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Lockheed Martin Finishes 2021 With Strong Fourth Quarter

Lockheed Martin delivered 52 F-35s in the fourth quarter of 2021. Pictured here is the company’s F-35 production factory located in Fort Worth, Texas. (Lockheed Martin)

Lockheed Martin on Tuesday reported strong fourth quarter financial results, ending a challenging 2021 on a high note, although the company continues to project a drop in sales in 2022.

Net income in the quarter rose 14 percent to $2 billion, $7.47 earnings per share (EPS), versus $1.8 billion ($6.38 EPS) a year ago, results that cruised well above consensus estimates of $7.15 per share. Sales increased 4 percent to $17.7 billion from $17 billion a year ago.

Overall, in 2021 sales increased 3 percent to a record $67 billion from $65.4 billion in 2020 and net income tumbled 8 percent to $6.3 billion ($22.76 EPS) from $6.8 billion ($24.30). Lockheed Martin’s annual earnings took a substantial hit in the third quarter due to $1.3 billion charge related to pension costs.

Last October, when Lockheed Martin released its third quarter financial results, the company reduced its sales outlook for 2021 and 2022 due to supply chain constraints on several of its operating segments. James Taiclet, the company’s chairman, president and CEO, said on Tuesday that there are still supply chain disruption risks but “we think the bow wave has passed in supply chain disruption for Lockheed Martin.”

Sales in 2022 are forecast to be about $66 billion, down more than a percent from 2021, and earnings are forecast to be about $26.70 EPS. Free cash flow is projected to be at least $6 billion, about $500 million below the prior outlook due to an expected tax payment related to a research and development amortization provision in a 2017 COVID-19 stimulus bill.

Free cash flow in 2021 was $7.7 billion. Lockheed Martin spent $4.1 billion of its free cash on share repurchases and $2.9 billion on dividends to shareholders. The company also spent a record $1.5 billion on independent research and development, with key investments in hypersonics, directed energy, and artificial intelligence, Taiclet said.

The company also created mission-based technology roadmaps and invested in its 5G.mil architecture to enable joint all domain operations across platforms and military services and allies, he said.

Sales in the quarter were up at the Missiles and Fire Control, Aeronautics, and Rotary and Mission Systems segments, driven by the PAC-3, tactical and strike missile programs, F-35 fighter aircraft, classified, C6ISR, training and logistics, the Canadian Surface Combatant and Aegis programs.

Lockheed Martin delivered 52 F-35s in the quarter versus 42 a year ago, and 142 in all of 2021 versus 120 in 2020. The program is currently expected to peak at 156 aircraft per year. The F-35, including production, development and sustainment, accounts for about 25 percent of the company’s revenue.

Lockheed’s fourth quarter earnings report comes following the company’s undisclosed investment in electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft developer Electra.aero last week.

This article was first published by Defense Daily, a sister publication to Avionics International, it has been edited. To view the original version, click here.>>

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FAA Requires Boeing 747-8, 777 Flight Manual Changes to Address 5G C-Band Radio Altimeter Interference

A new airworthiness directive published by the FAA on Tuesday, Jan. 25, requires airplane flight manual changes for all Boeing 777, 747-8 and 747-8F aircraft. Pictured here is the 747-8F aircraft that Boeing used to complete certification testing for the model in 2011. (Boeing)

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a new airworthiness directive (AD) on Jan. 25 requiring airplane flight manual (AFM) changes for Boeing 747-8, 747-8F and 777 after determining that the radio altimeters featured on these aircraft models “cannot be relied upon to perform their intended function if they experience interference from wireless broadband operations in the 3.7-3.98 GHz frequency band (5G C-Band).”

Radio altimeter data featured on the Boeing aircraft models identified in the directive are vulnerable to interference that may affect “pitch control laws, that provide tail strike protection regardless of the visibility conditions or approach type being used at airports in regions where 5G C-band stations have been deployed,” according to the directive. Other systems that could be impacted include the auto throttle, ground proximity warning, thrust reversers and Traffic Collision Avoidance System.

“The AD does not apply to landings at airports where the FAA determined the aircraft altimeters are safe and reliable in the 5G C-band environment. It also does not apply to airports where 5G isn’t deployed,” the agency said in its latest statement on the ongoing 5G C-band rollout.

