If our clients are seeking a technical solution, we can work with them to develop their user requirements and find technologies that meet their needs as well as stay within [the current] legal and regulatory framework.”

Skyfire provides “offensive drone solutions to clients, like FAA regulatory support, training, critical infrastructure guidance and [is] a part of the majority of the Drone First Responder (DFR) programs in public safety across the country,” the spokesperson added.

“With increased adoption of offensive initiatives like drone first responder programs, partnering with an organization led by two of the most experienced C-UAS experts adds a complete 360-degree approach to security not currently offered in the market.” (Photo: Skyfire)

“Adding counter-UAS to Skyfire’s already robust suite of offerings is a natural next step, and something that will benefit our clients immediately. With increased adoption of offensive initiatives like drone first responder programs, partnering with an organization led by two of the most experienced C-UAS experts adds a complete 360-degree approach to security not currently offered in the market.” – Matt Sloane, Skyfire founder and CEO

AeroVigilance launched the C-UAS Hub, an online hub in November 2022 for jobs, vendors, products, services, news, and resources related to counter-UAS and airspace awareness. Just this week, the C-UAS Hub posted news of Black Sage Technologies, a platform provider of counter-UAS and security solutions, which was awarded a U.S. Air Force indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract worth $900 million. Black Sage’s team will conduct rapid technology development over the next five years.

Tom Adams, co-founder of AeroVigilance, remarked in the announcement about the partnership with Skyfire, “AeroVigilance is currently the only company bringing extensive urban homeland security Counter-UAS experience to the private and public-safety sector, and we’re thrilled to serve the large network Skyfire has built during the past decade.”

In addition to AeroVigilance, Skyfire is also partnering with Textron Systems to offer useful data on UAS for public safety agencies and Drone First Responder programs. Matt Sloane, founder and CEO of Skyfire, shared with Avionics, “We specialize in getting the right tools to the public safety agencies, the right hardware, software, and regulatory approvals.”

Sloane added, “Public safety pilots are really good at flying the drones and getting the data in an immediate fashion, but they don’t take it beyond the immediate. They’re great at collecting the data but they don’t really leverage it in a novel way.”

The post Skyfire and AeroVigilance Partner on Counter-UAS Services appeared first on Avionics International.

OPINION: The Aerospace and Defense Industry Sets Its Sights On Sustainability

Sean Moore, Head of Aerospace & Defense Market Unit at Capgemini Americas, shares his thoughts on industry growth in the coming years, sustainability initiatives that are already taking place, and benefits of sustainability in the future. (Photo: Capgemini)

The world of technology is continuously advancing. Digital twins, 5G, and the metaverse are all prime examples of new innovations that have captivated organizations and leaders across industries. But while technology innovation is unpredictable and evolutionary, there is one priority that has nearly universal support—sustainability.

Digital transformation is required to design, build, and maintain new products because without it, efficiency in research, development and production would never progress—and innovation would be stifled. In the aerospace and defense industry, for example, new fuels, aerodynamic designs, materials, and manufacturing devices all drive critical advances in innovation that pay massive dividends.

Sustainability is the key to this process and requires new technology in order to make the evolutionary changes that drive efficiency and protect the Earth’s resources for future generations. Think of the shift to electric vehicles (EVs). In the early 2000s, hardly any auto manufacturers had a serious focus on electric cars—it was a fading thought of a culture that did not prioritize environmentalism. Today, electric vehicles are sweeping the automotive industry, with OEMs adjusting their offerings and pledging significant carbon emissions reductions in the years to come. Even the public sector has gotten involved, with the recent Infrastructure Bill allocating funds to charging infrastructure and other EV ambitions.

Sustainability is driving material changes in how industries operate, even those that have historically high emission rates—and aerospace and defense is getting in on the action.

Sustainability-driven industry growth

The aerospace and defense industry is expected to grow significantly in the coming years, but the sector has often faced challenges mitigating its carbon footprint. To offset these roadblocks, leaders have begun to make significant green investments and swiftly close that gap. In fact, recent research shows that 20% of A&D organizations reported a decrease in costs due to implementation of sustainable product design strategies.

For example, sustainability initiatives have been critical to the overall profitability of airlines for several years. Airlines looking to drive higher revenue per seat must lower operating costs, which is the impetus for new sustainability-driven technology initiatives that can enable more efficient operations.

