Aircraft

We've seen lots of designs for vertical take-off and landing vehicles over the years, but none are quite as striking as the wings on HopFlyt's Cyclone. The curved wings have their root in a design first introduced in the 1920s but never employed in a commercial vehicle.

The legendary Cold War-era Lockheed U-2 Dragon Lady spyplane is getting a new lease on life as BAE Systems gives it an upgraded version of the AN/ALQ-221 Advanced Defensive System (ADS) to protect the aircraft against modern radar and electronic warfare threats.

There's a new X-plane in town. Bell Textron's tilt-rotor aircraft being built for DARPA's Speed and Runway Independent Technologies (SPRINT) program, which aims to combine the features of a helicopter and a jet, has officially been designated the X-76.

In what may be a hint of things to come or a subtle act of disinformation, Pratt & Whitney has released a video possibly featuring a tantalizing new image of the Boeing F-47 sixth-generation fighter plane being developed for the US Air Force to replace the F-22.

In a world first, the US Department of Defense (aka the Department of War) airlifted a complete 5-MW nuclear reactor using a C-17 Globemaster III transport from March Air Reserve Base, California to Hill Air Force Base, Utah, for assembly and operation.

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.

What looks like a flying egg, was never designed to land, and was so light it could be thrown off course by its own guns? Introducing the Goblin XF-85 – the Cold War compact fighter designed to be carried in the belly of a nuclear bomber.

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.

Civilian supersonic flight may not have made its anticipated revival yet but there's still a need for speed as shown by Bombardier, which has announced that its Global 8000 business jet is entering service with a claimed top speed of Mach 0.95.

Hypersonic vehicles aren't much use if you don't know where they're going, so Northrop Grumman is developing new navigation systems for autonomous craft that can stand up to the rigors of flying at speeds of over Mach 5.

Joby Aviation's latest iteration of its autonomous all-electric S4 air taxi VTOL aircraft has made its maiden flight. The new variant aimed at the defense market boasts a turbine-electric hybrid powertrain for greater range and endurance.

General Atomics has rolled out the latest iteration of its modular Gambit series of Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA), adapting the common-core airframe for air-to-ground missions while retaining its autonomous core capabilities.