There are approximately 336 aircraft registered in the U.S and another 1,714 worldwide impacted by the new AD. The FAA determined that the AFM changes required under the new directive will cost the combined U.S.-registered fleet $28,560.

FAA’s requirement for 747-8 and 777 operators to change the limitations section of their AFM comes following an evaluation of 5G C-Band interference by Boeing that occurred since the issuing of an AD by the agency last month requiring similar changes that focused on low visibility conditions. That testing, according to the directive, determined that anomalies from 5G C-Band interference may not be evident to pilots until low altitudes and could result in “uncommanded, inappropriate pitch inputs, adversely affecting controllability.”

The directive comes following a series of 5G C-Band policy updates issued by the FAA, including one last week where altimeters for most of the in-service Airbus, Boeing and Embraer U.S. airline-operated fleet were cleared from vulnerability to any interference issues. Boeing issued “Multi Operator Messages MOM-MOM-22-0024-01B(R2)” to affected 747-8 and 777 operators last week. A key update in the new directive from the FAA is that it is not limited to the low visibility and poor weather conditions outlined by the agency on Dec. 23.

AT&T and Verizon have agreed to limit the power of radio frequencies generated by 5G C-Band stations deployed near airports for the first six months of the year.

Boeing 747-8 and 777 operators are provided the opportunity to request permission for Alternative Methods of Compliance (AMOCs) in the new AD. The FAA also included further details on why commercial aviation radio altimeters are vulnerable to 5G C-Band interference.

“The radio altimeter must detect faint signals reflected off the ground to measure altitude, in a manner similar to radar,” the agency writes in the directive. “Out-of-band signals could significantly degrade radio altimeter functions during critical phases of flight, if the altimeter is unable to sufficiently reject those signals.”

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Boeing Invests $450 Million in Wisk eVTOL Development

Boeing has invested $450 million in Wisk to support certification of their 6th-gen eVTOL and expand Wisk’s global reach. (Photo: Wisk Aero LLC)

Wisk, the eVTOL developer and advanced air mobility (AAM) company, has received $450 million in funding from The Boeing Company. In addition to supporting development of Wisk’s 6th-generation eVTOL aircraft, the investment from Boeing will contribute to Wisk’s preparations for launching scale manufacturing and go-to-market operations. Along with its previous investments, Wisk is now one of the most well-funded AAM companies worldwide.

During a Jan. 24 media briefing announcing the investment, Wisk’s President and CEO Gary Gysin spoke about the benefits of the new partnership with Boeing. “It’s not just capital—it’s also the resources, the engineering expertise. The funding will support scaling our manufacturing and go-to-market efforts.” Wisk plans to reveal the design of their eVTOL aircraft later this year. When asked about a timeline for certification, Gysin explained, “We’ll fly when it’s safe, when we’re ready, and when it’s certified.” Once it is certified, their 6th-generation vehicle is expected to perform close to 14 million annual flights within five years.

One of Wisk’s missions is for their eVTOL to provide affordable commuting options. (Photo: Wisk Aero LLC)

Cora, the eVTOL being developed by Wisk, is a two-passenger all-electric self-piloted aircraft. It has an experimental airworthiness certificate from the New Zealand Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), according to their website. Gysin stated, “As we enter this next stage of our growth, this additional funding provides us with capital while allowing us to remain focused on our core business and our number one priority, safety.”

Wisk intends to remain the OEM and operator for the foreseeable future, and they are also engaged with companies and organizations to provide other capabilities. The company collaborated with Blade Urban Air Mobility to operate Wisk’s eVTOL aircraft on Blade’s network of dedicated terminals in the U.S. A partnership with NASA began in November 2020 to study safe integration of autonomous aircraft systems into urban air mobility (UAM) applications. In July 2021, NASA selected Wisk as an industry partner to support the advancement of AAM flight, airspace, and operations infrastructure. Another investor is Kittyhawk, who has supported Wisk’s development efforts for previous generations of eVTOL aircraft.

