New Atlas

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World's largest plane edges towards takeoff speeds on the runway

Nick Lavars January 13, 2019

The Stratolaunch aircraft has been slowly but surely edging towards takeoff with a series of increasingly rapid taxi tests. Its latest outing has seen the team clock the gargantuan dual-fuselage plane at speeds fast approaching those typically needed for regular aircraft to lift-off on the runway.

The latest taxi test brings Stratolaunch closer to take-off

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Intelligent Energy claims new endurance record for hydrogen-powered multicopters

Loz Blain January 10, 2019

This fuel cell-powered coaxial octacopter just stayed aloft for 70 minutes of continuous flight, while carrying a 5kg (11-pound) weight. The record demonstrates the flight endurance capabilities of hydrogen-powered electric aircraft.

Intelligent Energy's drone, powered by 6 liters of compressed hydrogen and a fuel cell, flew for ...

Aircraft

First KC-46A Pegasus aerial refueling jet headed for the US Air Force

David Szondy January 10, 2019

The US Air Force has signed off on the first of a tranche of four Boeing KC-46A Pegasus tanker aircraft, which will be delivered to McConnell Air Force Base in Wichita, Kansas in the next month. Today's announcement comes after extensive testing of six KC-46 that involved over 3,800 flight hours.

Nick Cenci, Major, USAF Chief of Flight Operations DCMA (Seattle) (left) and Anthony Mariapain, Major, USAF ...

Aircraft

Boeing shows off new transonic wing concept

David Szondy January 8, 2019

Boeing has revealed a new ultra-thin wing concept designed to improve the performance of transonic aircraft at speeds of Mach 0.8. The latest version of the company's Transonic Truss-Braced Wing can fly higher and faster thanks to its optimized support truss and adjusted wing-sweep angle.

Boeing is studying the Transonic Truss-Braced Wing concept through a collaboration with NASA as part of ...

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Boeing equips prototype 777X airliner with world's largest engine

David Szondy January 7, 2019

Boeing has released images of the world's largest fanjet engine being attached to the world's largest twin-engine aircraft. The photos show the still incomplete 777X in Boeing's Everett hangar with a General Electric GE9X engine fitted to the port wing.

The GE9X is the world's largest fanjet engine

Aircraft

Bell bounces into CES with a tilt-rotor air taxi concept

Nick Lavars January 7, 2019

The flying taxi space is becoming pretty crowded with what you could call audacious vehicle concepts, and Bell has just dropped another one at CES in Las Vegas. The newly unveiled Nexus is a look at the future of transport that turns to a tilting six-rotor design.

A render of Bell's Nexus flying taxi in flight

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Rolls-Royce looks to smash speed record with the world's fastest electric airplane

David Szondy January 2, 2019

A partnership led by Rolls-Royce is building an all-electric aircraft that may smash into the record books with a top speed of over 300 mph (480 km/h) – beating the previous e-plane record of 210 mph (338 km/h) set in 2017 by Siemens.

The electric aircraft will fly at over 300 mph (480 km/h)

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First look at ultra-fast Sikorsky/Boeing SB>1 Defiant dual-rotor helicopter

Loz Blain December 26, 2018

Sikorsky and Boeing have been working on this high-speed, long-range, ultra-maneuverable military helicopter design for some time, and now they’ve released the first photos of what is expected to become a highly effective US Army utility helicopter sometime in the 2030s.

The Sikorsky/Boeing SB>1 Defiant is our first look at the Future Vertical Lift project that will ...

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Proximity testing complete, Jetpack Aviation prepares to launch the world's first jetpack race series

Loz Blain December 26, 2018

The team at Jetpack Aviation has just completed test flights in which two pilots flew close enough together to playfully boop each other on the nose. Next step: the world’s first jetpack race series, starting in 2019, and yes, the jetboards and jet suits of the world are invited to participate!

The proposed jetpack race series will be open to all turbine VTOL personal flight machines that ...

Aircraft

NATO AWACS get digital displays in major upgrade

David Szondy December 19, 2018

NATO's fleet of 14 Airborne Warning And Control System (AWACS) aircraft have completed a major cockpit upgrade, swapping their analog dials dating from the 1970s with five full-color digital displays that will provide the crew with customizable screens for engine, navigation, and radar data.

Boeing delivered the final AWACS aircraft modernized with avionics and a digital cockpit to NATO, completing ...