June 24, 2021 - No. 49 In This Issue : BILL WOULD TAG LIGADO FOR GPS INTERFERENCE COSTS, DAMAGE : GM Picks Up Hydrogen Fuel Cell Torch (Again) After Nikola Debacle : Jet Zero: Stansted Airport boss Charlie Cornish confirms commitment to carbon net-zero future for UK aviation : Agility Prime Invests $1.5M in eSTOL Aircraft from Electra : Iridium Awarded $30 Million Research & Development Contract by the United States Army : Test flights aim to demonstrate utility of drones in natural disasters : ACJ and Philips collaborate on onboard healthcare technology : US Air Force awards pressure wave engine propulsion contract : SpiceXpress, Delhivery to start commercial drone delivery pilot project in 3-4 months : Embraer Wants To Launch Its Turboprop Plane Next Year : SpaceX's Starlink satellite internet could achieve global coverage by September BILL WOULD TAG LIGADO FOR GPS INTERFERENCE COSTS, DAMAGE On June 22, Sens. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), and Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) introduced S.2166, the Recognizing and Ensuring Taxpayer Access to Infrastructure Necessary for GPS and Satellite Communications Act—the partial title’s abbreviation spells RETAIN—to “ensure that the costs incurred by the public sector, businesses and consumers as a result of the FCC’s decision” would go on Ligado’s tab. Inhofe, former chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, has long been a skeptic of Ligado’s technical assurances that the network, which is intended to power the “internet of things,” would not overwhelm GPS reception on adjacent frequencies. In 2020 Inhofe held committee hearings to highlight Congress’s bipartisan national security concerns. The Ligado opponents noted in their letter that although the FCC’s April 2020 network approval order concedes “the potential” for Ligado’s network to squelch GPS signals, the FCC missed the mark on estimating the potential ramifications, establishing protections, and requiring remedies such as repairing or replacing damaged devices and cataloguing costs reimbursable to federal agencies or private-sector entities. “The RETAIN GPS and Satellite Communications Act acknowledges the harm to GPS and satellite communications end users caused by the Ligado order and ensures the burden of cost sits squarely where it belongs—on Ligado, rather than our first responders, farmers, pilots, boat owners, surveyors or construction companies,” the groups wrote. “We commend you for recognizing the expense and burden the Ligado order places on federal agencies, American taxpayers, businesses and consumers, and for providing clear and immediate relief to critical stakeholders with this legislation.” Passage of the measure would mark the second time in 2021 that Congress applied pressure to the Reston, Virginia-based mobile communications company that has plowed $4 billion into its project to deploy spectrum of the L-band in 5G network applications while dismissing objections from aviation groups, numerous government agencies, and other GPS users. (LightSquared, a predecessor venture, went bankrupt in 2012.) When the National Defense Authorization Act took effect on January 1, a House/Senate Conference Report included language barring the Department of Defense from contracting “with an entity that engages in commercial terrestrial operations” in Ligado’s bandwidth ranges “unless the Secretary has certified to the congressional defense committees that such operations do not cause harmful interference” to the department's GPS devices. Also in January, the FCC pushed back, denying opponents’ motion to stay Ligado’s network authorization, with the FCC’s then-chairman, Ajit Pai, citing “stringent conditions” imposed to protect GPS users. Pai resigned January 21, with Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel taking over as the FCC’s acting chairwoman. https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/2021/june/23/bill-would-tag-ligado-for-gps-interference-costs-damage GM Picks Up Hydrogen Fuel Cell Torch (Again) After Nikola Debacle GM dropped a prospective contract with the hydrogen fuel cell startup Nikola like a hot potato last year, after questions surfaced about the latter company. That seemed to spell the end of GM’s interest in the technology, but only if you weren’t paying attention. GM has been dipping a toe into the fuel cell waters for many years, and all that hard work is about to pay off. Up In The Air, Hydrogen Fuel Cell For those of you new to the topic, fuel cells can power a zero emission electric car, like a battery. The big attraction relates to charging time. Instead of hooking up to a power source and sucking in enough energy to generate electricity for however many miles, fuel cells make electricity on-the-go, through a reaction between hydrogen and ambient oxygen. Fueling up a fuel cell EV with hydrogen takes a matter of minutes, so aside from a few (as in, many) technology