Trump's NASA Budget Proposal

06/06/2017

NASA logo The Trump administration is proposing a 19 billion dollar budget for NASA in fiscal year 2018 - a less than 1% decrease from 2017 - as part of the overall 1.1 trillion dollar draft budget. The 2018 budget eliminates NASA's Office of Education which is used for engaging and educating Americans in NASA's overall mission.

The budget focuses on deep space exploration rather than Earth centric research. NASA's acting administrator said in a statement "The FY2018 proposal is a positive budget overall for NASA".

Turkey Signs $11 Billion Eurofighter Deal

<span>Turkey Signs $11 Billion Eurofighter Deal</span> <span><span lang="" about="/users/dan-hockensmith" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="" content="hockensmithawin">hockensmithawi…</span></span> <span><time datetime="2025-10-27T18:19:46+00:00" title="Monday, October 27, 2025 - 18:19">Mon, 10/27/2025 - 18:19</time> </span> <drupal-render-placeholder callback="Drupal\node\NodeViewBuilder::renderLinks" arguments="0=4953711&1=rss&2=en&3=&4" token="rNIVIjY3pMEX9JSayCm2G_2mJVaCfcc7QJ_QMwRnIXU"></drupal-render-placeholder> <div><p>Turkey has signed a long-anticipated £8 billion ($11 billion) deal to acquire Eurofighter Typhoons, the first major export contract for the four-nation combat aircraft since 2017.</p><p>Twenty new-built aircraft will be purchased in the country’s first acquisition of a European combat aircraft after decades of operating new and secondhand U.S.-built fighters.</p><p>But Turkey’s Eurofighter order could more than double in size, according to Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler. He declared that Ankara would also buy another 24 aircraft second hand, 12 each from Oman and Qatar. If those sales go through, Oman would be giving up Eurofighter operations.</p><p>With deliveries of the new-build aircraft not due until 2030, delivering those second-hand aircraft—potentially as early as next year from Qatar, according to Guler—would allow Turkey to accelerate the Eurofighter’s entry into service and enable the retirement of older aircraft from its inventory, including the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom.</p><p>BAE Systems, which will produce the newly built aircraft in Warton, England, says it will receive £5.4 billion of the £8 billion deal. Included in the £5.4 billion are the aircraft and the weapons package from MBDA, including some integration work, potentially for Turkish indigenous weaponry.</p><p>The remaining £2.6 billion is support and training activity, which will be contracted later, BAE Systems officials say. It is unclear whether the deal will ultimately include offsets to enable Turkish industry to become involved in the Eurofighter program and for Turkey to have a level of freedom of action for the fleet. After decades of facing numerous arms embargoes, Turkey often demands the ability to locally perform airframe, system and engine maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) in-country.</p><p>The deal was struck during a meeting between UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Ankara. Starmer said the deal was a win for British workers and the wider UK defense industry. Government officials claim the order is “saving the Warton production line,” after concerns about a lack of new orders for UK-built Typhoons were expressed by workers unions.</p><p>UK industry has a 37% share in the Eurofighter program and production of major component assemblies is being ramped up thanks to orders from the other Eurofighter partner nations including Germany, Italy and Spain.</p><p>“Today’s announcement extends Typhoon production and preserves crucial sovereign skills which underpin the UK’s defense and security,” BAE Systems CEO Charles Woodburn said.</p><p>The deal is another major boost for the UK defense industry, coming just weeks after the UK’s Type 26 frigates were selected by Norway in a £10 billion deal.</p><p>UK Defense Secretary John Healey said the deal went beyond the procurement of aircraft. “It is the leading edge of the growing defense and industrial partnership between our two nations,” he said.