Beyond the business benefits of sustainability, regulatory bodies such as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) have mandated improvements. In 2010, the FAA introduced a partnership with a handful of aerospace and defense organizations—the Continuous Lower Energy, Emissions and Noise (CLEEN) program. As a result of this alliance, over $375 million was invested in developing aircraft and engine technologies that reduce noise and emissions while increasing fuel efficiency over a five-year period.

Initiatives taking shape

For many companies in the aerospace and defense space, Digital Design, Manufacturing, and Services (DDMS) programs built on strategic partnerships with technology providers have revolutionized how they approach new research and development design, identification and tracking of production defects, and the use of new manufacturing concepts such as 3D printing or exoskeletons.

What’s further, there are many use cases already in development and in effect that are making significant strides, including:

Advanced aerodynamic attachments such as winglets and tail cones, which increase efficiency on aircrafts. Widely deployed today, several prominent organizations in this industry have already reported efficiency gains between 20 and 25%.
Alternative fuels—such as hydrogen-fueled aircrafts—which have been explored for over a decade. More recently, a civil and military aerospace developer has unveiled concepts that run on liquid hydrogen and plan to enter them into service by 2035, while another is creating a program that widens the view to alternative fuels such as those derived from algae, waste fats, oils, and greases.
Increased focus on sustainability in factories and offices, such as the development of annual sustainability reports, the use of renewables to power facilities, and achieving net zero CO2 emissions from manufacturing plants.
Intelligent Industry approaches to planning, materials management, supplier and vendor management and manufacturing, such as model-based systems engineering (MBSE), Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), and digital manufacturing—converging operational technology (OT) and information technology (IT).
“Factories of the future” driving the convergence of IT and OT in order to increase efficiency and speed up the timeline from development to distribution.

Benefits for the future

Beyond protecting the environment, the increased prevalence of sustainability in the aerospace and defense industry has many other positive implications.

Take aircraft, for example. As advances are made in the propulsion of aircrafts, there will be a significant lowering of emissions as well as increased range, increased power from smaller or more efficient engines, and reduced noise. All of this leads to increased profitability, more availability of flights due to reduced maintenance, and a more connected global community. This outcome is similar to what occurred in the automotive industry when large V8 engines were replaced with smaller engines that are just as—if not more—efficient and powerful as the outgoing ones.

Innovation is what keeps the wheels of existence turning, but there can’t be innovation without a future on which to build new technologies. The increased prioritization of sustainability is the key to fostering digital transformation across industries, and that’s certainly the case in aerospace and defense—as this harmonious relationship will pave the way for the technologies yet to come.

This article was contributed by guest writer Sean Moore, Head of Aerospace & Defense Market Unit, Capgemini Americas.

The post OPINION: The Aerospace and Defense Industry Sets Its Sights On Sustainability appeared first on Avionics International.

Power Outage Disrupts Flight Operations in the Philippines

Manila’s Ninoy Aquino International Airport in the Philippines encountered operational disruptions due to a severe power outage as thousands tried to return home after the holiday season. (Photo: Marielle Descalsota/Insider)

Returning demand for air travel combined with the busy holiday season has led to millions of travelers across the world to return to the skies as they traveled to visit family and loved ones. While this is good news for the airline industry, this demand surge has been accompanied with operational disruptions that have left thousands of passengers stranded or scrambling to arrange alternative travel plans. Manila’s Ninoy Aquino International Airport has become the next hub to encounter operational disruptions as thousands tried to return home after the holiday season.

These operational disruptions were caused by a severe power outage that occurred on Sunday morning. At around 9:50 a.m. local time, a blower for the uninterrupted power supply (UPS) began breaking down. At this time, the backup UPS also failed to come online, which resulted in the internet, radios, radars, and other communication channels shutting down. Because of this, the airport’s Air Traffic Management Center was forced to suspend operations. Just after noon, some power was able to be restored. However, due to a following power surge, several critical very small aperture terminals (VSATs) were broken.

As a result of this power outage and the Air Traffic Management Center suspending operations, 282 flights were impacted. Some were delayed, some canceled, and several inbound flights were forced to divert to other airports. For example, Qantas Flight #19 departed Sydney, Australia, bound for Manila at just after noon local time on Jan. 1. However, three hours into the flight, it was forced to turn around and fly back to Australia as a result of the air traffic control shut down. By that afternoon, all airlines were restricted from landing in Manila.

