Tiltrotor

We got a glimpse at what a new cross between a helicopter and a jet aircraft might look like after Bell released a new image. It's of a model used in wind tunnel tests of its entry in DARPA's Speed and Runway Independent Technology (SPRINT) program.

Piasecki Aircraft's Aerial Reconfigurable Embedded System (ARES) tilt-duct VTOL aircraft has completed its maiden flight. On September 6 at Piasecki's West Helipad in Essington, Pennsylvania the autonomous rotorcraft made two tethered hover flights.

Vertical Aerospace has pulled back the hanger doors on the second full-scale prototype of its four-passenger VX4 tilt-rotor eVTOL. The latest flavor has been given a significant power boost, and features proprietary batteries for the first time.

Bell has been selected as one of two companies for Phase 1B of DARPA's Speed and Runway Independent Technologies (SPRINT) X-Plane program to create a prototype High-Speed Vertical Takeoff and Landing (HSVTOL) aircraft for the US military.

Sikorsky is developing a hybrid-electric vertical takeoff and landing (HEX/VTOL) tilt-wing demonstrator. It's part of a new family of aircraft that'll run the company's new MATRIX autonomy suite, so it'll fly with or without a pilot.

Bell has released a video showing off its High-Speed Vertical Takeoff and Landing (HSVTOL) technology in action. The two-minute video shows a ground test of the nacelle system used to lift and land a VTOL X-plane before converting to jet flight.

After years of testing and deliberation, the US Army has made the US$1.3-billion decision to select the Bell V-280 Valor tilt-rotor craft to replace the Army's 2,000 UH-60 Black Hawk utility helicopters and 1,200 AH-64 Apache assault helicopters.

After several years out of the public eye, Leonardo's AW609 re-emerged at the 2021 Dubai Airshow this month. It's expected the civilian tiltrotor aircraft could achieve certification next year, almost two decades after it first flew.

Bell has revealed its latest design concepts for the next generation of military rotorcraft, using its High-Speed Vertical Take-Off and Landing (HSVTOL) technology to explore next-gen military vertical lift aircraft capabilities.

Although numerous companies are now developing "air taxis," many of those groups have nothing but renderings of their aircraft. Switzerland's Dufour Aerospace, however, recently completed the first phase of testing of a large-scale demonstrator.

Autonomous Systems researchers at ETH Zurich have demonstrated another drone capable of flying and hovering in any orientation, this time with higher efficiency. It's extraordinary to watch its 12 coaxial rotors twisting and turning in flight.

The latest variant of the Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft recently completed its maiden flight. Designed to replace the US Navy's C-2A Greyhound cargo aircraft, the CMV-22B Osprey will be used to transport high-priority cargoes for carrier fleets.