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NewsVertical sufficiently funded for this year as VX4 advances towards wingborne test flights
Vertical Aerospace’s recent public offering means the business is sufficiently funded throughout 2025, the company states, as it prepares for full-scale piloted wingborne flight tests of its VX4 eVTOL. The company – which has newly released its fully-year results – says its cash position stands at £77 million ($99 million), ...
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NewsFirst A350F section 19 delivered featuring modification to protect freighter’s fuselage
Airbus’s Hamburg facility has taken delivery of the first A350 freighter section 19, the aerostructure which is located aft of the main fuselage barrel and interfaces with the empennage. It has been produced at the airframer’s Spanish facilities in Getafe. Manufacture has required a rethink of the plant’s production system, ...
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NewsLife extension sought for An-26 as replacements remain under development
Russian civil aviation research institute GosNIIAS has ordered the initiation of work to prolong the life of Antonov An-26 regional aircraft by another 10 years. The Soviet-era An-26 first flew in 1969 and the order – listed in procurement documents, according to news agency Interfax – would extend the type’s ...
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NewsKorean Air A321neos among Airbus orders recorded in quiet February
Airbus’s order activity quietened in February, with the airframer securing agreements for 14 aircraft, all from its single-aisle families. Korean Air signed for six A321neos while an undisclosed customer placed an order for eight. They took net orders for the first two months of the year to 65, following a ...
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NewsGerman researchers claim aerodynamic and fuel-burn benefits from predictive load-alleviation
German aerospace researchers believe predictive load-alleviation can improve fuel consumption by more than 7% while improving passenger comfort. The conclusion is based on windtunnel testing conducted under a project known as ‘OLAF’ to examine optimal load adaption. But the German aerospace centre DLR is seeking to demonstrate the technology further ...
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NewsBeta prepares to test electric Alia CX300 on Stavanger-Bergen route in summer
US aerospace firm Beta Technologies is to test its Alia CX300 electric aircraft in the Norwegian airspace zone set up as an area for zero- and low-emission trials. Beta became the first developer to sign formally for test flights through an agreement at Bergen on 4 March, under a partnership ...
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NewsMammoth Freighters carries out first cargo door installation on converted 777-300ER
Conversion developer Mammoth Freighters has conducted the first Boeing 777-300ER cargo door installation with modification partner Aspire MRO. The aircraft (N463AC) was formerly operated by Cathay Pacific and Russian carrier Nordwind. It has been undergoing conversion to a 777-300ERMF for AviaAM Leasing at Forth Worth’s Alliance airport. Door cut commenced ...
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NewsSubstituted MC-21 and SJ-100 to fly in first half: Russian trade minister
Maiden flights of the import-substituted Yakovlev MC-21 and SJ-100 are planned for the first half of this year, Russian trade minister Anton Alikhanov has stated. Alikhanov spoke during a meeting of the presidium of the Russian parliamentary council of legislators. “We understand that air carriers are waiting for all these ...
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NewsBoom’s XB-1 research jet shockwave captured during supersonic flight
US aeronautics agency NASA managed to capture the Boom Supersonic XB-1 research aircraft as it broke the sound barrier during its final flight on 10 February. The flight – the XB-1’s second in excess of Mach 1 – was the last in a series of test sorties by the aircraft, ...
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NewsUnited Aircraft names former deputy trade minister to strategic development role
Russian aerospace firm United Aircraft has named former deputy trade minister Oleg Bocharov as deputy chief executive. Bocharov will have responsibility for the company’s strategic development as well as the implementation of civil aircraft manufacturing programmes and other state initiatives. His appointment is the latest in a management shake-up of ...
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NewsUnited Engine starts delivering serial PD-14 powerplants for MC-21
Russia’s United Engine has started delivering serially-produced domestic powerplants for the Yakovlev MC-21 programme. The Aviadvigatel PD-14 engines have been developed for the MC-21-310, the Russian-powered variant of the twinjet. State technology firm Rostec says the PD-14 has hollow titatium fan blades and that, overall, United Engine implemented 16 “critical” ...
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NewsAirbus obtains EASA certification of P&W-powered A321XLR following engine approval
Airbus has secured European certification for the Pratt & Whitney-powered A321XLR, following the validation earlier this month of US FAA approval for the aircraft’s PW1100G engines. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency issued the type certificate for the variant on 20 February, two weeks after the powerplant validation. Certification enables ...
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NewsAirbus has ‘clear picture’ of investment needed to turn around Spirit work packages
Airbus is aiming for a mid-year completion of a transaction to acquire Spirit AeroSystems work packages, but acknowledges that the complex deal is taking longer than expected. Spirit is being acquired by Boeing which has spurred Airbus to take ownership of key aerostructure work undertaken by Spirit, notably on the ...
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NewsEngine shortage will cause dip in Airbus first-quarter narrowbody deliveries: Faury
Airbus is expecting an early dip in single-aisle deliveries as a result of supply-chain issues with engines for its A320neo family. Speaking during a full-year briefing on 20 February, chief executive Guillaume Faury said that “tensions” regarding narrowbody engines “persist”. He says Pratt & Whitney deliveries – in the aftermath ...
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NewsAirbus forecasts 820 commercial aircraft deliveries this year
Airbus is expecting to achieve 820 commercial aircraft deliveries this year, up on the 766 handed over in 2024. The airframer disclosed the forecast as it unveiled full-year financial results on 20 February. Last year’s increase in deliveries enabled Airbus’s commercial aircraft division to generate a 6% rise in revenues ...
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NewsAirbus pushes back entry-into-service of A350 freighter
Airbus is pushing back the entry-into-service date of its A350 freighter to the second half of 2027, from its earlier expectation of 2026. The airframer states that it is facing “specific supply-chain challenges, notably with Spirit AeroSystems”, which are “putting pressure” on ramp-up of A350 production. Speaking during a full-year ...
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NewsJetcruzer purchasing ZeroAvia propulsion system to develop electric 500E
US aerospace firm Jetcruzer International has become the first buyer of a standalone 600kW electric propulsion system developed by low-emission specialist ZeroAvia. Jetcruzer, based in California, is intending to use the system for electric flight testing as part of its Jetcruzer 500E aircraft programme. The 500E has been conceived as ...
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NewsEASA validates US certification of A321XLR’s P&W engine models
European regulators have validated certification for several higher-thrust Pratt & Whitney PW1100G engine models previously approved by the US FAA. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency states that it validated the PW1133G1, GR, GAR and G1R versions of the engine on 7 February. They offer various combinations of features including ...
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NewsEviation culls workforce in ‘temporary pause’
US-based Eviation has laid off the majority of its staff as it seeks “long-term partnerships” to help bring its Alice all-electric aircraft to market. Confirming the move, first reported by The Air Current news site, the developer’s chief executive Andre Stein says: “We at Eviation are proud of what we ...
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NewsRussian PD-14 engines for MC-21 approved for low-temperature operation
Russia’s federal air transport regulator has approved operation of the Yakovlev MC-21’s domestically-built engines at low temperatures. The Aviadvigatel PD-14 powerplant has been developed for the twinjet’s -310 variant, which contains a higher proportion of Russian-sources components and systems. Rosaviatsia issued the approval to Aviadvigatel on 25 December, says powerplant ...