To make matters worse, as a result of these disruptions, no aircraft could even use the airspace above the Philippines. This meant several flights that were currently en route were forced to deviate from their flight plans and take an alternative course. On New Year’s Day alone, 56,000 passengers were impacted by the power outage. By late afternoon, several flights were able to arrive and depart from Manila, but many have criticized the Philippines’ air traffic control technology and questioned how something like this could happen.

Jaime Bautista, the Secretary of Transportation for the Philippines, explained that he too was frustrated by the power outages and unhappy with the current technology the country’s air traffic control system uses, saying, “This was an air traffic management system issue. If you will compare with Singapore’s, for one, there is a big difference—they are at least 10 years ahead of us.”

Fixing the issues with the Philippines’ outdated air traffic control system would be a complex and costly task that could take years to fully implement. In fact, by the time the current system was fully in place, it was already outdated due to delays in the rollout of the technology. In the meantime, the transportation department has worked with the airlines to get passengers food and accommodations. Future investigations into this problem and the entire air traffic control system are likely to follow in the near future.

The post Power Outage Disrupts Flight Operations in the Philippines appeared first on Avionics International.

European Aviation Shows Signs of Recovery

At the end of 2022, EUROCONTROL published an analysis paper on the recovery of the aviation industry in Europe as well as predictions for 2023. (Photo: EUROCONTROL)

The aviation industry has been transformed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, as recovery continues, Eurocontrol has published an analysis paper that breaks down the industry’s current situation and also looks to 2023 for continued recovery and further growth of the commercial sector.

Overall, despite conflict in Ukraine, labor strikes, and inflation, European airlines have demonstrated that travelers across the continent are ready to return to the skies. Around 2 billion passengers were flown in 2022 on 9.3 million flights. This figure still trails behind 2019’s record 11.1 million flights. Additionally, overall traffic levels are still lower compared to previous years, with intra-European traffic still down 15% from 2019. Germany, the United Kingdom, and France have not yet fully recovered, with daily flights 20%, 25%, and 13% lower respectively compared to 2019’s records.

These traffic levels are reflected at Europe’s top ten busiest airports. Frankfurt, first in terms of aircraft movements in 2019, has dropped to fourth busiest in 2022. London-Heathrow, formerly in fourth place, has dropped to fifth while Paris has remained in third. Istanbul, formerly eighth, has climbed to first, and boasts 1,156 average daily aircraft movements.

(Photo: EUROCONTROL)

Ryanair is currently the largest aviation group in Europe, with an average of over 2,500 flights per day—a 9% increase from 2019. It is followed by the Lufthansa Group, which operated 2,276 daily flights. Though up from 2021, it still had 31% fewer flights when compared to pre-pandemic operations. These groups are followed by International Airlines Group, Air France-KLM, easyJet, and Turkish Airlines, all of which are operating smaller schedules relative to their historic highs.

The increased passenger volumes, combined with strikes and staffing shortages, have made punctuality a challenge for the airlines of Europe. The average arrival delay increased by 33% from 2019, rising from 12.7 to 16.9 minutes. The average departure delay also rose to 19.6 minutes, up from 15.3 minutes in 2019. Overall, 71.7% of flights arrived on time in 2022, while only 65.9% of flights departed on time. The reliability of Europe’s airlines worsens when looking at the peak travel periods of the year. In fact, fewer than 50% of flights departed on time in July. This figure did not rise above 60% for most of the busy summer season. It is estimated that in 2022, 48% of all delays were caused by staffing and another 25% were delayed because of weather.

Despite struggles with punctuality, many European airlines were able to return to profitability in 2022, and many others were able to narrow their losses and improve their financial positions. Although low-cost carriers have seen some of the most success as recovery continues, Europe’s largest low-cost carrier, Ryanair, was one of the only low-cost carriers to report an operating profit. EasyJet and Wizz Air have seen smaller losses but have yet to pass the breakeven point. Meanwhile, Air France-KLM, International Airlines Group, Lufthansa Group, and Turkish Airlines have all reported profits.

Eurocontrol now expects air traffic to reach 92% of its 2019 levels in 2023 and predicts that it will not fully recover until 2025. Though it anticipates further recovery next year, Eurocontrol also points to punctuality and airspace issues from the conflict in Ukraine as challenges still facing Europe’s airlines.