Brian Yutko, Vice President and Chief Engineer of Sustainability and Future Mobility at Boeing, shared that his team recognized the commercial potential of Wisk in 2019. “We liked that Wisk has achieved a number of aviation firsts and industry firsts,” he remarked during the briefing. The collaboration, he explained, includes development of technology and expansion of Wisk’s global reach in addition to supporting Wisk’s mission of achieving certification. Commenting on Wisk’s pioneering of all-electric autonomous capability, Boeing’s Chief Strategy Officer, Marc Allen, said, “Autonomy is the key to unlocking scale across all AAM applications, from passenger to cargo and beyond. That’s why straight-to-autonomy is a core first principle.”

Wisk has received support in developing its eVTOL and advancing AAM and UAM through partnerships with Blade Urban Air Mobility, Kittyhawk, and NASA. (Photo: Wisk Aero LLC)

Wisk’s vision for an AAM network includes opportunities to leverage existing infrastructure—such as small and mid-size airports—to repurpose as vertiports and charging stations. Not only does this allow Wisk to focus on certification for their aircraft, but it is also a more efficient and environmentally friendly strategy. “Much like the development of eVTOL aircraft, the development of eVTOL infrastructure—if done responsibly—will add value while seamlessly integrating into local communities,” a Wisk spokesperson previously told Avionics International.

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eVTOL Company Jetson Has Sold Out All 2022 Production

Jetson, a Swedish eVTOL company, announced that it sold out of all units that will be produced in 2022. The first buyers will receive their Jetson ONE this fall. (Photo: Jetson)

Swedish eVTOL company Jetson has sold out all of its 2022 production of the Jetson ONE. The company recorded 100 units sold since the official launch on October 21, 2021, in addition to more than 3,000 pre-orders. In 2022, Jetson will initiate its first round of external fundraising, and the first aircraft will be delivered sometime this fall.

Jetson co-founder and president, Peter Ternstrom, described the Jetson ONE as “a high-performance motorcycle for the sky” in an interview with Avionics International. The aircraft weighs 190 pounds (86 kilos), and two of its key features are the flight computer and the programming that are both custom-built for it. Safety is a top priority, as is ease of use. “You can lose an engine and continue flying,” remarked Ternstrom. He explained that it is incredibly easy to fly the Jetson ONE; “It helps you to land—it always executes a perfect landing.”

The Jetson ONE weighs about 190 pounds. (Photo: Jetson)

The 2023 model is expected to have an increased flight time of 24 minutes. While the airframe, motors, and computers will stay mostly the same, explained Ternstrom, future improvements in battery technology will result in longer flight times for each iteration of the Jetson ONE. The model produced in 2024, for example, could have a flight time of 28–30 minutes.

The total number of orders for the Jetson ONE just reached 228, with two to five new orders coming in each day, Ternstrom said. The team is building 10 prototypes for testing, ensuring safety, and further improving the software. “We’re going to test everything to make it a great, safe flight experience before we go to mass production, which we are going to do in the second half of 2023.”

Total units ordered just reached 228, and there have been over 3,000 pre-orders made so far. (Photo: Jetson)

Jetson’s Head of Communication, San Sunner, shared in an emailed statement to Avionics that the eVTOL is constructed with “a unique safety cell around the pilot using modern production techniques like 3D printing and computer simulations.” She also remarked that the company’s goals for this year include expanding the R&D division as well as opening a new production and test facility.

Each year, as urban areas become more and more crowded, the costs of expanding public transport and maintaining roads increases. Jetson’s long-term vision, Ternstrom said, is to make big cities better places to live in. Within the next 15 to 20 years, they hope to move 50% of street traffic into the air. “Jetson is not here to build just the Jetson ONE,” he commented. Jetson’s current eVTOL model is the perfect product for customers who are very early adopters because it is enjoyable to operate and it is not extremely complex, so it can be brought to market very quickly to help the company gain market and brand recognition.

Jetson was founded by Tomasz Patan, Chief Technical Officer (left), and Peter Ternstrom, President (right).

Ternstrom envisions that in six years or so, the company will develop a luxury two-seater aircraft that will be much more complex in its construction. In ten years, they may create an aircraft to replicates the concept of the standard four-passenger car in the air. It would need to be affordable for an upper-middle-class family, he added.

