Lilium, manufacturer of the seven-seat Lilium Jet, on Thursday announced that Saudia Group—owner of Saudia, the flag carrier of Saudi Arabia and one of the largest airlines in the region—signed a binding sales agreement for the purchase of 50 aircraft, with an option for 50 more. Saudia expects to receive its first jets in 2026.

The deal follows a 2022 memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed by the partners, with plans to establish an eVTOL network across Saudi Arabia.

“The Middle East is a priority for Lilium, and Saudi Arabia will be a very large and exciting market for electric, high-speed regional air mobility,” said Lilium CEO Klaus Roewe.

According to Lilium, the purchase agreement is the largest of its kind for the Middle East-North Africa (MENA) region. Archer Aviation, an eVTOL air taxi manufacturer, earlier this year signed a nonbinding agreement with the United Arab Emirates’ Air Chateau for 100 aircraft.

The signing of Lilium’s deal with Saudia, which includes payment schedules, delivery timelines, performance guarantees, and provisions for maintenance, spare parts, and repairs, was attended by Michael Kindsgrab, Germany’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia.

Saudia will operate the jets through its Saudia Private subsidiary, while Lilium will provide fleet maintenance and support through its recently launched customer service offering. The airline will also assist the manufacturer in certification efforts with Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA).

“The eVTOL jets are revolutionizing guest transportation,” said Ibrahim Al-Omar, director general of Saudia. “Their unique vertical takeoff and landing capabilities open up entirely new routes. Imagine traveling up to [108 miles] at speeds of [155 miles] per hour, saving valuable time compared to traditional options. This technology also tackles traffic congestion head-on. Business travelers and exhibition attendees will benefit tremendously from the ease and speed of electric aircraft, allowing them to seamlessly attend and participate in events.”

Al-Omar said use cases for the aircraft will include tourism, sports, entertainment, business conferences, and events out of Saudia hubs in cities like Riyadh and Jeddah.

The companies said they may even ferry worshippers to Mecca during the Hajj and Umrah pilgrimages, which attract millions every year but frequently result in deaths due to heat and crowd density. Lilium and Saudia expect the eVTOL jets will alleviate some of that congestion and reduce travel times by as much as 90 percent.

Other eVTOL manufacturers looking to fly in the country include Joby Aviation, Bristow Group, and Volocopter.

According to Lilium, the company’s order portfolio now includes more than 100 firm orders, 76 options, and hundreds of tentative orders under MOUs. Customers include ASL Group, PhilJets, and UrbanLink Air Mobility, a newly formed company that plans to fly the Lilium Jet in Florida, California, and the Caribbean.

Like this story? We think you’ll also like the Future of FLYING newsletter sent every Thursday afternoon. Sign up now.

The post Saudia, Lilium Sign Deal for 100 Electric Jets appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

The space agency on Thursday announced it awarded SpaceX a contract, worth up to $843 million, to build a vehicle that will deorbit the space station when it is retired in 2030. At the end of the laboratory’s lifespan, NASA will use the SpaceX-built vehicle to bring it crashing down into a remote section of the Pacific Ocean.

The Biden administration in 2021 committed to extend ISS operations through the end of the decade. After that, it is planned to be replaced by an array of NASA-funded commercial space stations.

“Selecting a U.S. Deorbit Vehicle for the International Space Station will help NASA and its international partners ensure a safe and responsible transition in low Earth orbit at the end of station operations,” said Ken Bowersox, associate administrator of NASA’s Space Operations Mission Directorate. “This decision also supports NASA’s plans for future commercial destinations and allows for the continued use of space near Earth.”

Once the vehicle is developed, NASA will take over and oversee its operation. Like the ISS, it is expected to break up as it throttles toward the Earth. A launch service will be procured in the future—the agency currently uses SpaceX’s Falcon rocket to launch Commercial Crew rotation missions to the orbital laboratory.

Deorbiting the ISS will be the responsibility of the U.S., Canada, Japan, Russia, and member countries of the European Space Agency (ESA). Since 1998, the ESA, NASA, Canadian Space Agency (CSA), Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), and Russia’s Roscosmos have operated the space station, occupying it continuously for almost a quarter of a century.

In that time, it has been used to conduct microgravity experiments, test technologies that could be used to explore the moon and Mars, and, more recently, host commercial activities such as private astronaut missions.

