COMMERCIAL NEWS - Virgin Galactic takes the next steps in its journey into space, while sustainability remains high on the aviation agenda, with Wideroe unveiling details of its all-electric passenger aircraft ambitions and Britten-Norman trialling the use of hydrogen fuel cells in commercial aircraft.
MILITARY NEWS - The USAF’s 325th Fighter Wing Public Affairs office has announced that Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida, will be the official location of three new squadrons of the F-35A Lightning II. Elsewhere, Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation will build an additional 25 UH-60M Black Hawks for the Saudi Arabian National Guard.
UAV FOCUS - New autonomous platforms are to be introduced into the UK military, the Australian Department of Defence has shortlisted five bidders for its SEA129 maritime unmanned aerial system (UAS) requirement, and Gray Eagle passes the one million flight hours mark.
ROTARY FOCUS - Leonardo hopes its Vergiate-built AW149 will take over from the Royal Air Force’s Puma HC2, the Royal Navy’s first Crowsnest-equipped helicopter is ready for deployment, and Bell Helicopter opts for sustainable aviation fuels at its training academy.
BUSINESS FOCUS - Dassault Aviation test pilots take the company’s latest Falcon business jet for its maiden flight, Bombardier and Gulfstream mark large-cabin, long-range business aircraft milestones, and UK business aviation buckles under the joint weight of COVID-19 and Brexit.
TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - Germany’s Lilium unveils a proposed seven-seat version of its electric vertical take-off and landing Lilium Jet air-taxi aircraft. Meanwhile, US Air Force trials of its collaborative weapon technologies under the Golden Horde Vanguard programme have completed a second flight demonstration.
TEAM TEMPEST TAKES A NEW APPROACH - In this exclusive look behind the scenes of Britain’s new Future Combat Air System, Jon Lake gets under the skin of an aircraft due to enter service in just 14 years’ time, and yet its configuration is still undecided - but intentionally so.
HAWAIIAN HYBRIDS - Short routes and a strong carbon-neutral policy make Hawaii the ideal backdrop for hybrid-electric trials. Matteo Legnani speaks with the aviation pioneers working to make hybrid-powered aircraft a reality in the Pacific.
DRAKEN’S RED MIRAGE - Florida’s Draken International is amassing a fleet of Mirage F1s for aggressor training, among them, 19 former Spanish Air Force F1M jets. Salvador Mate Huertas delves deeper.
TEXAN STAR - The Beechcraft Texan T1 has replaced the Shorts Tucano onthe fast jet training course at RAF Valley and the aircraft is performing to expectations, as demands on the training system expand. Paul E Eden reports.
BREAKING BOUNDARIES - JetBlue Airways chief executive Joanna Geraghty tells Chris Sloan how the New York-based carrier has weathered the COVID-19 storm, from introducing 80 new routes, to welcoming its first fleet of A220s.
CONCEPT INSIGHT: BELL’S APT - Khalem Chapman explores Bell’s innovative and growing family of Autonomous Pod Transport (APT) cargo drones that have been designed to perform multiple missions for both civil and military operators.
FUTURE FRENCH FALCONS - The French Navy will receive its first Dassault Albatros maritime surveillance aircraft in 2025, to replace the Falcon 200 Gardian and the Falcon 50M Surmar (Surveillance-maritime), reports Henri-Pierre Grolleau.
THE FUTURE IS NOW - Howard Slutsken talks to the president and CEO of Canadian vertical-lift airline Helijet, who believes that its three decades of experience leave his company ideally placed to spearhead the move towards large-scale urban air mobility.
SAVAGE CUTS TO THE RAF - Known officially as ‘Global Britain in a Competitive Age: The Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy’, The Royal Air Force has been hit particularly hard in March’s British defence and security review. Jon Lake reports.
FUEL FOR THOUGHT - Efforts to make aviation fuel more sustainable regularly hit the headlines, but work is also under way to ‘green’ other uses of fuel at the airport, from terminal heating to ground handling vehicles. Tara Craig hears how hydrogen, in particular, may be the answer.
ASIA’S FIFTH-GENERATION FACE-OFF - COVER STORY - With China’s new J-20 fighter prowling the skies over its homeland, some of its neighbours are also boosting their military with fifth-generation fighters, as Alan Warnes investigates.
EYE IN THE SKY - Flying drones isn’t as easy as it looks. Mark Broadbent speaks to training provider CEO Jon Parker about the type of instruction required, the qualifications needed for insurance purposes and the impact that a well-trained pilot can have on the reputation of this fledgling sector.
777X PROGRAMME UPDATE - Boeing has postponed the introduction of its 777X by a further two years. What’s behind this latest delay, and does it hint at greater changes at play in a COVID-19 ravaged market? Mark Broadbent reports.