Jetson’s eVTOL is designed to execute a safe landing every time. (Photo: Jetson)

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FAA Clears More Altimeters From 5G C-band Impact as Airlines Adjust Flight Operations

Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, whose Terminal 5 Airfield is pictured here, was one of several U.S. airports that Emirates resumed flights to after temporarily suspending flights to some U.S. destinations amid the deployment of 5G C-Band services. (Chicago Department of Aviation)

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Thursday published a statement to allow an estimated 78 percent of the in-service U.S. commercial fleet to perform low-visibility landings at airports where wireless companies deployed 5G C-band, giving several U.S. and international airlines the ability to restore some flights that were cancelled due to AT&T and Verizon flipping the switch on their new networks on Jan. 19.

Thursday’s update from the FAA followed an agreement reached by the aviation and telecommunications industry on Tuesday when AT&T and Verizon both agreed to temporarily delay turning on a limited number of the 5G C-Band towers that they’re deploying near certain airports. Since the beginning of December, the two sides of the 5G C-Band deployment have agreed to several delays and risk mitigation measures for the 5G towers being deployed to ensure aircraft radar and radio altimeter signals do not experience interference from the new wireless network services that are being deployed.

According to the statement published Thursday by the FAA, airplane models that feature one of 13 “cleared altimeters” that the agency has determined are safe from potential 5G C-Band interference include “all Boeing 717, 737, 747, 757, 767, 777, 787, MD-10/-11; all Airbus A300, A310, A319, A320, A330, A340, A350 and A380 models; and some Embraer 170 and 190 regional jets.”

FAA officials are anticipating some altimeters will be too susceptible to potential 5G interference and the aircraft they’re featured on will be prohibited from performing low-visibility landings where 5G C-Band is deployed because the altimeter could provide inaccurate information. Aircraft radar altimeters operate within 4.2–4.4 GHz, the lower half of which falls within the C-Band—a frequency range from 3.7–4.2 GHz where the combination of the range of signal transmissions and capacity are optimum.

The 5G wireless networks that were switched on by AT&T and Verizon this week operate within the 3.7–3.98 GHz frequency range, close to the altimeters, which has left aviation industry experts with concerns over signal interference issues. In December, the FAA published new airworthiness directives (ADs) that will prohibit certain types of advanced fixed and rotary wing landing procedures that rely on the use of radar altimeter data.

Verizon, in a Jan. 19 statement published to its website said that it has “voluntarily decided to limit our 5G network around airports. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and our nation’s airlines have not been able to fully resolve navigating 5G around airports, despite it being safe and fully operational in more than 40 other countries.” This latest voluntary agreement, which AT&T has also committed to, is in addition to the six-month period during which the two companies have already stated they will limit the power radiated from 5G base stations located near airports.

“Following a 6-week voluntary pause and the implementation of additional precautionary measures to allow the Federal Aviation Administration and aviation industry to complete evaluations, today’s introduction of C-Band spectrum begins turbo-boosting our 5G wireless service with our newest AT&T 5G+ service,” AT&T said in a Jan. 19 statement.

Several U.S. and international airlines adjusted flight operations this week as the FAA continues its work determining which aircraft altimeters are too susceptible to 5G C-Band interference to allow them to operate low visibility landings at certain airports. The FAA on Jan. 7 published a new list of the 50 U.S. airports that will have “buffer zones” around them to further mitigate against the risk of potential 5G C-Band altimeter signal interference.

Emirates is reinstating its Boeing 777 operations to Chicago, Dallas Fort Worth, Miami, Newark, Orlando and Seattle as a result of the FAA’s latest update clearing altimeters featured on nearly 80% of the in-service U.S. commercial fleet, according to a Jan. 20 statement published by the Middle Eastern carrier. Earlier this week, Emirates suspended its services to some US destinations based on the FAA advisory and recommendations from Boeing on possible interference between the 5G antennas and aircraft altimeters.

“We apologize for the inconvenience caused to our customers by the temporary suspension of flights to some of our US destinations. Safety will always be our top priority, and we will never gamble on this front,” Sir Tim Clark, President, Emirates Airline said in a statement. “We welcome the latest development which enables us to resume essential transport links to the US to serve travelers and cargo shippers. However, we are also very aware that this is a temporary reprieve, and a long-term resolution would be required. Emirates will continue to work closely with the aircraft manufacturers and relevant regulators to ensure the safety and continuity of our services.”