</p><p>As part of the visit, Starmer also visited the facilities of Turkish Aerospace Industries, where he was shown the indigenous Kaan combat aircraft. He was also exposed to the Hurjet advanced jet trainer, a potential candidate to replace the BAE Systems Hawk jet trainer in the UK Royal Air Force (RAF) inventory.</p><p>The deal follows three years of negotiations, which have included lobbying of the German government for Berlin to lift a restriction on a Eurofighter sale after Erdoğan’s government arrested Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, who is seen as a serious presidential rival to Erdoğan in upcoming elections. The administration of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz lifted the sanctions in part because of the benefit to German industry. A memorandum of understanding between the UK and Turkish governments for a Eurofighter sale was agreed to in July.</p><p>Turkey’s interest in the aircraft is driven in part by a need for a more capable air combat platform to be available in the interim until advanced versions of the Kaan aircraft are produced in the 2030s.</p><p>Ankara’s decision to opt for a European fighter, meanwhile, will have been driven by a need to diversify sources of supply after facing sanctions from the U.S. over its purchase of a Russian air defense system and banishment from the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program.</p><p>The transfer of Omani and Qatari aircraft to Turkey begs questions over the future of additional Eurofighter orders from Qatar, which has long been linked to orders for a further 12 aircraft for a total of 36. Oman, meanwhile, appears to want to consolidate its fighter fleet around the Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 50. In BAE Systems’ 2023 full-year results, the company revealed that the Omani air force had chosen not to renew support arrangements for its Typhoons, and it is unclear how active that fleet now is.</p><p>Buying these additional aircraft would mean Turkey would have a mix of three configurations in its fleet. Qatar’s aircraft have the Mk.0 version of the active electronically scanned array European Common Radar System (ECRS) radar, while Oman’s feature the mechanically scanned Captor sensor.</p><p>In addition to the Eurofighter order, Erdoğan and Starmer also revealed they were working on a new trade and security pact.</p></div> <div> <div>Issue</div> <div> <div><a href="/aerospace-daily-defense-report/2025-10-28" hreflang="en">Aerospace Daily & Defense Report, October 28, 2025</a></div> </div> </div> <div> <div>Article type</div> <div>Article</div> </div> <div> <div>Primary Category</div> <div><a href="/taxonomy/term/336" hreflang="en">Aircraft & Propulsion</a></div> </div> <div> <div>Author</div> <div> <div><a href="/author/tony-osborne" hreflang="en">Tony Osborne</a></div> </div> </div> <div> <div>Content source</div> <div> <div><a href="/content/aerospace-daily-defense-report" hreflang="en">Aerospace Daily & Defense Report</a></div> </div> </div> <drupal-render-placeholder callback="flag.link_builder:build" arguments="0=node&1=4953711&2=favorite&3=rss" token="MYCKkHFcDaq77xcy3WpG3DIpcnlwkZmgyLTCTE9fjJ4"></drupal-render-placeholder> <div> <div>Exclude from lists?</div> <div>No</div> </div> <div> <span class="font-weight-bold">Tags:</span> <ul class="list-inline"> <li class="list-inline-item"><a href="/term/turkey" hreflang="en">Turkey</a>,</li> <li class="list-inline-item"><a href="/term/eurofighter-typhoon" hreflang="en">Eurofighter Typhoon</a>,</li> <li class="list-inline-item"><a href="/term/bae-systems" hreflang="en">BAE Systems</a>,</li> <li class="list-inline-item"><a href="/term/mbda" hreflang="en">MBDA</a></li> </ul> </div> <div> <div>Gating</div> <div> <div><a href="/taxonomy/term/35591" hreflang="en">ASD</a></div> </div> </div> <div> <div>Featured Image</div> <div> <div><a href="/media/image/2327296" hreflang="en">typhoon_1600px.jpg</a></div> </div> </div> <div> <div>Secondary Categories/Subcategories</div> <div> <div><a href="/taxonomy/term/346" hreflang="en">Defense</a></div> <div><a href="/taxonomy/term/451" hreflang="en">Budget, Policy & Operations</a></div> </div> </div> <div> <div>Is iframe in the header?</div> <div>Off</div> </div> <div> <div>Knowledge Center Featured Content</div> <div>Off</div> </div> <div> <div>Do not render ads</div> <div>Off</div> </div> <div> <div>Temporarily set to AWIN Freemium</div> <div>Off</div> </div>