challenges, you kind of get the best of both worlds, zero emissions plus convenience being the most obvious ones. Although fuel cell passenger cars have yet to crack the US mass market, the quick fueling time, long range, and power output of fuel cells makes them useful in all sorts of other applications, one of which is aviation. That brings us to GM. Earlier this week, the company announced that it is applying its HYDROTEC fuel cell system to the aviation area, with an assist from the global firm Liebherr. Under the agreement, Liebherr will deploy its test lab at its Liebherr-Aerospace facility in Toulouse, France, to demonstrate how a fuel cell power system could be used in flight. “The demonstrator will incorporate GM’s precisely crafted fuel cells, HYDROTEC power cube and fuel cell system, along with the GM’s controls and models,” Liebherr explained, adding that “Lower emissions and lower noise than conventional aircraft operation: with these fuel cell advantages, among other things, both companies see a great opportunity for use in aviation.” GM Hearts Fuel Cells, After All Sweet. The big question is, what is HYDROTEC and where has it been hiding all this time? Also, why fuel cells? The answer could lie in the military side of GM’s business. Unlike Toyota, Honda, Hyundai, and several other car makers, GM has not been aggressively promoting fuel cell passenger cars in the US. Military contracts, though, open up a wide swath of other potential applications. GM dropped one hint about its intentions back in 2012, when it unveiled a fleet of 16 hydrogen-powered vehicles for the US Army in Hawaii. All excited, the Army billed it as the first military hydrogen-powered fleet in the world. The purpose behind the project was to identify fueling infrastructure needs and other support systems for hydrogen electric vehicles, and it appears that the Army was already eyeballing the field advantages of stealth and long lasting power. “The Army continues to investigate technologies and partnerships that give the United States a decisive advantage,” said Lt. Gen. Francis J. Wiercinski, who was the commanding general of US Army, Pacific at the time. Sure enough, the very next year GM hooked up with Honda to collaborate on a long term hydrogen venture that included storage as well as next-generation fuel cell R&D. That same year, GM also let word drop that its test fleet of 119 hydrogen test vehicles had racked up more than 100,000 miles. By 2015 GM was collaborating with the Army on an off-road fuel cell pickup truck, and the company dropped another huge hint the following year, when it included fuel cell vehicles in a massive technology reorganization, underscored by changing the name of its Powertrain branch to GM Propulsion Systems. Get Ready For The Hydrogen Fuel Cell Army Of The Future — With Batteries! Things ramped up in the hydrogen-powered Army department in February 2017, when GM and Honda announced plans to build a huge fuel cell factory in Michigan. The company also put out the word that hydrogen would play a role in its plans for an all-electric future, and it unveiled a flexible-platform hydrogen truck that appears to be compatible military use. Meanwhile, both fuel cell and battery EV fans got a letdown earlier this month, when the National Academy of Sciences put out a press release under the headline, ““U.S. Army Should Continue to Use Hydrocarbon Fuel as Primary Source of Energy on the Battlefield, Says New Report,” which hammered home the point that 100% electric vehicles are not ready for combat. Ouch! Actually, it wasn’t such bad news after all. As the headline hinted, the new report only covered a particularly fuel-intensive type of field deployment, not overall Army operations, which leaves plenty of room in the off-field space for zero emission vehicles. On the plus side, the report also noted that currently available hybrid EV technology and energy efficiency strategies could enable the Army to cut its use of diesel fuel by 30% in the proscribed scenario, pretty much right now. Considering the latest developments in EV battery technology, that brings up the possibility of fuel cell – battery mashups, and that appears to be in the works for GM, too. Among other announcements last week, GM upped the ante on its next-gen automotive investments by 75% compared to pre-pandemic levels, with an emphasis on both hydrogen and battery technology. In addition to its new aviation venture, GM is aiming to deploy HYDROTEC fuel cells and its Ultium battery in locomotives, in partnership with the railway firm Wabtec Corporation. Electric locomotives are already becoming a thing, and Wabtec sees an opportunity to ramp up its 100% battery technology by adding fuel cells to the mix. “By working with GM on Ultium battery and HYDROTEC hydrogen fuel cell technologies, we can accelerate the rail industry’s path to decarbonization and pathway to zero-emission locomotives by leveraging these two important