When asked about the 5G C-Band deployment issues during a Jan. 20 earnings call, outgoing American Airlines CEO Doug Parker said that the airline does not anticipate “any material disruption” as long a the latest voluntarily agreements from AT&T and Verizon remain in place. Incoming Southwest Airlines CEO Bob Jordan shared an update with the regional carrier’s employees on Jan. 19 that was also welcoming to the agreements undertaken by AT&T and Verizon as well.

Jordan said that the two companies only recently released all of the data necessary for aircraft manufacturers to perform safety tests. “This means the right parties haven’t had the time needed to study potential 5G interference with aircraft equipment and to develop extensive mitigation plans that would prevent disruptions,” he said. “Now, my hope is that this pause in 5G expansion grants the FAA more time to evaluate the data for specific airports and runways so that 5G cellular service and airline operations can safely coexist, as it shouldn’t be a one-or-the-other proposition.”

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NASA’s Innovation Award Supports Phase II of ATM Optimization Project

The SmartSky network was designed specifically with applications like this collaborative project with Mosaic ATM and GE Aviation in mind, the company says. (Photo: SmartSky Networks)

A new collaboration between GE Aviation, SmartSky Networks, and Mosaic ATM was announced that will connect airborne and cloud-based flight management systems (FMS) for airspace management optimization in addition to enabling low altitude air traffic management (ATM) for advanced air mobility (AAM) aircraft. This research and the efforts to optimize air traffic management will be conducted under an Innovation Award from NASA. The cloud-based FMS concept will expand available data inputs and processing capabilities to improve real-time airspace management planning for air traffic controllers.

Representatives from each of the three companies involved in this collaboration spoke in more detail with Avionics International about what they hope to accomplish. Todd Kilbourne, Senior Program Manager at Mosaic ATM, explained that they began partnering with SmartSky Networks during Phase I of the project. “We started with a simulation of messages that would go back and forth between an on-board FMS and a cloud digital twin version of the FMS,” Kilbourne said. “We used the SmartSky network—both in their simulation lab and their real air-ground network—to validate that the types of messages that would be transmitted between the two versions of FMS could be delivered at the required performance levels over an existing network: the high-bandwidth, high-reliability SmartSky network. We proved that concept and validated that we had an existing network that could perform the way we needed it to.”

Pictured above is the cockpit demonstrator with the cloud-based flight management system. (Photo: SmartSky Networks)

NASA gave another Innovation Award to SmartSky and Mosaic, allowing them continue with Phase II of the project—which is when they added GE Aviation as a partner. Now, they are about six months into what will be a two-year-long project. In Phase II, Kilbourne shared that they will be testing, both in the simulation lab and SmartSky’s network, “a real connection between the GE TrueCourse FMS on board and their cloud instance of that, and further validate the concept using real products.” The results of this project will include research results, experimental results, and test reports to inform further development of the SmartSky network along with GE’s TrueCourse FMS. Throughout Phase II, there will be a significant focus on commercialization of the concept.

Gary Goz, Navigation Systems Product Director with GE Aviation, explained that in this collaboration, they are working to establish the architecture and design decisions for the changes necessary to accommodate the cloud-based version of GE’s TrueCourse FMS. Their FMS, he said, “is designed to be an open architecture, so it is built with scalability in mind and really focused on how TrueCourse plays in a more connected ecosystem.”

“The project will take the TrueCourse baseline, take some of that flight management non-safety-critical modularity, and either move it or replicate it offboard. In creating that digital twin piece, we take all of that software offboard and provide that capability to innovate the pieces that we can’t change often or quickly onboard, and replicate that in the cloud,” said Goz. Using that digital twin enables traffic flow management and the ability to avoid stackups or hold patterns, which can be done offboard in a highly accurate way.

The SmartSky aircraft connectivity network was designed specifically with applications like this collaborative project in mind, and the products the company used for this project are standard commercial products that are available off-the-shelf. Brian Trainum, Director of Applications at SmartSky, commented, “The aircraft radio and the ground network itself are really designed specifically for these types of requirements that need low latency, that need a bi-directional, high-bandwidth network to support.”