Source: https://aviationweek.com/defense/aircraft-propulsion/turkey-signs-11-billion-eurofighter-deal

Project Lotus, Northrop Grumman’s Secret Autonomous Aircraft Revealed

<span>Project Lotus, Northrop Grumman’s Secret Autonomous Aircraft Revealed</span> <span><span lang="" about="/users/dan-hockensmith" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="" content="hockensmithawin">hockensmithawi…</span></span> <span><time datetime="2025-10-27T18:05:46+00:00" title="Monday, October 27, 2025 - 18:05">Mon, 10/27/2025 - 18:05</time> </span> <drupal-render-placeholder callback="Drupal\node\NodeViewBuilder::renderLinks" arguments="0=4953701&1=rss&2=en&3=&4" token="MlG03c4FlgCQQM8BfoCDaOAqBmfGhZWhKjcF0Fe_WG4"></drupal-render-placeholder> <div><p>Northrop Grumman has secretly built a large new uncrewed aircraft system (UAS), dubbed Project Lotus, at the company’s Scaled Composites rapid prototyping facility in Mojave, California, a source familiar with the project tells Aviation Week.</p><p>A photo of the aircraft reviewed by Aviation Week revealed a completed, turbofan-powered aircraft parked within the Scaled Composites compound at the public airport.</p><p>The Lotus UAS design in some ways resembles features of the newly revealed Lockheed Martin Project Vectis, with a long, slender fuselage positioned forward of the leading edges of the wings, capped by a nose with swept-back edges leading to a slender point.</p><p>In many other respects, the Lotus and Vectis designs diverge. Unlike the engine inlet mounted low at mid-fuselage for the Vectis aircraft, the Lotus inlet sits high atop of the extreme aft section of its fuselage. The Lotus also sports sharply canted tails, breaking from the tailless-configured Vectis.</p><p>Project Lotus appears to represent Northrop’s candidate for the U.S. Air Force’s Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) Increment 2 program, which is finalizing requirements for competitive prototypes ahead of a scheduled acquisition process next year. The photo reveals that Northrop has already built a demonstrator, perhaps gaining a step on Lockheed’s rival design, which is not scheduled to reach first flight until 2027.</p><p>As Northrop’s rapid prototyping arm, the Scaled Composites facility frequently builds aircraft demonstrators in secret. Scaled Composites registered a turbofan-powered, fixed-wing aircraft identified only as Model 444 earlier this year with the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which granted the organization the N444LX tail number. It is not clear if the registration represents Project Lotus or another undisclosed project.</p><p>Northrop also is building the XRQ-73, also known as the Series Hybrid Electric Propulsion AiR Demonstration (Shepard), for DARPA.</p><p>In response to questions about Project Lotus from Aviation Week, Northrop avoided direct answers, but spoke generally about its internal investments in autonomous aircraft.</p><p>“Our investments prioritize production at speed and scale, without sacrificing performance or capability. The Northrop Grumman team has generated step-change advancements in production speed, weight and parts reduction, and overall cost efficiency. These advancements benefit the spectrum of autonomous capabilities we produce at Northrop Grumman for U.S. and international customers,” Northrop said.</p><p>As Lockheed’s Project Vectis design revealed in September, Northrop’s Project Lotus represents one side in a long-running debate within industry and the Air Force over the future direction of the CCA fleet between concepts that emphasize greater survivability or lower cost.</p><p>In 2024, the Air Force decided to seek a middle ground between cost and survivability with the selected competitive prototypes for the CCA Increment 1 program. The General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. YFQ-42 and Anduril YFQ-44 are large aircraft that feature some low-observable, or stealth, technology. But the aircraft are larger and costlier than, for example, the Kratos XQ-58, and lack the stealthier features of Project Vectis and Project Lotus.