Airbus

Making a virtue out of necessity, Airbus is joining forces with Toshiba to develop a super-efficient superconducting motor for aircraft that uses the liquid hydrogen that supplies the electricity to cool the propulsion and adjacent systems.

In an experiment that sounds about as safe as bobbing for fries, ESA carried out the first-ever 3D metal printing in space aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Built with Airbus, the Metal 3D Printer completed the first of four test shapes.

Conventional helicopters have a built-in speed limit, imposed by the physical limitations of their top-rotor lift systems. This fascinating Airbus project has found a way to break through that speed limit, and it's already done it in flight testing.

Bringing some flash to military aviation, Airbus is showing off its Wingman drone concept this week at the International Aerospace Exhibition (ILA) in Berlin. The 1:1 scale mock-up is the aerospace equivalent of a "show car" for highlighting ideas.

Airbus Helicopters has flown its high-speed concept copter, which dashes 50% faster than other commercial copters, for the first time. The 249-mph (216-kt, 400-km/h) Racer demonstrator is not only fast, but consumes up to 25% less fuel.

Among the cargo that just blasted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, bound for the ISS were two firsts: the world’s first metal 3D printer designed especially for use in orbit and the first miniaturized surgical robot to be sent to the station.

Airbus' EcoPulse hybrid-electric distributed propulsion demonstrator aircraft has completed its maiden flight using its complete powertrain of ePropellers, high-density batteries, and a turbogenerator in support of aviation's decarbonization.

Airbus has flight tested the latest prototype of its A400M Roll-on/Roll-off modular kit that turns a standard Airbus A400M turboprop military transport aircraft into a firefighting bomber to drop water and retardants on conflagrations.

Having shown off simplified copter controls, Airbus Helicopters' FlightLab has completed a fully automated flight testing a new simplified tablet-based human machine interface (HMI) designed to reduce pilot workloads and increase safety.

Airbus innovation division UpNext is testing its next-gen autonomous systems for air-to-air in-flight refueling, which could be a revolutionary leap forward for a variety of military and civil aircraft, safely extending range and endurance.

To help combat the growing problem of space debris, a CubeSat launched by EnduroSat on November 11, 2023 called Exo-0 includes a 100-g (3.5-oz) device developed by Airbus that uses the Earth's magnetic field to prevent dead satellites from tumbling.

Mentioning Airbus doesn't usually bring the image of sea vessels to mind, but the aerospace giant has announced that it plans to replace its charter fleet that carries components across the ocean with greener, more efficient ships starting in 2026.