According to an FAQ on NASA’s website, the agency expects itself to eventually become one of several customers, rather than a provider, of those services in a commercial space marketplace. As private companies take over low-Earth orbit operations, it will focus on flying humans to the moon, Mars, and beyond.

The first crewed lunar landing in the Artemis moon program, for example, is scheduled for September 2026. SpaceX is involved in that effort, too, developing the landing system that will put astronauts on the moon’s south pole.

NASA weighed several options for decommissioning the ISS, including a disassembly in space or boost to higher orbit, before settling on a controlled reentry. It will lower the station’s altitude using onboard propulsion before deploying SpaceX’s specially designed deorbit vehicle to bring it back into the atmosphere.

After lining up the debris footprint over an uninhabited area of the ocean, the space agency will give the all clear for one final burn. Most of the laboratory is expected to melt, burn up, or vaporize.

NASA in 2021 selected three private companies—Blue Origin, Northrop Grumman, and Starlab Space, a joint venture between Voyager Space and Airbus—to develop free-flying commercial alternatives to the space station. The firms were awarded space act agreements totaling $415 million.

Another private partner, Axiom Space, is designing four modules that will attach to the ISS and later jettison to form another commercial space lab. The company is in the design review phase and is on schedule to launch its first module in 2026 under a contract worth up to $140 million.

All four spacecraft are expected to be operational before the end of the decade to ensure a smooth transition away from ISS operations, but NASA will first need to certify them.

Like this story? We think you’ll also like the Future of FLYING newsletter sent every Thursday afternoon. Sign up now.

The post NASA Picks SpaceX to Deorbit the ISS appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

The Army on Thursday awarded a $1.9 million Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract to Electra.aero, the manufacturer of a nine-passenger, hybrid-electric short takeoff and landing (eSTOL) design, to perform powered wind tunnel testing.

Similar to Electra’s other SBIR and Small Business Technology Transfer (SBTT) Phase II and III engagements with AFWERX, the innovation arm of the U.S. Air Force, the Army contract is a quid-pro-quo arrangement.

Electra will get the opportunity to leverage military test facilities as it collects data that will inform aircraft design and development. The Army, meanwhile, can explore the eSTOL’s unique capabilities—such as its miniscule runway requirement—for logistics operations in “contested” environments.

“There is a substantial benefit to employing the right-sized aircraft for a given payload-range mission,” said Ben Marchionna, director of technology and innovation at Electra. “Many of the most commonly deployed military logistics solutions in use today are flown well below their intended payload capacity. Our eSTOL aircraft can fulfill these missions while using dramatically less fuel, providing much more range, operating at significantly reduced noise levels, and utilizing the same constrained operational ground footprints.”

According to Electra, the eSTOL cruises at 175 knots and is capable of carrying up to nine passengers or 2,500 pounds of cargo. The company claims it will have more than twice the payload, 10 times the range, and 70 percent lower operating costs compared to electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) alternatives, while offering lower noise and fuel consumption.

The aircraft has a range of 500 nm for commercial use cases. But with range extensions, the Army will be able to fly it for 1,000 nm.

The defining feature of Electra’s design is its use of blown-lift technology, which redirects slipstream flows over the aircraft’s wings into large flaps and ailerons. By “multiplying lift,” as Electra puts it, the eSTOL can take off at just 35 mph, reducing the runway requirement to 150 feet.

Electra says it is the first manufacturer to deploy blown lift in an aircraft with a distributed electric propulsion system. That system takes the form of eight electric motors powered by a turbogenerator. The latter can run on both electricity or traditional aviation fuel and recharges the aircraft’s batteries in flight. Because of this, airports will not need to install electric aircraft chargers to accommodate it, Electra says.

The manufacturer intends to certify its flagship model as a fixed wing aircraft under FAR Part 23 and EASA CS-23, allowing it to be operated with a standard fixed wing pilot’s certificate. That removes a key hurdle facing the eVTOL industry, which will need to train a new generation of powered-lift-certified pilots under FAA proposals.

The Army will be one of the earliest users of the eSTOL, but Electra has plenty of commercial arrangements lined up. Those include more than 2,000 preorder sales of its flagship aircraft to major customers, among them American operators Bristow Group and JSX and India’s JetSetGo

This week, the manufacturer announced a partnership with Wilbur Air, the newly formed operator subsidiary of Australian vertiport developer Skyportz. Electra and Skyportz in 2021 signed a letter of intent for 100 aircraft.