</p><p>In September, Air Force officials said they were considering the full spectrum of options for the Increment 2 CCA requirement, ranging from exquisite survivability to small, air-launched systems.</p><p>Project Lotus also lends new insight into how Northrop’s internal CCA concepts have evolved from previous, publicly released ideas. As the Air Force competition for CCAs heated up in 2023, Northrop showed off the SG-1 and SG-2 concepts, which appeared similar to the cranked-kite planform of the U.S. Navy-funded X-47B demonstrator. Around the same time, Northrop also unveiled the Model 437 concept, an autonomous spinoff from the crewed Model 401 Sierra demonstrator. The Model 437 finally emerged as a piloted demonstrator aircraft in 2024.</p><p>Earlier this year, Northrop announced that the aircraft had transitioned into the Beacon demonstrator, serving as a testbed for mission autonomy technology.</p></div> <div> <div>Issue</div> <div> <div><a href="/aerospace-daily-defense-report/2025-10-28" hreflang="en">Aerospace Daily & Defense Report, October 28, 2025</a></div> <div><a href="/aviation-week-space-technology/2025-11-10" hreflang="en">Aviation Week & Space Technology, Nov. 10, 2025</a></div> </div> </div> <div> <div>Article type</div> <div>Article</div> </div> <div> <div>Primary Category</div> <div><a href="/taxonomy/term/336" hreflang="en">Aircraft & Propulsion</a></div> </div> <div> <div>Author</div> <div> <div><a href="/author/steve-trimble" hreflang="en">Steve Trimble</a></div> </div> </div> <div> <div>Content source</div> <div> <div><a href="/content/aerospace-daily-defense-report" hreflang="en">Aerospace Daily & Defense Report</a></div> <div><a href="/taxonomy/term/1066" hreflang="en">Aviation Week & Space Technology</a></div> </div> </div> <drupal-render-placeholder callback="flag.link_builder:build" arguments="0=node&1=4953701&2=favorite&3=rss" token="1ivBFmu3BQe9vtfXep8ZG7255pHtMnuhOka9dzcX77w"></drupal-render-placeholder> <div> <div>Exclude from lists?</div> <div>No</div> </div> <div> <span class="font-weight-bold">Tags:</span> <ul class="list-inline"> <li class="list-inline-item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/158601" hreflang="en">UAS</a>,</li> <li class="list-inline-item"><a href="/term/lockheed-martin" hreflang="en">Lockheed Martin</a>,</li> <li class="list-inline-item"><a href="/term/northrop-grumman" hreflang="en">Northrop Grumman</a>,</li> <li class="list-inline-item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/158591" hreflang="en">Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA)</a></li> </ul> </div> <div> <div>Gating</div> <div> <div><a href="/taxonomy/term/871" hreflang="en">AWST-MRO</a></div> <div><a href="/taxonomy/term/851" hreflang="en">AW.com</a></div> <div><a href="/taxonomy/term/35591" hreflang="en">ASD</a></div> <div><a href="/taxonomy/term/851" hreflang="en">AW.com</a></div> </div> </div> <div> <div>Featured Image</div> <div> <div><a href="/media/image/2327291" hreflang="en">screenshot_2025-10-27_scaled_composites_from_gmaps.png</a></div> </div> </div> <div> <div>Secondary Categories/Subcategories</div> <div> <div><a href="/taxonomy/term/306" hreflang="en">Aerospace</a></div> <div><a href="/taxonomy/term/346" hreflang="en">Defense</a></div> <div><a href="/taxonomy/term/336" hreflang="en">Aircraft & Propulsion</a></div> </div> </div> <div> <div>Is iframe in the header?</div> <div>Off</div> </div> <div> <div>Knowledge Center Featured Content</div> <div>Off</div> </div> <div> <div>Do not render ads</div> <div>Off</div> </div> <div> <div>Temporarily set to AWIN Freemium</div> <div>Off</div> </div>

Source: https://aviationweek.com/defense/aircraft-propulsion/project-lotus-northrop-grummans-secret-autonomous-aircraft-revealed

