Virgin Galactic has taken the wraps off of its concept for a new delta-wing commercial jet that is capable of flying at three times the speed of sound, and the company has signed a non-binding MOU with Rolls-Royce to design the engine to power it.| New Atlas
Between Virgin Galactic, Boom, Spike and Aerion, a new crop of contenders are springing up to pick up where the Concorde left off, putting supersonic civilian flight back on the menu after nearly 20 years without it.| New Atlas
Aviation company Lilium is pushing ahead with testing of its all-electric jet, with the latest footage to emerge from the German startup showing the aircraft pulling off a few new moves. While short and not exactly spectacular, the test flight marks another step forward for a company aiming to have…| New Atlas
The dream of three-dimensional commuting is slowly coming closer, with a number of companies well into the test phase with various electric VTOL air taxi designs that will soon begin offering point-to-point flights far, far more cheaply than helicopters have been able to deliver – as well as being…| New Atlas
Hyundai has joined the growing list of big-name mobility brands making moves into the world of flying taxis, today announcing the launch of a new urban Air Mobility Division. The Korean automaker hopes to use aircraft to tackle urban congestion, and has turned to a NASA aeronautics veteran to…| New Atlas
Ever since its launch, we thought Vermont's Beta Technologies might prove itself the real deal in an electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) world dominated by renderings, concepts, prototypes and other "maybe somedays."| New Atlas
After flying the first production ALIA CX300 electric aircraft last November, BETA Technologies has now zipped four passengers into the John F. Kennedy International Airport, marking a key development milestone.| New Atlas
BETA Technologies has delivered its ALIA CX300 electric CTOL to the company's first customer. The short-hop passenger aircraft will now be used to evaluate use cases and possible routes for zero-emission operation in the Nordic region.| New Atlas
Some historic aircraft seem like a barrel for holding superlatives. One of these, the H-4 Hercules, goes one better because it's also at the center of one of the strangest stories involving possibly the 20th century's strangest man – Howard Hughes.| New Atlas
DARPA has launched a new "Liberty Lifter" program to design, build and test a highly-efficient wing-in-ground effect aircraft for transporting "very large, heavy loads" over long distances without runways. Prototypes could fly as early as 2027.| New Atlas
In a major development at the nexus of military and commercial technology, Archer Aviation and Anduril Industries have announced an exclusive partnership aimed at the militarized vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) sector.| New Atlas
Aviation startup Boom Supersonic has unveiled a fully assembled version of its demonstrator aircraft, taking an important step forward in its efforts to build the world’s fastest airliner. The company’s XB-1 is a sleek, one-third-scale prototype of its Overture passenger plane, and is designed to…| New Atlas
Joby Aviation has been beavering away hammering out the designs and flight dynamics of its awesome-looking tilt-rotor eVTOL for more than 10 years. Now, Joby's got over half a billion dollars in the bank thanks to an investment round led by Toyota.| New Atlas
eVTOL market leader Joby Aviation has announced its first revenue in a partnership with the US Air Force's Agility Prime program, as well as the path it's agreed on with the FAA for certifying its revolutionary tilt-rotor electric air taxi.| New Atlas
Germany's Lilium has announced a 7-seat version of its gorgeous eVTOL air taxi, as well as plans to have a commercial operation up and running by 2024. Oh, and like approximately every other eVTOL company, it's headed to the NASDAQ through a SPAC.| New Atlas
Earlier this month, Ehang took to the air with its Autonomous Aerial Vehicle for the first flight in the US. It wasn't the single-seater 184 model revealed at CES 2016, but a two-passenger version called the 216. Specs on the new autonomous air taxi were scant at the time, but let's take a closer…| New Atlas
Ehang's Autonomous Aerial Vehicle (AAV) – a multi-rotor drone capable of carrying people – made its first US appearance at CES 2016, and now with CES 2020 in full swing the company has demonstrated the first flight in the US of its two-seater autonomous air taxi. Though the trial flight didn't take…| New Atlas