propulsion technologies,” said the company’s CEO and President, Rafael Santana. What About Green Hydrogen? Yes, what about it? The sticky wicket is natural gas, which is still the primary source of the global hydrogen supply. But, not for long. The market for renewable, green hydrogen is exploding, and it’s giving new life to at least two fuel cell companies that got off to a rocky start. One is Plug Power, which began life pitching hydrogen forklifts. The company recently shifted gears into green hydrogen production and has now re-set its sights on the heavy duty application field. Perhaps following along the same path is Nikola. The startup stumbled bigly last year but appears to be recovering, and production plans are back on track. In the latest development, earlier this week Nikola announced that it has purchased a stake in a waste-to-hydrogen plant in Indiana. So far much of the green hydrogen activity has been in the area of pushing hydrogen out of water, but the waste-to-hydrogen market is also beginning to gather steam. Hmmmm…waste-to-hydrogen could mean a lot of things. If it means extracting hydrogen from municipal solid waste or sewage, that is pretty cool. However, this particular facility is focusing on industrial waste in the form of petcoke, as well as forestry and agricultural waste, with the idea of capturing and burying carbon emissions. That sounds a bit less than ideal from a circular economy perspective. On the other hand, a combination of technology improvements, market developments, and shifts in public policy could dry up the petcoke pipeline, so stay tuned for more on that. https://cleantechnica.com/2021/06/23/gm-picks-up-hydrogen-fuel-cell-torch-again-after-nikola-debacle/ Jet Zero: Stansted Airport boss Charlie Cornish confirms commitment to carbon net-zero future for UK aviation Stansted Airport boss Charlie Cornish has confirmed his commitment to a carbon net-zero future for UK aviation. The chief executive of MAG (Manchester Airports Group), which operates the Uttlesford hub as well as Manchester and East Midlands airports, joined competitors, airlines, aerospace manufacturers and air service navigation providers in setting out the first set of interim decarbonisation targets that will act as milestones on the path to net-zero aviation by 2050. The industry is targeting at least an overall 15% reduction in net emissions relative to 2019 by 2030 and a 40% net reduction by 2040. The pace of decarbonisation will ramp up as sustainable aviation fuels, permanent carbon removal and new low- and zero-carbon technologies – such as electric and hydrogen-powered aircraft – become mainstream in the 2030s. These milestones are reflected on a new chart taking account of the effects of Covid-19 on aviation demand and complement a set of voluntary industry pledges to drive down emissions. The announcement on Tuesday (June 22) also kick-starts detailed work to update the sector's Decarbonisation Road Map, first published in 2020. By the middle of next year, it is expected to demonstrate even faster potential to decarbonise aviation through technology innovation. Mr Cornish said: "Despite the deeply damaging impact of the pandemic on the sector, our commitment to a greener future stands firm and working collaboratively as an industry on this roadmap means we are united in meeting the targets now ahead of us. "MAG has long demonstrated its commitment to sustainability and last year we published our new CSR (corporate social responsibility) strategy, where we set our own target for reaching net-zero by 2038 and launched an incentive for our airlines to operate the first emission-free flight from one of our airports. "By bringing together individual commitments like this, and the collective commitments that we have announced, the aviation industry can move forward together towards net zero." Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said: "As the first major economy in the world to commit to net-zero by 2050, we are leading the charge to cut aviation emissions through the Jet Zero Council. "The commitment shown here by industry builds on that work, embodying the forward-thinking attitude we need to decarbonise the sector and put the UK at the forefront of green aviation." Adam Morton, chairman of Sustainable Aviation, said: "UK aviation led the world last year by being the first national aviation body in the world to commit to net-zero by 2050. We are now raising the bar by committing to additional interim milestones to hold ourselves accountable on this journey to Jet Zero. "This is ambitious but achievable and requires meaningful co-operation between industry and Government, as well as the necessary policies and funding to ensure the UK can build a world-leading SAF (sustainable aviation fuels) industry, create new clean aircraft and modernise British airspace." https://www.bishopsstortfordindependent.co.uk/news/our-commitment-to-a-greener-future-stands-firm-9204389/ Agility Prime Invests $1.5M in eSTOL Aircraft from Electra The Agility Prime program from the U.S. Air Force has invested in multiple electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft and now it is investing in a new type of flying car, an electric ultra-short takeoff and landing (eSTOL) aircraft through a partnership with Electra.aero. The Air Force awarded Electra a $1.5 million direct-to-phase II small business innovation research (SBIR) contract with a 15-month performance period, Ben Marchionna, director of technology and innovation at Electra told Avionics International via email. Electra plans to complete the work for this contract by July 2022. "Agility Prime is excited to partner with Electra on their recent Phase II SBIR contract award,” Agility Prime's Deputy Lead, Major John "Wasp" Tekell said in a statement. “We look forward to exploring the unique capabilities of this design while continuing to accelerate the electric aviation industry." An eSTOL aircraft differs from eVTOLs because eSTOLs use electric propulsion combined with a technique called blown lift to takeoff over very short distances. “eVTOLs use electric propulsion to takeoff and land vertically – many of these concepts then transition from vertical flight to forward flight with a wing providing the lift once in cruise,” Marchionna said. “Vertical flight requires significantly more power, resulting in an enormous payload, range, and cost penalty. eSTOLs use electric propulsion and an aerodynamic technique called blown lift to takeoff over distances as short as 100 feet. This provides eSTOL aircraft access to many of the same urban air mobility markets.” The blown lift technique utilizes the aircraft’s wings and propellers to push large amounts of air over the aircraft’s wings and push the air downwards, Marchionna said. “Blown lift is an aerodynamic technique that tricks the wing into thinking its much larger than it really is,” Marchionna said. “Propellers are typically used for thrust and the wing is used to generate lift. Blown lift uses the propellers to also blow significant amounts of air over large wing flaps that deflect the air downwards. This can be done very efficiently across the entire span of the wing with distributed electric propulsion systems. The technique has been used for nearly 75 years, with extensive research, flight testing, and operations by NASA and the USAF in the 1960s and 70s, but the advent of distributed electric propulsion now makes blown lift practical again.” Electra’s eSTOL will also use a custom battery system that can be charged mid-air, Marchinonna said. Recharging the battery mid-air will allow Electra’s aircraft to conduct missions over longer distances. Electra claims that its eSTOL will offer more payload capacity, longer ranges, and fewer operating costs than eVTOL aircraft. “The improved payload, range, and operating cost are not compared to any specific eVTOL platform – rather, these advantages come from the fundamental physics,” Marchinonna said. “Taking off vertically, even if only for a few seconds before transitioning to wing-borne lift, requires big compromises in performance and safety. An eSTOL requires one quarter the power of an eVTOL to lift the same payload.” Electra’s aircraft will have a capacity of seven passengers and one pilot with a range of 500 miles, Marchinonna said. Electra has completed the sub-scale testing of its eSTOL and is now building a two-seat technology demonstrator, Marchinonna said. They will begin ground testing this year and flight testing in 2022. By 2026, Electra is expecting to have its aircraft certified by the Federal Aviation Administration under Part 23. https://www.aviationtoday.com/2021/06/23/agility-prime-invests-1-5m-estol-aircraft-electra/ Iridium Awarded $30 Million Research & Development Contract by the United States Army Iridium Communications Inc. (NASDAQ: IRDM) today announced it has been awarded a research and development contract worth up to $30 million by the United States Army (Army) to develop a payload to be hosted on small satellites that supports navigation systems, guidance and control for the global positioning system (GPS) and GPS-denied precision systems. The new experimental Iridium payload is intended to be hosted by another Low Earth Orbit (LEO) commercial satellite constellation, complementing the Iridium® constellation's capabilities. Through this contract the Army intends to develop this payload to support the concept of a rapidly deployable smallsat constellation to provide more effective sensor-to-soldier data transmission when in the field. The development of this new payload is based on Iridium Burst® technology, a unique service that can transmit data to millions of enabled devices at a time from space. "Iridium has always been focused on providing innovative, reliable and high-value services to the U.S. warfighter," said Scott Scheimreif, executive vice president, government