Second B-21 Enters Flight Test In Palmdale

<span>Second B-21 Enters Flight Test In Palmdale</span> <span><span lang="" about="/users/dan-hockensmith" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="" content="hockensmithawin">hockensmithawi…</span></span> <span><time datetime="2025-09-11T18:36:44+00:00" title="Thursday, September 11, 2025 - 18:36">Thu, 09/11/2025 - 18:36</time> </span> <drupal-render-placeholder callback="Drupal\node\NodeViewBuilder::renderLinks" arguments="0=4929321&1=rss&2=en&3=&4" token="mMi7tqUXY4LU9U4T_qxOY-WPpyk6L2Wo01UC-lE1rcw"></drupal-render-placeholder> <div><p>The B-21 Raider program completed the first flight of a second airborne test aircraft in Palmdale, California on Sept. 11, clearing a key milestone a month before the 10th anniversary of the U.S. Air Force contract award to Northrop Grumman.</p><p>Witnesses posted video on social media showing the B-21 flight-test aircraft passing overhead with wheels retracted and followed by a Lockheed Martin F-16 chase plane.</p><p>“We can now expedite critical evaluations of mission systems and weapons capabilities, directly supporting the strategic deterrence and combat effectiveness envisioned for this aircraft,” Air Force Secretary Troy Meink said.</p><p>Northrop assembles all B-21s inside Building 401 on Site 4 of the Air Force’s Plant 42 complex at Palmdale Regional Airport. New test aircraft must fly out of the public airport after they have been assembled, before they can relocate to the secure area of nearby Edwards Air Force Base.</p><p>The milestone comes nearly 22 months after Northrop completed the maiden sortie of the first flight test version of the B-21 on Nov. 10, 2023.</p><img src="/sites/default/files/inline-images/Northrop-Grumman-s-B-21-Raider-Continues-Its-Flight-Test-Campaign_hero.jpg" data-entity-uuid="33880817-817d-4466-b4f6-c16f208bd602" data-entity-type="file" alt="File photo of the first B-21 in Air Force flight testing" width="1280" height="768" loading="lazy"><p>The company has also delivered to the Air Force two more fully assembled airframes, which are reserved for static and fatigue testing on the ground. Two more flight-test aircraft have been in some stage of assembly since at least February 2022. Air Force officials say the program remains on track to clear the initial operational capability milestone in the mid-2020s.</p><p>Northrop won the $21.4 billion contract in October 2015 for the engineering and manufacturing development phase of the Long-Range Strike Bomber, which the Air Force later rechristened as the B-21 Raider. The Air Force also signed orders with Northrop for the first two-year lots of low-rate initial production.