Air mobility company EHang has achieved another important milestone in its effort to make its passenger-grade autonomous aerial vehicles a common sight in the skies. The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CCAC) has granted permission for the air taxis to be used for heavy-lift logistics.| New Atlas
Boom's XB-1 supersonic jet took its fifth test flight out of Mojave Air & Space Port on Oct 7th, 2024 setting a few new records in the process. The XB-1 is the one-third-scale platform that Boom is using as the foundation for its eventual Overture aircraft that aims to bring back commercialized…| New Atlas
Astro Mechanica – founded in 2021 by Ian Brooke and with a tight ship of only eight employees – is an aerospace startup developing what it calls a turboelectric adaptive engine for both subsonic and supersonic flight ... with electric car motor technology.| New Atlas
Joby Aviation has been in semi-stealth mode for so long that this pair of videos released today comes as a real shock. Here's our first proper look at the world's most advanced eVTOL air taxi taking off, transitioning to horizontal flight, cruising and landing.| New Atlas
The emerging eVTOL air taxi market is drawing a lot of attention and an avalanche of funding money. Literally hundreds of companies are jostling for position as this nascent air mobility tech prepares for its prime time debut. But with renders, press releases and SPAC fundraising efforts flying as…| New Atlas
After receiving the world's first type certification a year ago and delivering dozens of aircraft for low-altitude tourism initiatives, China's EHang has become a de facto leader in the burgeoning eVTOL industry. This month, it used that leadership role toward advancing the use of solid-state…| New Atlas
China's most prominent eVTOL manufacturer has announced a new long-range "lift and cruise" aircraft for inter-city travel. The EHang VT-30 will take two passengers up to 300 km (186 miles) under completely autonomous control.| New Atlas
China's air mobility company EHang has added another location to its autonomous air taxi roster with the launch of an aerial sightseeing trial in partnership with real estate company Greenland Hong Kong.| New Atlas
China's eHang says it's "hopeful" it'll achieve full type certification for its autonomous EH216 eVTOL aircraft "in the next few months," after which commercial operations can begin – potentially years earlier than American and European competitors.| New Atlas
Imagine stepping aboard an empty aircraft that looks to have landed straight from the future, strapping in and sitting back while soaring through the air and taking in the scenery, all without so much as a pilot there to encroach upon the privacy of your panoramic bubble. It may sound like a…| New Atlas
American company Ryse Aerotech has released video of its first manned flight test, undertaken back in June. The Recon eVTOL is pitched as a buy 'n' fly ultralight aircraft that farmers and ranchers can put to immediate use without a pilot's license.| New Atlas
Joby has flown a new record distance for a full-sized eVTOL aircraft on a single battery charge, covering 154.6 miles (249 km) in a single 77-minute flight, complete with energy-gobbling vertical takeoff and landing phases.| New Atlas
Way back at CES 2016, eHang stunned the world with a little autonomous passenger-carrying octacopter concept. Seven years later, that concept has evolved into the world's first fully certified eVTOL air taxi, cleared for commercial air taxi work.| New Atlas
In a huge moment for the company – and the electric VTOL industry at large – Joby Aviation has officially started manned flight testing of its S4 eVTOL air taxi. Announcing the milestone with a video, Joby leads team USA in the race to certification.| New Atlas
UK company Vertical Aerospace has celebrated the first flight of its spectacular full-scale VX4 eVTOL air taxi prototype, demonstrating its faith in the design by taking the unusual step of putting a pilot on board. It's due to enter service in 2025.| New Atlas
With the ability to carry up to 250 kg (551 lb) of payload at speeds up to 80 km/h (50 mph), the 12-rotor Seraph is Britain's leading electric VTOL air taxi candidate. Vertical Aerospace has released video of this chunky bird in flight.| New Atlas
Czech company UDX is flying scale prototypes of a tandem 2-up eVTOL it calls Airwolf. With individually-tilting ducted fan propulsion, it's got enough wing surface for efficient cruise flight as well as agile movement from a hover.| New Atlas
The first production prototype has rolled off Joby Aviation's production line in Marina, California, and the FAA has cleared it to begin flight tests with a special airworthiness certificate. It's likely to be the first eVTOL delivered to a customer.| New Atlas