Electra expects to begin eSTOL deliveries in 2028 following certification.

Like this story? We think you’ll also like the Future of FLYING newsletter sent every Thursday afternoon. Sign up now.

The post Electra.aero Nabs $1.9M Army Contract for Electric Aircraft Testing appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

The company last week announced it secured an undisclosed investment from climate technology fund Statkraft Ventures to support the development and commercialization of its production aircraft, which is expected to require just 150 feet of takeoff and landing space.

Statkraft, a venture capital fund focused on sustainable energy transition, is committed to decarbonizing transportation by investing in emerging technologies that reduce emissions and will bolster Electra’s efforts to launch as soon as 2028.

“Statkraft brings a deep commitment to supporting companies and technologies that reduce emissions and address the threat of climate change,” said John Langford, founder and CEO of Electra. “We are honored to have Statkraft on our team and look forward to learning from their insight and experience.”

Concurrently, Electra said it has now signed and fully executed its partnership with the U.S. Air Force’s AFWERX innovation division. The agreement will award the startup a Strategic Funding Increase (STRATFI) worth up to $85 million and support development and testing of its full-scale, preproduction prototype, which the Air Force will use to validate requirements and operational use cases.

The STRATFI deepens Electra’s relationship with Agility Prime, a subdivision of AFWERX dedicated to emerging lift technologies. It also builds on the firm’s six active Air Force Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer Phase II and III contracts. Those agreements allowed Electra to mature its eSTOL’s hybrid-electric powertrains, blown-lift aerodynamics and acoustics, flight controls, and other features.

In June, Electra unveiled its full-scale, hybrid-electric technology demonstrator, which is expected to begin flying this summer, a year later than originally planned. While the demonstrator features two seats, the company’s full-scale production model will carry up to nine passengers and a pilot, or up to a 2,500-pound payload.

The full-scale design will be built for operations from soccer field-sized spaces. It achieves this through a technology called blown-lift: Eight electric propellers mounted under the leading edge of the aircraft’s fixed wings direct slipstream flows back over the wing into large flaps and ailerons. This directs the flows downward, giving the aircraft enough lift for STOL from runways as short as 150 feet—despite its 9,000-pound weight.

For power, the design’s engine relies on a hybrid-electric powertrain with internal battery-charging capabilities, eliminating the need for ground infrastructure. It is expected to have a 400 nm range and a top cruise speed of 175 knots, creating just 75 dBA of noise when flying at 300 feet—that’s around the volume of a typical vacuum cleaner.

Electra’s aircraft will fly short regional routes in both urban and remote locations, offering a quicker, eco-friendly alternative to road trips. It will occupy the same spaces as vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) air taxi services such as Joby Aviation and Lilium. But the company claims its aircraft will deliver more than twice the payload and 10 times the range of “vertical alternatives,” while operations will cost 70 percent less.

In addition to passenger transport and on-demand urban air mobility services, the startup expects its aircraft to handle cargo logistics, executive transport, humanitarian aid, disaster response, and a variety of other use cases.

To certify it, Electra is working with the FAA’s Center for Emerging Concepts and Innovation (CECI) and its Atlanta Aircraft Certification Office to define specific plans, checklists, and safety considerations. 

But unlike many eVTOL aircraft, Electra’s design has no tilting wings and rotors and no hover or transition phase, charting a simpler path to certification. The goal is to certify it as a multiengine, Level 3, low-speed airplane under FAA Part 23. And to fly it, Electra expects pilots will only need a standard fixed-wing license.

An initial prototype of Electra’s production aircraft is planned to fly in 2025. FAA certification is expected to follow in 2028, two years later than the original target.

“We are excited to partner with Electra as they are leading the change towards more sustainable aviation,” said Alexander Kueppers, managing director at Statkraft. “Their visionary approach and groundbreaking technology to electrify aircraft, reducing operating costs and emissions at the same time, align perfectly with Statkraft Ventures’ mission to support innovative startups that drive the transition to a low-carbon economy.”