</p></div> <div> <div>Issue</div> <div> <div><a href="/aviation-week-space-technology/2025-09-15" hreflang="en">Aviation Week & Space Technology, Sept. 15, 2025</a></div> <div><a href="/aerospace-daily-defense-report/2025-09-12" hreflang="en">Aerospace Daily & Defense Report, September 12, 2025</a></div> </div> </div> <div> <div>Article type</div> <div>Article</div> </div> <div> <div>Primary Category</div> <div><a href="/taxonomy/term/336" hreflang="en">Aircraft & Propulsion</a></div> </div> <div> <div>Author</div> <div> <div><a href="/author/steve-trimble" hreflang="en">Steve Trimble</a></div> </div> </div> <div> <div>Content source</div> <div> <div><a href="/content/aerospace-daily-defense-report" hreflang="en">Aerospace Daily & Defense Report</a></div> <div><a href="/taxonomy/term/1066" hreflang="en">Aviation Week & Space Technology</a></div> </div> </div> <drupal-render-placeholder callback="flag.link_builder:build" arguments="0=node&1=4929321&2=favorite&3=rss" token="wQONQP4Qn5lPZi8932DxZwDRJt7Ytf5L8930YPdZgSk"></drupal-render-placeholder> <div> <div>Exclude from lists?</div> <div>No</div> </div> <div> <span class="font-weight-bold">Tags:</span> <ul class="list-inline"> <li class="list-inline-item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/156861" hreflang="en">B-21</a>,</li> <li class="list-inline-item"><a href="/term/lockheed-martin-f-16" hreflang="en">Lockheed Martin F-16</a>,</li> <li class="list-inline-item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/134001" hreflang="en">U.S. Air Force (USAF)</a>,</li> <li class="list-inline-item"><a href="/term/afa-air-space-cyber-conference-2025" hreflang="en">AFA Air, Space & Cyber Conference 2025</a></li> </ul> </div> <div> <div>Gating</div> <div> <div><a href="/taxonomy/term/861" hreflang="en">AWST</a></div> <div><a href="/taxonomy/term/35591" hreflang="en">ASD</a></div> </div> </div> <a href="/defense/closer-look-northrop-grummans-b-21" hreflang="en">A Closer Look At Northrop Grumman's B-21</a> <a href="/defense/aircraft-propulsion/after-b-21-rollout-us-air-force-plans-embark-test-program" hreflang="en">After B-21 Rollout, U.S. Air Force Plans To Embark On Test Program</a> <a href="/defense/aircraft-propulsion/arrival-second-airworthy-b-21-inches-closer-us-air-force" hreflang="en">Arrival Of A Second Airworthy B-21 Inches Closer For U.S. Air Force</a> <div> <div>Featured Image</div> <div> <div><a href="/media/image/2315551" hreflang="en">b21awin_usairforce.jpg</a></div> </div> </div> <div> <div>Secondary Categories/Subcategories</div> <div> <div><a href="/taxonomy/term/346" hreflang="en">Defense</a></div> </div> </div> <div> <div>Is iframe in the header?</div> <div>Off</div> </div> <div> <div>Knowledge Center Featured Content</div> <div>Off</div> </div> <div> <div>Do not render ads</div> <div>Off</div> </div> <div> <div>Temporarily set to AWIN Freemium</div> <div>Off</div> </div>

