Aircraft

If you have a regional turboprop aircraft and wish that it was a bit more hybirdy, RTX may be able to accommodate you. The company is developing a combined thermal/electric propulsion system that not only increases efficiency but can be retrofitted into existing aircraft.

Aerospace startup Hermeus has taken another step toward challenging the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird’s legendary supersonic speed record as the company’s uncrewed Quarterhorse Mk 2.1 lifted off from Spaceport America in New Mexico on March 2, 2026 for its maiden flight.

Australia's Hypersonix Launch Systems has made a historic launch of its next-generation DART AE hypersonic aircraft from Wallops Island, Virginia. Taking off aboard Rocket Lab's HASTE launch vehicle, the DART AE reached a top speed of Mach 8.

Many readers will remember the MetaFly, a remote-control robotic insect that flies by actually flapping its wings. Well, its inventor is back with a much more capable robotic swift (you know, the bird), which is currently on Kickstarter.

As US-based aerospace manufacturer Natilus secures US$28 million in additional financing, the company has revealed the latest supersized version of its Horizon blended-wing airliner that upgrades the basic design into a double-decker for cargo.

AutoFlight says its Matrix aircraft is the first 5-ton eVTOL on the planet – and it's just completed a public full-transition flight demo. This enormous-for-its-class eVTOL can hold up to 10 passengers or 3,330 lb of cargo.

3D commuting, that's the dream. Soaring over stopped traffic in a lightweight, quiet, safe personal eVTOL aircraft. The Velocitor X-1 joins a growing list of such machines, and it's slated to enter production within a year.

A hybrid-electric jet engine may seem as absurd as a horse-drawn Zeppelin, but GE Aerospace is ground testing a new megawatt-class hybrid turbofan engine and its full powertrain that is powerful enough to run a medium-haul narrow-body airliner.

Horizon Aircraft's Cavorite X7 already sported a radical design, even within the wild world of hybrid eVTOLs. That design has now been updated, however, for enhanced aerodynamics, cruising performance, and flight safety.

Ever since its launch in 2021, the Jetson One has looked like it might be the first personal eVTOL to reach consumers. If Chinese company Rictor is to be believed, however, its similar X4 should ship later this year – and at a fraction of the price.

Could cardboard really lift a person into the air? YouTuber Peter Sripol put this idea to the test by building a sit-in cardboard airplane and pushing it to the edge of flight, showing the potential of even the humblest of materials.

Making the wings on passenger jets thinner and longer can go a long way toward reducing drag and making them more efficient, but they vibrate like crazy. Engineers at NASA and Boeing are now tackling the problem.

Boeing subsidiary Wisk Aero's Generation 6 eVTOL aircraft has completed its historic maiden flight. On December 16, 2025 at 12:26 pm PST, the autonomous passenger carrier lifted off from the Wisk flight test facility at Hollister, California.

Ever fly Economy and felt like you were being tortured by the seat? It turns out that you're not being fussy, the seats really are horrible from an ergonomic point of view, which is why you're suffering. Oh, and that might be by design.

It may seem like a horse-drawn Zeppelin, but Astro Mechanica seems to be all-in on its revolutionary hybrid-electric supersonic jet engine as it partnered with UK-based engineering firm Helix to add high-energy density radial-flux motors to the tech.