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Southwest Airlines Holiday Meltdown Leaves Thousands Stranded

As of Dec. 21, Southwest Airlines announced that it was intentionally reducing operations in Denver and Chicago due to weather. (Photo: NOAA/NESDIS/STAR/GOES-EAST)

Widespread cancellations on Southwest Airlines between Dec. 20 and Dec. 26 disrupted over 12,000 flights and affected thousands of passengers over the Christmas holiday week.

On Dec. 20, Southwest released a travel advisory, forecasting the impact of Winter Storm Elliott and allowing passengers to voluntarily change travel plans within 14 days of the original departure date. The airline, well-known for never charging change fees, also stated that they would be waiving any applicable fare differences caused by the rebookings.

As of Dec. 21, the airline announced it was intentionally reducing operations in Denver and Chicago due to weather and canceled about 500 flights in an effort to keep passengers and personnel safe. The company cited challenging working and travel conditions and the desire to limit exposure to cold temperatures and unsafe conditions.

These cancellations and reshuffling of personnel caused even more delays, exacerbated by long wait times caused by the airline’s outdated scheduling system. The system became overloaded with the changes and caused widespread delays as passengers had to wait for the airline to manually reassign flights. Southwest’s system has been flagged internally in the past, as other airlines have modernized and moved to incorporate cloud-based platforms.

On Dec. 26, the airline announced it would intentionally reduce service by one-third for the subsequent days in an effort to re-stabilize after the widespread disruption. Normal operations resumed on Dec. 30 but flights were still reduced, with some delayed through Jan. 2.

“Our Leadership team is focused on a thorough review of the disruption with all the needed resources involved, and I expect that work to be completed swiftly. We’ve already taken immediate actions to mitigate the risk of this ever happening again, and the review work will inform additional actions and investment as well.” – CEO Bob Jordan (Photo: Boeing)

The airline issued 25,000 Rapid Rewards points (equivalent to about $300) to passengers whose flights were canceled or significantly delayed during the Dec. 24 – Jan. 2 window. The airline is still working through a backlog of misplaced luggage and has engaged with FedEx to help return lost bags.

The news spread across social media like wildfire with stories of multiple-hour delays and thousands of lost items.

CEO Bob Jordan issued a statement in the aftermath, promising a redoubling of efforts to invest resources to improve Southwest’s internal technology. He acknowledged that the airline has work to do and promised immediate work to understand what happened. He also added in an interview with “Good Morning America” that the company will be “taking care of things like rental cars, hotel rooms, meals, booking customers on other airlines, so that will all be part of what we’re covering here as we reimburse our customers.”

A Bank of America study estimates that the delays and cancellations over the holidays will cost Southwest Airlines between $600 million and $700 million.

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Altaport Builds Vertiport Automation System to Support eVTOL Aircraft

Altaport recently announced that it has built the world’s first vertiport automation system to facilitate air taxi operations. (Photo: Altaport)

Altaport Inc. recently announced that it has built a vertiport automation system to facilitate air taxi operations. Altaport claims that this is the world’s first vertiport automation system. Vertiports are essentially heliports or helipads that will be used by electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft.

Altaport’s platform enables resource management, passenger management, and scheduling for eVTOL operations as well as safety monitoring of vehicles on the ground and collecting fees. Those managing vertiport infrastructure can take advantage of the system to make operations more efficient and optimize revenue. The vertiport automation system has the potential to increase safety and to reduce the workload for staff.

The system that Altaport has developed is already being utilized at multiple heliports in Brazil. Early use of the platform, and feedback from infrastructure managers, will help to prepare for the commercial launch of eVTOL operations. These advanced types of aircraft could be operating as early as 2024.

“We’ve spent more than a decade building and launching operations that are highly reflective of what future AAM operations will look like, giving us unique insight into the challenges and opportunities that such operations present,” commented Cory Cozzens, co-founder of Altaport.

“Future vertiports will need a robust and efficient operating system to manage high-volume throughput and autonomous ground operations. The Altaport platform provides tools to both vertiport managers and aircraft fleet operators, connecting the two parties to enable a safe and efficient operational environment.” (Photo and caption: Altaport)

Altaport has partnered with Volatus Infrastructure, a company that designs eVTOL infrastructure including vertiports and charging stations. Grant Fisk, co-founder of Volatus, remarked, “Altaport’s VAS [vertiport automation system] platform will play a critical role in establishing and growing a safe and efficient eVTOL ecosystem. We believe their VAS is a key piece in the Volatus vertiport package.”