Source: https://aviationweek.com/defense/aircraft-propulsion/second-b-21-enters-flight-test-palmdale

EHang VT35

<span>EHang VT35</span> <span><span lang="" about="/users/william-moore-7" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="" content="william.moore">william.moore@…</span></span> <span><time datetime="2025-07-29T08:58:34+00:00" title="Tuesday, July 29, 2025 - 08:58">Tue, 07/29/2025 - 08:58</time> </span> <drupal-render-placeholder callback="Drupal\node\NodeViewBuilder::renderLinks" arguments="0=4780076&1=rss&2=en&3=&4" token="jq_VAVfzaaUBbUTHOBTVFd-uLx7TNREGq5669PoW5Vo"></drupal-render-placeholder> <div><p>The VT35 is an autonomous lift-plus-cruise eVTOL being developed by EHang. The first prototype VT35 has completed final assembly and is now undergoing flight testing ahead of an unveiling potentially as early as Q3 2025. Certification will be with the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), as with EHang’s EH216-S, and certification is expected to be accelerated owing to the company’s experience certifying the previous model.</p><h2>Structure and Powertrain</h2><p>The VT35 seats two passengers inside a cabin featuring panoramic viewing windows. It features eight distributed lift propellers on tandem wings for vertical takeoff and landing—four facing upward and four downward—and an aft-mounted pusher prop for cruise flight. Each fan is individually powered by it’s own electric motor.</p><p>Distributed electric propulsion (DEP) is the name given to this method of powering aircraft. No critical points of failure provide a high level of redundancy and will ensure safety onboard.</p><h2>Specifications</h2><table border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td width="301" nowrap="">Aircraft Type</td><td width="301" nowrap="">Lift-plus-cruise eVTOL</td></tr><tr><td width="301" nowrap="">Seats</td><td width="301" nowrap="">2</td></tr><tr><td width="301" nowrap="">MTOW</td><td width="301" nowrap="">2,094 lbs./950kg</td></tr><tr><td width="301" nowrap="">Payload</td><td width="301" nowrap="">Unknown</td></tr><tr><td width="301" nowrap="">Length</td><td width="301" nowrap="">Approx 26 ft./8m</td></tr><tr><td width="301" nowrap="">Wingspan</td><td width="301" nowrap="">Approx 26 ft./8m</td></tr><tr><td width="301" nowrap="">Landing Gear</td><td width="301">Unknown – Previous iteration featured fixed tricycle wheeled gear</td></tr><tr><td width="301" nowrap="">Cruising Altitude</td><td width="301" nowrap="">Unknown</td></tr><tr><td width="301" nowrap="">Cruising Speed</td><td width="301" nowrap="">Unknown</td></tr><tr><td width="301" nowrap="">Range</td><td width="301" nowrap="">124 miles/200km</td></tr><tr><td width="301" nowrap="">Endurance</td><td width="301">Unknown</td></tr><tr><td width="301" nowrap="">Flight Controls</td><td width="301">Advanced autonomous flight control systems</td></tr><tr><td width="301" nowrap="">Takeoff & Landing</td><td width="301">VTOL</td></tr><tr><td width="301" nowrap="">Autonomy</td><td width="301" nowrap="">Yes</td></tr></tbody></table></div> <div> <div>Channel</div> <div>Commercial Aviation</div> </div> <div> <div>Market Indicator Code</div> <div>Commercial</div> </div> <div> <div>Program Profile ID</div> <div>471806</div> </div> <div class="slick blazy slick--field slick--field-image slick--field-image--rss unslick slick--optionset--awn slick--less" data-blazy=""> <div class="slick__dfp-ad"> <div id="js-dfp-tag-gallery" class="dfp-gallery-ad"> </div> </div> <div class="slide__content"> <div data-b-thumb="/sites/default/files/styles/gallery_thumbnail_80x80/public/2025-10/vt35.jpg?h=987e1c06&itok=bb7GGiLe" data-b-token="b-d5d7a283252" class="media media--blazy media--slick media--bundle--image media--image is-b-loading"><img alt="Profile view of VT35 aircraft" decoding="async" class="media__element b-lazy" loading="lazy" data-src="/sites/default/files/styles/crop_freeform/public/2025-10/vt35.jpg?itok=1Fz9429d" src="data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D'http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg'%20viewBox%3D'0%200%2080%2080'%2F%3E" width="653" height="384" typeof="foaf:Image" /> </div> </div> </div>

