Aircraft

The USAF recently unveiled a modification of its B-1B Lancer bomber that will allow it to one day carry hypersonic missiles.

The first PowerUp kit added an electric propeller to paper planes. Well, the latest version reportedly allows all sorts of things to fly.

The winners of the 2019 Royal Air Force Photographic Competition offer a peek inside the United Kingdom’s aerial armed forces.

In an effort to spark the imagination of the next generation of aeronautical engineers, Airbus has unveiled its new Bird of Prey concept aircraft. The bird-like hybrid-electric, turbo-propeller regional transport aircraft features anatomical features of eagles or falcons.

​For many years now, aircraft have been required to pass tests indicating that they could withstand mid-air collisions with birds. No such testing exists for the growing possibility of collisions with drones, however … which Germany's Fraunhofer Institute for Short-Time Dynamics intends to rectify.

Airbus engineers have flown a scale-model airplane with flapping wing-tips. Based on the structure of the albatross wing, the remote-controlled AlbatrossOne uses a "semi-aeroelastic hinge" concept that reacts to turbulence and wind gusts to minimize their effects and reduce stress on the airframe.

A retired Cold War US Air Force B-52 Stratofortress strategic bomber has been rescued from an Arizona boneyard where it has sat since 2008, and is being returned to active duty. Nicknamed "Wise Guy," it was flown to Barksdale Air Force Base, where it will be completely restored.

NASA is funding a project to develop an aircraft that runs on a cryogenic hydrogen fuel cell system. Under a US$6 million contract, the CHEETA program will investigate the technology needed to produce a practical all-electric design to replace conventional fossil fuel propulsion systems.

​It was a year ago that we first heard about Transcend Air Corporation's Vy 400, a vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft that will ferry passengers in and out of cities. Now, the Boston-based company has announced plans for floating environmentally-friendly landing pads for the aircraft.

DARPA has launched an initiative to develop an artificial intelligence (AI) that can engage in dogfighting aerial combat. Despite its Terminator-like description, the goal is to produce an AI wingman that human pilots can trust to watch their backs while they handle command decisions.

The University of the Highlands and Islands Perth College has developed and flown what is claimed to be the first aircraft powered by variable-buoyancy propulsion. In March, the unmanned Phoenix prototype made an indoor maiden flight, when it repeatedly flew for a distance of 120 m (395 ft).

We've seen autonomous aircraft doing everything from spraying crops to surveying wildlife, and now the Swiss air rescue organization Rega has announced a drone that's capable of searching for and finding missing people all on its own.