Autonomous flight

The first aerial showdown between a human fighter pilot and an autonomous aircraft is slated for July 2021, according to a fascinating interview with the outgoing Director of the US Department of Defense's Joint Artificial Intelligence Center (JAIC).

EHang has achieved another important milestone in its effort to make its passenger-grade autonomous aerial vehicles a common sight in the skies. The CCAC has granted permission for the air taxis to be used for heavy-lift logistics.

EHang has joined forces with LN Holdings to bring air tourism to the latter's hotels. One of the first projects to emerge from the new collaboration will make the LN Garden Hotel in Nansha the first hotel to offer air tourism services to its guests.

Back in January, China's EHang aced the first flight in the US of its two-seat autonomous air taxi. Now the company has agreed to develop the first Urban Air Mobility pilot program in Seville, Spain.

Earlier this month, Ehang took to the air with its Autonomous Aerial Vehicle for the first flight in the US. Specs on the 216 two-passenger pilotless air taxi were scant at the time, but let's take a closer look now.

Ehang's Autonomous Aerial Vehicle – a multi-rotor drone capable of carrying people – made its first US appearance at CES 2016, and now the company has demonstrated the first flight in the US of its two-seater autonomous air taxi.

Hyundai has used the grand platform of CES 2020 to unveil its take on the future of urban mobility. At the heart of its plans is its S-A1, an electric flying taxi developed with Uber.

There is no shortage of aviation startups out to build self-flying aircraft from the ground up, but California-based Skyryse has adopted a slightly different approach, with flight technologies designed to be fitted to existing helicopters.

Drone racing with human pilots at the controls has quickly evolved from an underground hobby to a fully fledged professional sport. But for its 2019 season, the Drone Racing League introduced a new kind of competition.

An important step towards autonomous aviation was taken today, as Cirrus Aviation announced "Safe Return" functionality for its G2 Vision jet, which will find the nearest airstrip, alert authorities and land itself in an emergency.

Skydio released an impressive self-flying camera drone in early October that may well take autonomous flight to a whole new level, and in a new purpose-built base station it could soon have the self-charging capabilities to go with it.

Bell has joined the cargo drone space with its APT 70, which has just nailed its first autonomous test flight.