Source: https://aviationweek.com/node/4780076

Diamond V.MO

<span>Diamond V.MO</span> <span><span lang="" about="/users/william-moore-7" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="" content="william.moore">william.moore@…</span></span> <span><time datetime="2025-07-02T09:55:06+00:00" title="Wednesday, July 2, 2025 - 09:55">Wed, 07/02/2025 - 09:55</time> </span> <drupal-render-placeholder callback="Drupal\node\NodeViewBuilder::renderLinks" arguments="0=4773341&1=rss&2=en&3=&4" token="yP359sdfFkXyYFn7K_hgAverXTPeyF5vYse6wuQqvy8"></drupal-render-placeholder> <div><p>The V.MO is a lift and cruise eVTOL aircraft being developed by Diamond Aircraft Industries GmbH, a subsidiary of the Wanfeng Auto Holding Group. The aircraft design was originally developed by Volkswagen China and was transferred to Diamond following a deal between the two companies in February 2024. A subscale prototype of the V.MO first flew in 2022. The full-scale aircraft design was unveiled at the Zhuhai Airshow in November 2024. No official certification plans have been announced.</p><h2>Structure and Powertrain</h2><p>The V.MO seats a pilot and four passengers in a streamlined cabin. The aircraft features a twin-boom connected by fore and aft wings, with eight vertical lift fans distributed along the booms. The aircraft features two pusher propellers, providing propulsion during wing-borne cruise flight.<br><br>The aircraft features distributed electric propulsion (DEP), with each propeller powered by its own electric motor. This design approach provides high redundancy and reliability by eliminating critical points of failure.</p><h2>Specifications</h2><table border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td width="288">Aircraft Type</td><td width="288">Lift and Cruise eVTOL</td></tr><tr><td width="288">Seats</td><td width="288">Pilot + 4</td></tr><tr><td width="288">MTOW</td><td width="288">2,000–2,500 kg / 4,400–5,500 lb</td></tr><tr><td width="288">Range</td><td width="288">200 km / 125 miles</td></tr><tr><td width="288">Cruising Speed</td><td width="288">200 kph / 125 mph</td></tr><tr><td width="288">Propulsion</td><td width="288">10 electric motors power 10 propellers (8 lift fans and 2 pusher propellers)</td></tr><tr><td width="288">Power/Energy Storage</td><td width="288">Battery details unknown.</td></tr><tr><td width="288">Flight Controls</td><td width="288">Fly-by-wire</td></tr><tr><td width="288">Takeoff & Landing</td><td width="288">VTOL</td></tr><tr><td width="288">Autonomy</td><td width="288">No</td></tr></tbody></table></div> <div> <div>Channel</div> <div>Commercial Aviation</div> </div> <div> <div>Market Indicator Code</div> <div>Commercial</div> </div> <div> <div>Program Profile ID</div> <div>471800</div> </div> <div class="slick blazy slick--field slick--field-image slick--field-image--rss unslick slick--optionset--awn slick--less" data-blazy=""> <div class="slick__dfp-ad"> <div id="js-dfp-tag-gallery" class="dfp-gallery-ad"> </div> </div> <div class="slide__content"> <div data-b-thumb="/sites/default/files/styles/gallery_thumbnail_80x80/public/2025-07/diamond_v.mo_.jpg?h=8ad2c889&itok=teo3WHwF" data-b-token="b-5fbc875b625" class="media media--blazy media--slick media--bundle--image media--image is-b-loading"><img alt="Profile view of Diamond V.MO" decoding="async" class="media__element b-lazy" loading="lazy" data-src="/sites/default/files/styles/crop_freeform/public/2025-07/diamond_v.mo_.jpg?itok=lz7g90Eh" src="data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D'http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg'%20viewBox%3D'0%200%2080%2080'%2F%3E" width="1000" height="559" typeof="foaf:Image" /> </div> </div> </div>

Source: https://aviationweek.com/node/4773341

Mid-air transformation helps flying, rolling robot to transition smoothly

Engineers have developed a real-life Transformer that has the 'brains' to morph in midair, allowing the drone-like robot to smoothly roll away and begin its ground operations without pause. The increased agility and robustness of such robots could be particularly useful for commercial delivery systems and robotic explorers.

Source: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/05/250528150829.htm

Holiday flights could carry fewer passengers as world warms

By the 2060s, some airports with shorter runways may need to reduce their maximum take-off weight by the equivalent of approximately 10 passengers per flight during summer months.

Source: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/04/250416135619.htm

These electronics-free robots can walk right off the 3D-printer

This a robot can walk, without electronics, and only with the addition of a cartridge of compressed gas, right off the 3D-printer. It can also be printed in one go, from one material.

Source: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/03/250325115131.htm

Rapid response to address critical aging aircraft issue

Scientists worked to ensure fleet safety after a large crack was unexpectedly found near the cockpit of a T-38 Talon. A new study describes how risk and damage tolerance analyses helped determine a more effective inspection schedule, allowing the Air Force to find cracks before they grow to critical size.

Source: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/03/250318141134.htm

Student refines 100-year-old math problem, expanding wind energy possibilities

An engineering student refined a century-old math problem into a simpler, more elegant form, making it easier to use and explore. Divya Tyagi's work expands research in aerodynamics, unlocking new possibilities in wind turbine design that Hermann Glauert, a British aerodynamicist and the original author, did not consider.

Source: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/02/250226175933.htm