The Norwegian venture capital firm’s funding will add to a January 2022 investment by aviation titan Lockheed Martin. Electra has also seen a growing number of preorders, with commitments for over 1,200 deliveries to more than 30 global customers, including existing operators and new entrants.

At launch, Electra has agreements to fly in the Middle East, Asia, Latin America, and Australia, among other locations. It ranked 25th on the most recent AAM Reality Index from SMG Consulting, which assesses the funding, leadership, technology, certification, and production capabilities of AAM manufacturers.

Like this story? We think you’ll also like the Future of FLYING newsletter sent every Thursday afternoon. Sign up now.

The post eSTOL Aircraft Maker Electra Secures New Investment, Signs Air Force Contract appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

The aircraft order is the largest ever placed by a U.S. commercial carrier for widebodies, United said. Deliveries are expected to begin between 2024 and 2032, and United will have the option of choosing among 787-8, -9, or -10 models.

In the same announcement, United also said it exercised options to purchase 44 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft for delivery between 2024 and 2026, keeping its United Next 2026 capacity plan, and ordered 56 more MAX aircraft for delivery between 2027 and 2028.

• READ MORE: United’s Big Boeing Purchase Set to Advance Its Ambitious Climate Goals

Altogether, the major carrier is expecting to take delivery of around 700 new narrow- and widebody aircraft by the end of 2032. The aircraft volume will average more than two deliveries each week in 2023, with more than three each week in 2024, it said.

Training and Hiring Pilots

Earlier this year, in June, the airline announced that it would spend $100 million to expand its pilot training center in Denver, Colorado, and allow it to streamline its operations. The airline is planning to hire 10,000 pilots by 2030. At the time, the company said it would add a new four-story building on the 23-acre campus in Denver’s Central Park neighborhood to house 12 additional advanced flight simulators, training classrooms, conference rooms, and offices. It is expected to be completed by the end of 2023.

Of the 10,000 pilots, the airline will train 5,000 pilots through 2030 at its United Aviate Academy, which opened in the spring, with a commitment to ensuring that half of those trainees are women or people of color.

• READ MORE: United Aviate Academy Orders 25 Cirrus TRAC SR20s

In a social media post, United CEO Scott Kirby said the airline was the only one to negotiate a deal with its pilots’ union to keep all pilots current and in place. Pilots at many carriers have been at odds with management over old contracts as they look to negotiate for better pay and benefits.

United said around 100 new widebody jets would replace older Boeing 767s and 777s. By 2030, United will remove all 767s from the airline’s fleet. The airline said the move would be beneficial because newer aircraft are expected to decrease carbon emissions by 25 percent per seat compared to the older jets.

Is Boeing Back?

The news is a boost for Boeing, which has had a year of ups and downs as it looks to regain its pre-pandemic high. It’s also another vote of confidence in the MAX program by another major U.S. carrier. Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) ordered 100 737 MAX 10s at the 2022 Farnborough International Airshow in July.

• READ MORE: 737 MAX Orders Help Boeing Crush Airbus at Farnborough Airshow

“With this investment in its future fleet, the 737 MAX and 787 will help United accelerate its fleet modernization and global growth strategy,” Stan Deal, president, and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes said in a statement. 

Following the announcement, Moody’s, which assigns credit ratings to companies based on risk assessments, signaled to the market that United’s order was a good sign. “Today’s order by United Airlines for new Boeing aircraft is a boon to Boeing and its Commercial Airplanes segment,” Jonathan Root, senior vice president for Moody’s Investors Service, said in a statement.

The order’s value is estimated to be worth approximately $16 billion, even with discounts and accounting for inflation, Root said.

“Importantly for Boeing, with this order, United becomes the second of the U.S. Big Three airlines to commit to operating an all-Boeing widebody fleet. American Airlines (NASDAQ: AAL) is the other,” Root said. “Boeing’s 787 backlog is currently about 420 aircraft. The United order increases this backlog by almost 25 percent. The MAX order adds to the current MAX backlog of about 3,600 aircraft.”

The post United to Purchase Up to 200 New Boeing Widebody Aircraft appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Biffle wrote to Spirit’s CEO Ted Christie and Thomas Canfield, general counsel and secretary, to inform them that Frontier was “very far from obtaining approval from Spirit stockholders based on the proxy data” it received last week. Moreover, Biffle asked that Spirit push its vote back to July 27 to give Frontier more time to build its case to Spirit shareholders.

