VTOL

Boeing subsidiary Aurora Flight Sciences is working on a high-speed VTOL military aircraft as part of DARPA's Speed & Runway Independent Technologies (SPRINT) program. Early ground effect testing has demonstrated its fan-in-wing vertical lift system.

It drives at highway speeds, handles like a go-kart, transforms from drive to fly mode in three seconds, takes off vertically, and can fly for up to three hours on a hybrid powertrain. This remarkable road-going rotorcraft company is moving to Vegas.

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 has advanced to the next phase of a DARPA project to develop an unmanned VTOL aircraft capable of flying all-weather missions from ships or land. The rotor blown wing VTOL tail-sitter is currently undergoing flight testing.

Aurora Flight Sciences has revealed its latest concept for a low-drag, fan-in-blended-wing body design for DARPA's Speed and Runway Independent Technologies (SPRINT) program aimed at producing a high-speed VTOL aircraft for Special Forces missions.

Mayman Aerospace has unwrapped its new family of jet-powered, High-Speed Vertical Take-Off and Landing (HS VTOL) AI-equipped drones that can deliver everything from medical supplies to Hellfire missiles at 500 mph (800 km/h) in a compact airframe.

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.

If you've ever tried flying a drone, you'll know how hard it can be to land one in just the right place … now imagine trying to land one on a boat out at sea. The VT-Naut is designed to make things easier, by performing belly landings on the water.

DARPA has announced the four companies that will compete for the contract to design, build and test an X-Plane demonstrator capable of high-speed cruise, hover and VTOL for its Speed and Runway Independent Technologies (SPRINT) project.

London startup Lyte Aviation is thinking big when it comes to VTOL aircraft. Forget your piddly five-seaters, Lyte says its first aircraft will be a 44-seat monster with a 300-km/h (186-mph) top speed and a range over 1,000 km (620 miles).

VTOL drones may be versatile, but the weight of their extra hardware results in a shorter range than that of fixed-wing-only drones. That's where the FLARES system comes in, as it lets fixed-wing drones make vertical takeoffs and landings.

Like bladeless Dyson fans on steroids, Jetoptera's unique aircraft propulsion systems look like pure sci-fi. But they're beginning to demonstrate some fascinating capabilities in testing, and the next step will be a super-fast VTOL aircraft design.