Aircraft

A self-propagating series of explosions, contained between the blades of a high-speed rotor, promises a leap in power and efficiency during hypersonic flight – provided this radical new engine can be built strong enough to withstand its own power.

Even though today's aircraft rely heavily on GPS for navigation, the technology isn't infallible. That's why an alternative system is in the works, which may allow planes to navigate by "reading the fingerprint" of the terrain they're flying over.

Engineers at the University of South Australia have taken a page from the days of wooden sailing ships and developed a way for drones to navigate by the stars at night using simple, lightweight equipment for areas where GPS signals aren't available.

Sometimes you see a vintage plane that makes you scratch your head. Case in point is the US Air Force's X-29 of the 1980s that looks like a fighter with the wings stuck on backwards. Was this a daft mistake or a great leap forward? Let's have a look.

Swedish startup Heart Aerospace is gearing up for the first experimental flight of Heart X1 early next year, an electric demonstrator of a similar size to its upcoming 30-seater commercial plane. The company aims to launch passenger flights by 2028.

The rebirth of commercial supersonic flight has kind of, sort of come to pass as Dawn Aerospace announces that its 16-ft (4.8-m) Mk-II Aurora rocket-powered aircraft broke the sound barrier with a speed of Mach 1.1 on November 12, 2024.

We've been following the development of Australia's AMSL Aero's longe-range, hydrogen-powered Vertiia eVTOL for some time and now the box-winged tilt-rotor aircraft has completed its first free flight after over a year of 50 tethered tests.

Small aircraft manufacturer BETA Technologies has rolled the first electric plane off its fully scaled production line in Vermont. You can go along for the ride with this milestone-setting aircraft in a slick new video from the makers.

Astro Mechanica is an aerospace startup developing what it calls a "turboelectric adaptive engine", efficient for both subsonic and supersonic flight ... using electric car motor technology. And the suck-squeeze-bang-blow works.

We've been following Electra's ultra-short takeoff and landing electric hybrid prototype for some time and now the company has unveiled its EL9 Ultra Short production model that is designed to carry nine passengers at 175 knots (201 mph, 324 km/h).

China's EHang has completed what it calls the world's first solid-state battery test in a pilotless passenger-carrying eVTOL. With nearly 500 Wh/kg of energy density, the solid-state battery contributes to a serious boost in endurance.

Another example of how the bleeding edge aerospace sector is going through a massive shakeup has surfaced as civilian supersonic startup Exosonic has announced that it is going out of business after being unable to raise needed funding.

Aerospace startup Natilus is taking on the biggest players in civil aviation, unveiling its plans to build its Horizon Blended Wing Body (BWB) passenger/cargo liner that can carry 200 passengers from New York to London with 50% lower emissions.

In a feat that can only be described as legendary, and after many months and a catastrophic setback, Polaris Spaceplanes has finally accomplished something that's never been done before: lit the fuse of an aerospike rocket in flight.

Austrian flying vehicle tech company CycloTech is building an eVTOL demonstrator to showcase its CycloRotor-powered propulsion system for electric flight. The firm is hoping to commence test flights in early 2025.