“We stand ready to continue to speak with investors and advocate for our transaction,” Biffle said. “We also believe that the proxy solicitation process would unquestionably benefit from the Board of Directors of Spirit expressly reaffirming its recommendation of the pending merger with Frontier, notwithstanding the Latest JetBlue Acquisition Proposal.”

‘Frontier’s Last, Best, and Final Offer’

Lastly, he urged Spirit’s Board to publicly support a merger with Frontier instead of JetBlue, and asked that they do it within 10 days, by July 20. With the increasing likelihood of the deal slipping from Frontier, now that Spirit’s shareholders appear to be favoring JetBlue’s offer, Biffle pressed Spirit’s Board members to be more transparent around their thought process regarding JetBlue.

“We believe that it is in the best interest of both you and our stockholders for Frontier to provide clarity on its response to the Latest JetBlue Acquisition Proposal,” Biffle said. JetBlue’s last offer stood at $3.7 billion cash, dwarfing Frontier’s $2.6 billion cash and stock offer. Biffle said Frontier would not increase its offer, thus making this its “last, best and final offer.”

Frontier CEO: ‘JetBlue-Spirit Combination More Impossible by the Day’

JetBlue offers more cash up front, but there are regulatory hurdles it would need to overcome to consummate the deal. JetBlue and American Airlines (NASDAQ: AAL) are both heading to court in September to argue against a claim by the Department of Justice that their Northeastern Alliance is a “de facto merger” and is anti-competitive. Frontier has used the DOJ suit to make its case to Spirit shareholders that a JetBlue-Spirit deal would unwind—even with more cash upfront from JetBlue—ultimately creating no value.

Biffle said a Frontier-Spirit combination, which would create the fifth-largest airline in North America, would be “pro-competitive,” ultimately offering more competitive routes and fares against the four majors. He underscored that point after the Department of Transportation recently awarded some in-demand Newark airport slots to Spirit over JetBlue and United. In that ruling, the agency said, “Spirit will best be able to provide competition consistent with the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) original competition remedy.”

Spirit Shareholders Urge Board To Vote Against Frontier Merger

What’s not working in Frontier’s favor is that Discovery Capital, an investment fund that owns 1.4 percent of Spirit’s shares, issued a letter Tuesday urging Spirit’s Board to vote against the Frontier merger. 

“[Spirit’s] board still refuses to recognize the superiority of the JetBlue bid and recommends that [Spirit] shareholders vote for the economically inferior Frontier Merger proposal. Even ISS, the proxy advisory service, agreed as recently as June 28th that the JetBlue bid was ‘more favorable’ than the Frontier proposal. Yet, it was ‘hesitant to change its earlier stand recommending [them] to vote for Frontier’s offer,’” said Discovery Capital.

Neither Spirit nor JetBlue has commented on Frontier’s most recent push to delay the vote—now set for Friday, if Spirit doesn’t decide to postpone it again. After Spirit delayed the vote last week, JetBlue’s CEO Robin Hayes celebrated the development. 

“We are encouraged by our discussions with Spirit and are hopeful they now recognize that Spirit shareholders have indicated their clear, overwhelming preference for an agreement with JetBlue. We strongly recommend that Spirit shareholders continue to let the Spirit Board know they want to receive the superior value JetBlue has proposed by voting AGAINST the Frontier transaction,” Hayes said.

The post Frontier Says It Lacks the Votes To Close Spirit Merger; Requests Fourth Vote Delay appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Sikorsky said the deal would be worth approximately $2.3 billion but could stretch to $4.4 billion for the company, if the Army fully exercises its options for the additional aircraft.

In a statement, Col. Calvin Lane, the Army’s utility helicopters project manager, said, “This multi-year agreement allows the Army to meet current and future capability needs through upgrades, remanufacturing replacement, and technology insertions.” Lane also said it would ultimately save the Army and taxpayers money, but did not disclose how much.  

This is the 10th multi-year contract between Sikorsky and the U.S. Army for its UH-60M Black Hawk and HH-60M MEDEVAC helicopters, with the Army already having more than 2,100 H-60 variants enrolled. The extended H-60 partnership gives the Army the support it needs to maintain its current operations while working on its Future Vertical Lift (VFL) offerings to complement the Black Hawk in a future fleet.