The collaboration is testing a real connection between the GE TrueCourse FMS on board and the cloud version in order to validate the concept. (Photo: SmartSky Networks)

Goz from GE Aviation shared his perspective on the AAM market, saying that there have been many providers hoping to introduce services with traditional, proven capabilities in order to lower risk and achieve certification more quickly. “With our incumbency on the air transport side,” he explained, “the capability to go to market will be a lot easier because we can use that incumbency to prove the product that we have there. That allows us to get it to market more efficiently and in a short time frame.” The team at GE Aviation has been actively engaged with some OEMs and those looking to build out the infrastructure for AAM. Getting their FMS to market quickly is critical for delivering the volume of service that the market now expects, Goz commented.

Modernization of airspace and the role of the FMS—in addition to the pilot participating in a more connected ecosystem—are central to GE Aviation’s mission of sustainability, said Jeremy Barbour, Vice President and General Manager of Connected Aircraft at GE Aviation. “Exploring this technology so that we more deeply understand how flight management system products need to evolve to efficiently participate in this network is really going to help us do that effectively,” he shared.

Barbour also spoke about the numerous flight plan optimization applications currently available in the market and the problems that may arise in utilizing them. “If the offboard application—which is not a digital twin of the FMS—determines that there is a better way to fly the plane, it’s very difficult to know if the FMS will agree that it is, in fact, better. Will the aircraft fly the changed route in a highly predictable, accurate way?”

Having the digital twin of the FMS in the cloud is a great way to solve these problems, he said. “You can interact with the FMS to know: does the FMS agree that this is a better route? If we upload that route change to the FMS, will that plane fly that route in an extremely accurate and predictable way? In order to achieve optimization at the network level that we need, those two problems have to be solved, and we think this is a great way to do that.”

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CEO of AIR Talks eVTOLs for Personal Flight

AIR has already received pre-orders for more than 50 units of its AIR ONE eVTOL. (Photo: AIR)

The electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) developer AIR unveiled its AIR ONE vehicle and began taking pre-orders in October 2021. In an interview with Avionics International, CEO and co-founder Rani Plaut discussed the company’s approach to designing its personal aerial vehicle and achieving FAA certification by the end of 2023. AIR looks to be growing rapidly over the last few months and has already received pre-orders for over 50 units.

There are two prototypes of the AIR ONE—a full-scale, semi-functional prototype for ground demonstration, and another large-scale that is, technologically, fully functional. Plaut explained, “We have a division of functionality so we can really sharpen the product on both the aesthetics and on the technological side.” The technologically functional prototype is set to take off in the next 4–6 weeks.

AIR has worked to differentiate the AIR ONE from other players in the eVTOL market as a vehicle intended for personal use, for “making flight accessible to regular people,” said Plaut. “Of course, a pilot license is required, but we are aiming for a very low level of training.” The eVTOL market includes small, recreational aircraft that have a very short range, and the larger eVTOLs and air taxis produced by companies such as Volocopter, Lilium, Archer, Joby, and others are designed for commercial applications. The AIR ONE, then, is sthe car of the category—a personal vehicle intended for commuting or leisure purposes.

The range of an AIR ONE eVTOL will be over 100 miles. AIR hopes to obtain G1 certification from the FAA by the end of 2023. (Photo: AIR)

The key features of AIR’s eVTOL are practicality, affordability, safety, and ease of handling. The range is over 100 miles, and units are priced at $150,000 each. Plaut describes the aircraft’s “extreme simplicity and high redundancy that creates a very high level of safety and very easy handling. If I train you, within an hour you will be able to operate it. You are truly enveloped in our software and are very safe.”

AIR’s vision is to bring its vehicle to the mass market, producing and selling thousands of units each year. To grow public acceptance and ensure smooth assimilation of the aircraft into low altitude airspace, the team is focusing on safety and noise reduction. “At the end of the day,” said Plaut, “the product needs to coexist with people. It’s not about the user; it’s about the whole community.” While the U.S. market is the primary target for AIR’s eVTOL, customers from Israel and the U.K. have already pre-ordered units, and Australia is another potential market.

This is the prototype of the AIR ONE vehicle being worked on at their facility. (AIR)

One of the company’s priorities is designing an aircraft that can be used in a variety of applications but is not tailored to any one specific use. A rescue helicopter, in comparison, is designed with one specific set of operations in mind. Just as a car owner can use their vehicle for commuting, leisure, or a taxi service, the AIR ONE could be used by package delivery companies like UPS, by first responders, or by those working in agriculture. “It’s like an F150. You can be a plumber with an F150; you can take your family in an F150,” remarked Plaut.