programs, Iridium. "This program can help add to warfighter readiness to conduct a full range of military operations at a tactical level. This includes the ability to enhance effectiveness of military units, weapons and equipment during combat against near-peer adversaries." The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and Iridium have partnered for more than 20 years, with hundreds of thousands of U.S. government subscribers utilizing Iridium push-to-talk (PTT), voice, IoT, L-band broadband and Iridium Burst services. The continuing growth in adoption of Iridium services also brings increased collaboration between the government and Iridium's ecosystem of partners, that bring their knowledge to help further complement and advance the DoDs SATCOM capabilities. For this contract, Iridium partners Satelles and SEAKR will bring their expertise as subcontractors to assist with development. "This is one of the largest engineering contracts in Iridium's history, and we're pleased to once again bring the value of Iridium and our partner ecosystem to the fore at the request of the United States Army," said Matt Desch, CEO, Iridium. "It also represents another phase in the evolution of our growing relationship with the DoD, and we're excited to engage on this experimental multi-constellation adaptation of our service." This research and development project was enabled through an "Other Transaction Agreement" (OTA) in support of the Army and was entered into between Advanced Technology International (ATI) and Iridium under the authority of the Aviation and Missile Technology Consortium (AMTC). The OTA was developed through the authority of the Department of Defense to carry out these types of prototype projects and to further streamline the process for adopting new technology solutions from various industries. For more information about Iridium, visit: https://www.iridium.com For more information about the AMTC, visit: https://www.amtcenterprise.org Iridium Communications Inc. Iridium® is the only mobile voice and data satellite communications network that spans the entire globe. Iridium enables connections between people, organizations and assets to and from anywhere, in real time. Together with its ecosystem of partner companies, Iridium delivers an innovative and rich portfolio of reliable solutions for markets that require truly global communications. In 2019, the company completed a generational upgrade of its satellite network and launched its new specialty broadband service, Iridium Certus®. Iridium Communications Inc. is headquartered in McLean, Va., U.S.A., and its common stock trades on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the ticker symbol IRDM. For more information about Iridium products, services and partner solutions, visit www.iridium.com. http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=57644 Test flights aim to demonstrate utility of drones in natural disasters EGG HARBOR TOWNSHIP — The use of drones could revolutionize the way New Jersey responds to natural disasters, according to some officials and private agencies. Those parties gathered Wednesday at the National Aviation Research & Technology Park to demonstrate the ways in which unmanned aircraft systems, also known as drones, can work in tandem with manned aircraft in response to such situations. Currently, the general rule from the Federal Aviation Administration is that drones cannot be flown in the immediate aftermath of an emergency, though enthusiasts have been known to pitch in and survey the area without permission. The purpose of Wednesday’s test was to show the administration that New Jersey has thorough enough systems and procedures to cooperate with search-and-rescue aircraft in the event of a disaster. If approved by the FAA, the state would be just the fourth to use such a strategy. Carole Mattessich, director of the Smart Airport Aviation Partnership, one of the entities involved, said the use of drones would be crucial in the event of a hurricane or tropical storm, especially in the southern portion of the state. For places only accessible by bridge, she added, emergency services can take up to three days to get there as the bridge first has to be inspected in person. Drones would dramatically speed things up. “Drones can do that almost immediately,” Mattessich said, “by getting up close with really sophisticated camera equipment and streaming back imagery that permits structural engineers to examine the structural integrity of the bridge, in the moment and within a matter of hours.” Drones took off shortly after 11 a.m. from Woodbine Municipal Airport and spread across multiple counties. Back at the technology park, officials used a conference room as a mock command center to view livestreamed footage. In an emergency situation, that footage could be used to assess damage and help first responders plan a course of action more quickly. “In addition, some of the UAS can actually carry