Aviation sector urges youth to pursue STEM careers to tackle skills shortage By Nondumiso Ndlebe More than 500 attendees visited the Nelson Mandela International Career Expo. Defence and civil security company Saab Grintek Defence, in partnership with the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) and Lanseria International Airport, hosted the third annual Nelson Mandela International Career Expo recently to highlight opportunities in STEM-focused...Read More

European Commission backs Climate Impulse hydrogen round-the-world flight By Ben Sampson The European Commission has granted its official patronage to Climate Impulse, the project aiming to make the first non-stop, zero-emission flight around the world powered entirely by green hydrogen. Led by explorer Bertrand Piccard and composite-materials engineer Raphaël Dinelli, Climate Impulse is developing a liquid-hydrogen, fuel-cell-electric aircraft, now under construction in...Read More

Aerospace industry launches hiring campaign amid skills shortages By Adam McCulloch The aerospace industry has launched a nationwide recruitment campaign after new figures revealed that two-thirds of employers are struggling with skills shortages that are holding back growth. Trade body ADS has joined forces with Airbus, GKN Aerospace, Lockheed Martin, Rolls-Royce and Safran to launch the There’s Aerospace For You campaign in...Read More

Lockheed Martin Skunk Works tests sensor-driven autonomy on a fighter aircraft By Teodor Stefan An artificial intelligence (AI) agent used targeting information from an operational sensor to execute successful air intercepts against a live target. Across 8 flights, the X-62 Variable In-flight Simulation Test Aircraft executed 27 AI-controlled intercepts.  The objective was to demonstrate that the X-62 and its integrated autonomy...Read More

Airbus and MTU Aero to launch hydrogen fuel cell engine company By Ben Sampson Airbus and MTU Aero Engines are to establish a joint venture dedicated to developing and commercializing a fully electric hydrogen fuel cell engine for commercial aircraft. The new entity will lead the development, design, testing and certification of a propulsion system based on a hydrogen fuel...Read More

FAA Proposes New Rules For Civil Supersonic Flight By Amelia Walsh The agency has launched rulemaking aimed at allowing next-generation supersonic aircraft to operate over land under new noise standards. The FAA has begun developing rules that could allow civil supersonic aircraft to operate over the U.S. under a new noise-based certification framework. In a June 30 announcement, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy...Read More

Making the Leap to Hybrid-Electric Bizjets – Can It Be Done? A published paper in a peer-reviewed scientific journal provokes a conversation about the future of hybrid-electric propulsion and large-cabin business jets. As the aviation industry appears to be poised to enter a new era of electric- powered flight with smaller eVTOL air taxis, what are the possibilities that larger,...Read More

Electra Unveils Turbo Electric Aircraft Concept for Next Generation Airliner as Part of NASA AACES 2050 Program By Jason Pritchard Electra has unveiled a new conceptual aircraft design for next-generation airliners developed as part of NASA’s Advanced Aircraft Concepts for Environmental Sustainability (AACES) 2050 program. The study explores how targeted electrification, advanced aerodynamics and integrated airframe-propulsion design can transform the efficiency and competitiveness of aircraft with 100+ passengers by...Read More

Joby Aviation Is Pushing the Boundaries of Electric Aviation Power-train chief Jon Wagner explains why integration beats invention By Elan Head When JoeBen Bevirt founded the company now known as Joby Aviation in 2009, electric aircraft were on few people’s minds. Tesla’s first electric vehicle, the Roadster, had arrived on the market just one year earlier, and it was not yet evident that EVs would transform the...Read More

Intelligent Energy Joins UK Alliance to Accelerate Hydrogen Flight By Intelligent Energy Limited Intelligent Energy (IE), the UK’s leading hydrogen fuel cell manufacturer, has joined the Hydrogen in Aviation Alliance (HIA), to help the UK to seize its opportunity to be a world leader in hydrogen flight. The alliance brings together companies from across the aviation sector, including Airbus, Bristol...Read More