Garmin’s navigation database has been made available in Europe, expanding from the Americas, AIN reported. This way to upgrade navigation information will include options like single updates, annual bundle options and OnePak subscriptions for compatible Garmin avionics. Coverage is now available in over 35 countries and more than 3,400 airports. The post Garmin Expands Avionics Database Solutions for Europe – AIN, April 16 appeared first on Avionics International ..read more

MELBOURNE, Fla. – April 17, 2024 – Eve Air Mobility (“Eve”) (NYSE: EVEX; EVEXW) has signed a letter of intent with AirX Inc., Japan’s largest public helicopter air charter service, for up to 10 firm and up to 40 optional electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. The order will support the continued development and scaling of innovative transportation operations in Japan. “We appreciate AirX’s trust and confidence in Eve by not only purchasing our eVTOL aircraft, but services and operations solutions and our Vector – the urban air traffic management software,” said Johann Bordais ..read more

Lilium announced it started production on the lithium ion with silicon dominant anodes battery packs for its Lilium eVTOL jet aircraft, AIN reported. The company plans to conduct its first piloted flight with the aircraft by the end of 2024 and then get the EASA type certification before 2026. The batteries are specifically being developed to meet EASA requirements for redundancy, shock resistance, heat resistance and containment. The post Lilium Kicks Off eVTOL Battery Pack Production – AIN, April 18 appeared first on Avionics International ..read more

Hughes Network Systems this week said it has received a production contract from General Atomics Aeronautical Systems to provide ruggedized modems for the MQ-1 Gray Eagle 25M unmanned aircraft system, providing warfighters with more options to operate the aircraft using satellite communications. The value of the award was not disclosed. Production will likely entail between 100 and 200 modems, although final numbers will depend on retrofits, Rick Lober, vice president and general manager for Defense and Intelligence Systems, told Defense Daily on Monday. Hughes, a business of EchoStar, will s ..read more

After Boeing delivered the first MQ-25 Stingray to the Navy in February for testing, a lead official said Monday the service is on schedule for the first flight test with that platform in spring 2025. Rear Adm. Stephen Tedford, program executive officer for unmanned aviation and strike weapons, also confirmed the Navy remains on track to achieve initial operational capability with the future carrier-based unmanned tanker by the end of fiscal year 2026. “We now have our first fully-built static test article from Boeing, St. Louis. It is actually in the static test fixture now there in St. Loui ..read more

Lockheed Martin said Monday its working with Intel and its Altera semiconductor manufacturing firm to develop an open architecture, low size weight and power upgrade that increases the capability of the electronic defense system on the Navy’s MH-60R helicopters.  Kevin Mahoney, Lockheed Martin’s director of airborne electronic warfare, told reporters the project is in support of the Office of Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering’s (OUSD R&E) Stimulating Transition for Advanced Microelectronics Packaging (STAMP) program, with an aim to demonstrate a specific use cas ..read more

An XQ-58A Valkyrie autonomous unmanned combat aircraft equipped with an electronic attack payload successfully demonstrated suppression of enemy air defense (SEAD) capabilities with two F-35 fighters in a recent live flight test event at Eglin AFB, Fla., Kratos Defense & Security Solutions said on Tuesday. The test of Kratos’s low-cost Valkyrie completes the first phase of the Marine Corps’ Penetrating Affordable Autonomous Collaborative Killer-Portfolio (PAACK-P) program, part of an effort to inform requirements for the unmanned combat aircraft to support the Marine Air-Ground Task Force ..read more

Cranfield University, a leading British aerospace research center, plans to establish the first UK airport-based large-scale hydrogen research hub, Aviation Week reported. This follows an $87 million funding win from a government-backed investment funding partnership and industry, the largest research funding awarded to Cranfield. The university plans to use these funds to scale up hydrogen-enabled aviation and expand its current work in feedstocks and fuel production; transport, storage and supply chain; and end users of aerospace and road vehicles. The post UK’s Cranfield Wins Major Hydrogen ..read more

BRISBANE, March 26, 2024 — Construction will begin on Boeing’s [NYSE: BA] new production facility in Toowoomba, Queensland, to support the manufacture of Australia’s first military combat aircraft designed and developed in over 50 years – the MQ-28 Ghost Bat. The 9,000 square-metre facility at the Wellcamp Aerospace and Defence Precinct is expected to be operational in the next three years. The company’s latest investment in Australia will bring new aerospace skillsets and technologies, such as advanced composites manufacturing and robotics to Queensland. “Boeing Australia is investing to brin ..read more

AMARILLO, Texas (March. 28, 2024) – The first Bell AH-1Z set to receive the Structural Improvement Electrical Power Upgrade (SIEPU) modification to be provided by Bell Textron Inc., a Textron Inc (NYSE:TXT) company, under a contract with the U.S. Marine Corps, has arrived at Bell’s Amarillo Assembly Center.  SIEPU modifications optimize the aircraft to improve mission capabilities, aircrew safety, and interoperability by increasing the electrical power capacity on the aircraft and support the integration of additional cabin capabilities. SIEPU marks the start of the next chapter in the li ..read more