“If enough people [are interested in] using the air as a means of day-to-day transportation, companies will invest in engineering efforts in order to decouple skillsets from safety. In the air, your skillset is your safety—if you’re skilled, you’re alive. In a car, the vehicle protects you. We’re trying to make things that fly as easy to live with as cars.”

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Savback Helicopters Becomes Exclusive Regional Distributor of Dufour Aerospace eVTOLs

Savback Helicopters will become the exclusive distributor of Dufour Aerospace’s Aero3 eVTOL in Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark, and Iceland. (Photo: Dufour Aerospace)

Swiss eVTOL developer Dufour Aerospace is partnering with Sweden-based Savback Helicopters: Dufour’s Aero3 aircraft will now be exclusively distributed by Savback in Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark, and Iceland. Savback offers expertise in use cases and market prospects in the vertical lift market based on the company’s 30-year experience in helicopter sales. The Aero3 tilt-wing aircraft is an 8-seater, has a range of about 634 miles (1,020 km), and uses a hybrid-electric propulsion system.

Dufour Aerospace’s Aero3 aircraft will begin test flights by the end of this year. (Photo: Dufour Aerospace)

The first full-scale prototype of Aero3 will be built in 2022 and will begin test flights close to the end of this year, according to Dufour’s CCO Sascha Hardegger in an emailed interview with Avionics International. 2026 is likely the earliest year that Aero3 will achieve its first certification, according to Hardegger.

Dufour Aerospace has also developed an unmanned aircraft, Aero2, and its third-generation prototype is currently undergoing test flights. This vehicle’s design is also based on the tilt-wing principle. The first delivery of Aero2 is expected to occur within the next two years, stated Hardegger.

Pictured is the unmanned Aero2 aircraft performing a test flight. (Photo: Dufour Aerospace)

Aero3 is being developed with the requirements of today’s helicopter markets in mind. The main applications will be patient transportation, cargo applications, surveillance, and public safety. Hardegger explained that the eVTOL’s unique design enables redundancy, which increases safety. “The tilt-wing design of Aero3,” he said, “allows for versatility by combining the best of the worlds of helicopters and aircraft, as it is both able to take off and land vertically like a helicopter and flies as efficiently as an airplane.”

The 45-member team at Dufour will likely grow this year in order to increase capacity for developing, testing, and certifying new aircraft, particularly building the full-scale prototype of Aero3. The aircraft could one day be used to meet advanced air mobility needs, but the initial focus is on applications such as search and rescue which do not require new infrastructure.

Aero3 is designed to perform patient transportation, surveillance, public safety, and cargo applications. (Dufour Aerospace)

CEO of Savback Helicopters, Reja Savbäck, said, “We strongly believe that Dufour Aerospace’s Aero3 provides options for both today’s helicopter market as well as new use cases—which its cutting edge technology opens up for us,” according to the company’s announcement. She continues, “We are proud of this partnership, as it shows that Dufour Aerospace trusts both our vast experience and our network in the aviation industry.”

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Lockheed Martin Invests In eSTOL Company Electra.aero

Lockheed Martin Ventures is investing in Electra’s Series A funding round to support flight testing Electra’s hybrid-electric eSTOL aircraft full-scale technology demonstrator in 2022. Pictured here is a computer-generated image of what Electra.aero’s eSTOL could look like in the future. (Electra.aero)

Electra.aero, a relatively new company pursuing new aircraft solutions for the urban and regional air mobility markets, on Tuesday said that it has received a lead investment from Lockheed Martin for a funding round that will help it get to its first flight of a technology demonstrator later this year.

The amount of the investment wasn’t disclosed and Electra is still lining up additional investors for its Series A funding round.

In addition to the investment by Lockheed Martin Ventures, the aerospace and defense giant’s venture capital unit, Lockheed Martin also signed a strategic cooperation agreement where it will work with Electra on potential solutions for the U.S. government.