Meanwhile, Nathalie Previte, vice president of Sikorsky’s Army and Air Force programs, said the ongoing partnership between the Army and Sikorsky has kept the program thriving and said this 10th contract was a testament to the strength of the partnership. As for the international demand for Black Hawks, Previte said international interest was strong because of the Black Hawk’s “versatility and proven record of providing unwavering support to the U.S. and nations around the globe.”

Sikorsky has built and delivered more than 4,000 Black Hawks to the U.S. military and 28 of its allies since launching the aircraft in the 1970s. Today, the Army uses it primarily for medevac trips and transportation of troops.

Previte said Sikorsky has steadily improved the Black Hawk platform, making it more modern to keep up with the demands for sustainability and digitalization. For instance, the Black Hawks will adopt the Army’s Improved Turbine Engine Program engine by General Electric Aviation to extend the lifetime of the helicopters. This is one step the Army is taking to modernize its flight capabilities. Sikorsky will also align its investments with the Army’s roadmap to ensure the Black Hawk is a critical player in the military’s integrated operations known as Joint All-Domain Operations (JADO) and the future of vertical lift priorities, Previte said.

The post Sikorsky Scores $2.3 Billion Army Black Hawk Contract appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Frontier and Spirit announced plans to merge in February before JetBlue decided it wanted Spirit for itself. This has caused much back and forth, particularly between Spirit and JetBlue. Spirit described JetBlue’s offer as “unsolicited” and argued that it wasn’t likely that a deal between them would close due to possible antitrust scrutiny. 

However, JetBlue kept increasing its bid to buy Spirit, even at a premium over Frontier’s offer. Spirit’s board of directors finally postponed the original shareholder vote from June 10 to Thursday in order to thoroughly assess both offers.

This time, intent not to lose out, Frontier increased its cash offer last Friday, committing another $2 per share—up to $4.13—and an increased reverse break-up fee worth $350 million if the deal didn’t close.

The letter to Spirit’s shareholders Monday, signed by Frontier’s board chair, Bill Franke, and its president and CEO, Barry Biffle, said, “The strategic rationale of a combined Spirit and Frontier remains sound, and the changes we have made to our merger agreement provide greater value for all Spirit stockholders.” 

They described the JetBlue offer as an “illusory proposal” and said it lacked “any realistic likelihood of obtaining regulatory approval.”

Frontier argues that Spirit shareholders could see an upside in the share prices, as much as $50 per share, when its offer is combined with increasing consumer demand for travel. Together, these elements could result in approximately $500 million in estimated annual net merger synergies. Moreover, they cite a recent report from leading proxy firms, ISS and Glass Lewis, who weighed in on the negotiations and recommended a vote for the combination with Frontier.

JetBlue is already facing antitrust scrutiny for its Northeast Alliance with American Airlines (NASDAQ: AAL). The DOJ argues that it is anti-competitive and a de facto merger. Both Spirit and Frontier have said this is a red flag that would make a tie-up with JetBlue unlikely. In its latest statement, Frontier said the JetBlue pitch was a “dead end” and that “no amount of JetBlue money, bluster, or misdirection will change.”

A merger between Spirit and Frontier would make the combination the fifth largest national carrier, pushing JetBlue to sixth place. Frontier said that, with Spirit, it would be able to “supercharge the ultra-low-cost carrier model to increase industry competition,” in a way that JetBlue would be unable to because of the mismatch in fleet and business models.

All eyes are now on Thursday when Spirit shareholders are set to vote unless Spirit’s board of directors decide beforehand like they initially said, or JetBlue—maybe one final time—sweetens its deal again.

The post Frontier Issues Open Letter to Spirit Shareholders Ahead of Vote appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

The Strategic Funding Increase (STRATFI) contract was awarded by the Air Force’s innovation arm, AFWERX, and will accelerate critical design and development work on Overture, Boom’s supersonic commercial airliner concept set to enter production in 2023, the company said Tuesday.

The Denver, Colorado-based startup, which launched in 2014, aims to build the fastest supersonic airliner. 

Boom is currently developing its XB-1 supersonic demonstrator, which was formally revealed in October 2020, and Overture, a 65-88 passenger, Mach 1.7 supersonic airliner. Both the XB-1 and Overture share key technologies, such as advanced carbon fiber composites and a refined delta wing.

