Aircraft

Researchers from Australia and the UK have built a robotic kestrel to decode how birds handle turbulence. Their findings reveal a suite of wing-and-tail tricks that could reshape the next generation of small drones.

The FAA is clearing the way for the return of commercial supersonic air travel by revamping regulations for faster-than-sound aircraft for the first time since 1973 – to reflect progress in aviation engineering and the removal of prejudicial attitudes.

Toyota-backed SkyDrive's multicopter has achieved stable flight at 100 km/h, proving its wingless design handles real aerodynamic loads. The milestone feeds Japan's JCAB certification process and keeps 2028 commercial launch in sight.

For more than a century, pilots have relied on the same basic toolkit to steer a plane: flaps, ailerons, rudders – hinged surfaces that physically deflect airflow to change direction. A radical new experimental drone aims to throw all of that out.

Electra provides a glimpse of the airliner of 2050 with its hybrid aircraft concept capable of carrying over 100 passengers while using electrification, advanced aerodynamics, and integrated airframe-propulsion design to up efficiency and cut emissions.

To cut costs and emissions, Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport is rolling out a pilot program using a semi-robotic ground tug called TaxiBot that allows pilots to taxi airliners around the airport without using their main jet engines.

If it's ever been your dream to spend 22 hours on a non-stop flight from Sydney to London, then good news: Airbus has announced the maiden flight of the world's longest-range airliner, the Airbus A350-1000ULR, with a range of almost 10,000 nautical miles.

The venerable Cold War SR-71 Blackbird may be looking nervously at its laurels after Hermeus's latest Quarterhorse Mk 2.1 uncrewed prototype broke the sound barrier at Spaceport America over the White Sands Missile Range airspace in New Mexico in March.

The RAF is buying inflatable missile batteries. It may seem daft, but these lookalike launchers aren't a gag or a ludicrous cost-cutting measure. Part of the new Sting system, their job is to help train fighter pilots in taking out ground-to-air threats.

A new frontier for autonomous flight appears to have been breached as Merlin, Inc. introduces its Merlin Pilot for Commercial Cargo AI-powered flight system that aims to eventually bring pilot-free flight to large cargo aircraft.

California-based aerospace company Airhart Aeronautics recently completed test flights of its new cockpit avionics suite for small planes at the company's Long Beach facility. We sat down with Airhart President Nate Thuli to learn more.

Northrop Grumman is teasing us again with another glimpse of its candidate for the US Navy's F/A-XX fighter program. The company posted a brief video on X (formerly Twitter) that gives the most complete look yet of the 6th-Gen aircraft.