Electra, which was founded in 2020 and is based in Northern Virginia, is developing a full-scale hybrid-electric ultra-short takeoff and landing (eSTOL) aircraft that can transport up to 1,800-pounds of cargo or seven to nine passengers up to 500 miles. The demonstrator aircraft will not be a full-scale model but a two-person plane to test key technologies, Robie Samanta Roy, Electra’s chief operating officer, said in an emailed statement.

Last year, Electra received a contract from the Air Force’s Agility Prime initiative, which is investing in, and leveraging, companies in the commercial electric vertical takeoff and landing for its potential future aviation needs.

“Hybrid-electric propulsion will influence every aspect of aviation,” John Langford, founder and CEO of Electra, said in a statement.

Roy said that Lockheed Martin is also essentially seeding technology “incubation,” with its investment in Electra. They are “clearly thinking about the future of air mobility” in an era of “contested logistics” that would complement the company’s existing air mobility portfolio and examine key technologies that could eventually be “brought to scale,” he said.

“Electra’s technical approach to sustainable aviation is differentiated, and we are excited to see this concept mature,” Chris Moran, vice president and general manager of Lockheed Martin Ventures, said in a statement. “We invested in Electra because of its focus on hybrid-electric technology. Hybrid-electric aircraft have the potential to deliver operational and environmental advantages over other aircraft, including increased payload and range without gambling on battery improvements. We look forward to working with the Electra team and hope to partner on opportunities in the future.”

Electra is integrating two fundamental technologies for its eSTOL aircraft, a hybrid-electric propulsion system and a blown lift wing. The company’s website shows eight motors, four on each side of the fuselage attached to the leading edge of the wing, to create distributed electric propulsion that is more cost-effective flexible for a blown lift wing than jet engines used in government-developed technology demonstrator decades ago.

Electra says its aircraft will be able to operate from small spaces, 300 by 100-feet, and operate in urban areas and remote landing strips, including from building tops.

This article was first published by Defense Daily, a sister publication to Avionics International, it has been edited, view the original version here.>>

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New Partnership to Add 400 Landing Bases for eVTOLs in Australia

Skyportz, a Melbourne, Australia-based startup that is developing the foundations of an air taxi network, has partnered with Secure Parking—a car parking provider—to add 400 landing bases for electric air taxis. The first landing bases, or “drone ports,” will likely be established in cities within Victoria, Queensland, and New South Wales in order to promote advanced air mobility throughout Australia.

In a recent interview, Skyportz CEO Clem Newton-Brown told Avionics International that the partnership with Secure Parking opens up numerous options for drone ports at new sites, particularly as Skyportz works to change some government policies in order to activate operations. “The key to an air taxi network,” wrote Newton-Brown, “is access to a multitude of landing sites.” He also shared that the company plans to open up to potential regional franchises throughout the world in the near future.

The project to establish an air taxi network has been underway for three years. CEO Clem Newton-Brown expects that the company will soon be able to offer an efficient path to commercial activation.

As far as the timeline for setting up the landing bases, it depends on a State-based planning approval process to ensure alignment with regulatory requirements. “When an OEM chooses a launch city, there are years of work required to first get the policy and regulatory changes required and then to source the property partnerships,” commented Newton-Brown. “Our Federal government has committed $30M to advance the industry, and we are partnering with several OEMs to develop concepts of operations in Australia, hopefully with the support of this fund.”

Skyportz recently signed an agreement with Electra.Aero to purchase electric short takeoff and landing (eSTOL) aircraft which can be used in applications within Australia such as connecting regional areas. Additional purchase agreements for electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircrafts are expected to be finalized soon. Newton-Brown explained that eVTOLs are better suited for transportation in urban areas due to the ability to land in a smaller space.

Electra.Aero’s electric short takeoff and landing (eSTOL) aircraft may be used by Skyportz to connect regional areas in Australia rather than offering urban air transportation. (Photo: Electra.Aero)

Regarding the company’s outlook for 2022 and beyond, the CEO stated: “We have been working at this for three years already. While there is still some way to go to be able to activate the sites, we expect to be able to offer a quick route to commercial activation.” Australia was selected by Google’s Wing delivery service because of the positive regulatory environment as well as support from the community support. These aspects, said Newton-Brown, also apply to air taxi trials. “Our goal is to attract the frontrunners to commit to Australia by offering a readymade Skyportz network.”

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