Overture is slated to roll out in 2025. It’s expected to carry passengers by 2029, according to the company. The aircraft is designed to run on 100 percent sustainable aviation fuels and will cost about $200 million per copy.

“[A] derivative of Overture could offer the Air Force a future strategic capability in rapid global transport and logistics,” the company said. “Potential users and applications include executive transport; intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance; special operations forces; and the Pacific Air Forces (PACAF).”

• READ MORE: Five Things To Know About Boom Supersonic

The partnership between the Air Force and the supersonic aircraft manufacturer is “mutually beneficial,” Boom founder and CEO Blake Scholl said in a statement. 

“With STRATFI, we’re able to collaborate with the Air Force on the unique requirements and needs for global military missions, ultimately allowing Boom to better satisfy the needs of the Air Force where it uses commercially-derived aircraft,” Scholl said. “As a potential future platform for the Air Force, Overture would offer the valuable advantage of time, an unmatched option domestically and internationally.”

The contract is the second awarded by the service to Boom in little more than a year. In September 2020, the Air Force awarded a contract to Boom to explore use of the Overture aircraft for DOD executive transport of top military and government leadership.

• DON’T MISS OUT: Subscribe to FLYING Magazine

“The United States Air Force is constantly looking for technological opportunities to disrupt the balance of our adversaries,” Brig. Gen. Ryan Britton, program executive officer for Presidential and Executive Airlift Directorate, said at the time. “Boom is an example of the American ingenuity that drives the economy forward through technological advances. We are extremely excited to team with them as we work to shrink the world and transform the future of executive airlift.”

The post Air Force Awards Boom Supersonic $60 Million Contract For Aircraft Development appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

The U.S. Space Force is advancing investment in next-generation rocket development, awarding $87.5 million in contracts to Blue Origin, Rocket Lab, SpaceX, and United Launch Alliance.

The awards announced this week were made in response to a request for prototype proposals put forth by USSF in May for rocket engine testing and upper stage resiliency enhancements, underscoring a new era of national defense with merging commercial space and military interests.

The contract awards were made by USSF Space Systems Command’s Launch Enterprise through a partnership with the Space Enterprise Consortium (SpEC), an organization created to bridge the gap between the military, academia, and commercial space businesses.

The awards include:

• $24.35 million to Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin space venture for cryogenic fluid management on the New Glenn rocket’s second stage
• $24.35 million to Rocket Lab to develop the Neutron rocket’s upper stage
• $14.47 million to SpaceX for rapid throttling and restart testing of the Raptor rocket engine, which is destined for use on SpaceX’s Starship rocket, liquid methane specification development and testing; and combustion stability analysis and testing.
• $24.35 million to United Launch Alliance for uplink command and control for the Centaur V upper stage, which will be used with ULA’s Vulcan rocket.

Work on the prototype projects is expected to be complete by 2023.

The award is “a vote of confidence” acknowledging the utility of commercial industry in the national security arena, one recipient said Monday.

“We’re dedicated to building a next-generation rocket that will transform space access for constellations through to the most critical missions in support of national security, and it’s an honor to be partnering with the U.S. Space Force to develop Neutron,” Rocket Lab CEO Peter Beck said in a statement.

“This award is a vote of confidence in Neutron and our ability to deliver a low-cost, responsive, dedicated launch for the U.S. Government. We’ve built a trusted launch system with Electron, and we’ll do it again with Neutron to continue providing unfettered access to space with our new heavier-lift vehicle.”

USSF was authorized as a stand-alone service branch in December 2019 and is focused on utilizing innovation and speed to counter emerging threats.

With the growth of commercial space tourism and satellite dependence, space has gone from a benign environment to a contested one, a USSF official told attendees of the Air Space Cyber Conference last week.

“We don’t have decades. We’re in a race with some serious adversaries that mean to deny us those advantages that we get in space,” Lt. Gen. B. Chance Saltzman, USSF deputy chief of space operations, said. “Notably, it’s clear that our strategic international competitors have been investing heavily to both take advantage of space militarily, but more importantly, investing heavily to deny others the ability to use space capabilities.”

The post Space Force Awards $87.5M For Next-Gen Rockets appeared first on FLYING Magazine.