Volatus is also collaborating with Eve Air Mobility, an eVTOL developer, to supply a vertiport automation solution to support eVTOL aircraft. The two companies signed a Letter of Intent in early December 2022. The vertiports designed by Volatus will utilize Eve’s air traffic management software solution to enable efficient operations.

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DroneUp and Walmart Launch Drone Delivery Services in Florida

Walmart’s drone delivery service, offered in partnership with DroneUp, is now available for some customers in the Tampa and Orlando areas, including the store pictured above in Winter Haven, east of Tampa and south of Orlando.

Some Walmart customers in Florida can now take advantage of drone delivery services through Walmart’s partnership with DroneUp. Seven stores in Tampa and Orlanda offer deliveries via drone, for a $3.99 delivery fee, to customers within a 1-mile radius.

DroneUp and Walmart started drone deliveries in November of 2021 in the state of Arkansas. In addition to Arkansas and Florida, other key areas of expansion for the companies include Arizona, Texas, Utah, and Virginia. As of December 15, 2022, DroneUp’s delivery network had expanded to include same-day delivery from some Walmart stores in the Phoenix and Dallas areas.

(Photo: DroneUp)

More than 10,000 items from Walmart are eligible for drone delivery directly to the customer’s home. Certified pilots operate the drones within FAA guidelines and drop off deliveries either to the customer’s driveway or yard. Tom Walker, CEO of DroneUp, commented in the press release, “Our mission is to set the gold standard for drone delivery and by partnering with Walmart, bring the incredible benefits that drones offer to local communities, organizations, and businesses.”

Vik Gopalakrishnan, Vice President of Innovation and Automation for Walmart U.S., remarked that their team is proud to be on the forefront of innovation for drone delivery services. “Drone delivery makes it possible for our customers to shop those last-minute or forgotten items with ease,” Gopalakrishnan stated. “It may seem like a futuristic option, but it’s giving our customers what they’ve always wanted.”

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NASA Conducts eVTOL Crash Test

NASA researchers conducted a crash test of an electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft at the Langley Research Center in Virginia. (Photo: NASA)

Just before the holidays, NASA researchers conducted a crash test of an electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. More than 200 channels of data gathered will aid researchers in understanding how the structure of an eVTOL reacts to a crash landing. The data collected will be used to make more accurate predictions for future simulations and testing. It will also inform the potential conditions for a second drop test that is planned to take place in late 2023.

“We successfully tested the eVTOL vehicle concept representing a six-passenger, high wing, overhead mass, multiple rotor vehicle, obtaining more than 200 channels of data, and collecting over 20 onboard and off-board camera views.” – Justin Littell, NASA research assistant (Photo: screenshot from video footage provided by NASA / Credits: Gary Banziger)

The eVTOL concept vehicle, developed by NASA’s Revolutionary Vertical Lift Technology (RVLT) project, featured a “Lift + Cruise” configuration. The aircraft was designed to represent a six-passenger vehicle with multiple rotors. Along with the crash test, NASA’s team conducted a variety of experiments such as a range of sizes of crash test dummies and a variety of seat configurations. NASA also tested a modular energy-absorbing composite subfloor on the aircraft.

According to NASA’s announcement, “The subfloor and energy absorbing seats functioned as intended and limited the effect of the impact on the crash test dummies.” It was also noted that “the vehicle was destroyed beyond expectations which gives researchers valuable data when planning to make AAM vehicles safe for public use.”

“Crash test dummies can be seen seated in the vehicle after suffering a severe crash. The vehicle was destroyed beyond expectations which gives researchers valuable data when planning to make AAM vehicles safe for public use.” (Photo: screenshot from video footage provided by NASA / Credits: Gary Banziger)

The researchers are still determining the effect of the collapse of the overhead structure on the crash test dummies that occurred during the test.

The crash test took place at the Landing and Impact Research facility at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. Justin Littell, research assistant for Langley’s Structural Dynamics Branch, commented on the experiment, saying, “Our computational pretest models did a good job predicting the composite deformation until overhead structural failure. However, the computational models did not predict the overall collapse as seen in the test.”

Footage of the crash test can be viewed here.

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Category Archives: All News

Sustainability-driven industry growth

Initiatives taking shape

Benefits for the future