cellphone transmitters inside of them,” said Todd Wardwell of the U.S. Coast Guard Sector Delaware Bay. “So they’re all doing this simultaneously while they’re sending data back to the regional operation integration center in New Jersey, so we can all use the data as a partnership.” Also included in the project are AeroDefense, American Aerospace Technologies Inc., Sky Scape Industries, New Jersey American Water and Arke Aeronautics. Some of the companies contributed their own funding, but the project also was backed by a grant from the U.S. Economic Development Authority. There is optimism that the state could be approved by this upcoming hurricane season. “I think we’re all excited about it,” said David Yoel, CEO of AATI. “It’s really covering many counties across the state now. The first exercises we did in 2016 and 2017 were very local to Cape May County, but now there’s a growing consensus of the value of drones in emergency response to accelerate recovery, save lives and reduce damage.” The drones vary in sizes to serve a number of purposes, such as emergency supply drops. Additionally, the ones with cellular transmitters can provide cell service when phone lines are down. “There are just so many different things (they can do),” Mattessich said. Hosting the drone project was one of a few ways the aviation park is working to become a premier destination for aviation research. The facility, built on FAA-owned land near Atlantic City International Airport in 2019, is home to several companies in the aviation industry and holds classes for the Atlantic County Institute of Technology. A second building is in the works, with prospective tenants already reaching out for space. According to NARTP President Howard Kyle, the growth of the facility could be a great benefit to the county’s economy. The recent approval of a four-story hotel at the airport, giving traveling scientists and researchers a place to stay and hold larger conferences, may prove to be a catalyst. “We realized, as a result of a study that was done, that aviation offers a lot of potential very quickly,” Kyle said. “That’s why the county made the investment here to do the park.” https://pressofatlanticcity.com/news/local/test-flights-aim-to-demonstrate-utility-of-drones-in-natural-disasters/article_0b0fda5c-d438-11eb-a481-e741479ea2e3.html ACJ and Philips collaborate on onboard healthcare technology Airbus Corporate Jets (ACJ) has signed a partnership agreement with Philips, a leader in health technology, to equip its aircraft with on-board monitoring and medical equipment. This agreement will give ACJ access to a range of in-air medical care, supported by the latest technology. One technology is the Philips Tempus IC2 patient monitor, which enables flight crews to monitor travellers’ vital signs and transmit data to ground-based medical support. Once connected, those support teams can view medical data in real-time, allowing for key decisions to be made both on the ground and in the air, which can help to avoid unnecessary flight diversions. “When it comes to in-flight emergency preparedness and safeguarding the care of air travellers, remote access to data and ground-based medical support is becoming increasingly important” said Ryan Landon, general manager for emergency care at Philips. “With connected monitoring like the Philips Tempus IC2 patient monitor and HeartStart FRx, flight and ground crews alike can access the right tools and information to make confident decisions in the air and provide better, more holistic care.” Three packages are available to current ACJ customers, with different levels of support depending on their needs, while clients purchasing new aircraft will automatically receive the full comprehensive package for a three-year period. Each package will feature elements to support an inflight incident, including comprehensive 24/7 medical support, covering pre-flight, in-flight and crewcare, which is provided by Flightcare Global. The package will also support ACJ customers’ operational risk management by providing access to Osprey Flight Solutions’ aviation alerting system, delivering proactive and preemptive rapid analysis and data. https://www.aircraftinteriorsinternational.com/news/passenger-health-safety/acj-and-philips-collaborate-on-onboard-healthcare-technology.html US Air Force awards pressure wave engine propulsion contract North American Wave Engine Corporation has won a $1 million US Air Force contract to build and demonstrate the Versatile Air-Launched Platform (VALP). This is part of USAF’s efforts to develop high-impact technologies critical to the future of aviation and aerial combat. Designed primarily as a decoy, Wave Engine’s VALP is a multi-mission, air-launched vehicle that leverages the company’s proprietary engine technology to demonstrate high-performance, low-cost propulsion for future generations of high-performance aerial vehicles. “The future of aircraft is smaller, more capable and more affordable. The aviation industry has long been stymied by the lack of high-performance engines for small aircraft, and we are here to break through this barrier,” said Daanish Maqbool, CEO of Wave Engine Corporation. “We’re proud to receive this highly competitive award from the USAF to bring forth this propulsion technology and help define the aviation landscape of the future.” The propulsion technology provides jet performance and Full Authority Digital Electronic Control (FADEC) in a highly cost-effective powerplant that requires no moving parts. Wave engines are a class of aircraft engines that operate using pressure waves instead of rotating machinery. Intermittent combustion inside a hollow tube produces pressure waves that push hot gases and produce thrust. The technology enables an order-of-magnitude reduction in the cost and complexity of jet propulsion, making it practical for wide variety of aviation platforms for which jet propulsion was previously cost-prohibitive. This award follows a $3 million investment in Wave Engine’s propulsion technology by DARPA in 2019 and successful flight demonstrations in 2020. https://www.aero-mag.com/north-american-wave-engine-corporation-23062021/ SpiceXpress, Delhivery to start commercial drone delivery pilot project in 3-4 months New Delhi: Air cargo firm SpiceXpress along with e-commerce logistics platform Delhivery will build drone delivery capability in the country and the pilot project is expected to start in the next 3-4 months. Both the entities -- SpiceXpress and Delhivery -- have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to this effect, according to a joint statement. The cargo division of airline firm Spicejet, SpiceXpress, is one of the key consortiums shortlisted by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to conduct trials on Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) drones in India, the statement said. "We are very excited about this project as it promises to be a game-changer in times to come. The MoU is a win-win for both companies leveraging their strengths to deliver great synergies," SpiceXpress CEO Sanjiv Gupta said in the statement. SpiceXpress further said that the pilot project is expected to start in the next 3-4 months. "The collaboration is an extension of our long-standing relationship with Spicejet. We look forward to leveraging our capabilities to revolutionize the logistics ecosystem," Delhivery chief operating officer Ajith Pai said. The technology will be tested for numerous commercial applications such as emergency services, delivery of goods, critical medical services, and environmental monitoring. Delhivery will provide the necessary on-ground support to ensure speedy and reliable first-mile and last-mile logistics, according to the statement. "Drone delivery is the future of logistics, and both companies have joined hands to experiment with drone technology to provide state-of-the-art services and make it more popular in the coming years," the statement said. In May, the civil aviation ministry granted conditional exemption to the Telangana government from the Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) Rules, 2021, for 'conducting experimental delivery of vaccines' beyond the visual line of sight using drones. Amid the pandemic, the ministry, in April, allowed the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) to conduct a feasibility study on using drones to deliver COVID vaccines. https://www.livemint.com/news/india/spicexpress-delhivery-to-start-commercial-drone-delivery-pilot-project-in-3-4-months-11624524362041.html Embraer Wants To Launch Its Turboprop Plane Next Year Embraer’s Chief Executive for Commercial Aviation recently revealed that the manufacturer is looking to launch its new turboprop project sometime next year. Based on the E-jet family, Embraer hopes it will ‘bring new passenger appeal to the segment’ and says it could be in service by 2027 ‘Will stand apart from other products’ Last year, Brazilian planemaker Embraer announced that it would be building a new turboprop plane. Deviating somewhat from a more classic turboprop design, the new aircraft would instead be based on the manufacturer’s E-jet family, sharing the same fuselage cross-section. Speaking at a webinar celebrating the delivery of the first E195-E2 aircraft to Helvetic Airways, Arjan Meijer, Chief Executive of Embraer Commercial Aviation, said the company was looking to launch the project sometime in the next year. Its entry into service is now projected to 2027 or 2028. “Embraer is still very much focused on the segment. We are still working on a turboprop and hope to launch the program in 2022,” Mr Meijer was quoted by FlightGlobal. “It will really stand apart from the products out there today.” The new project does not mean that Embraer is moving away from jets. Rather, it is honing in on the market segment for smaller capacity, short-haul, more environmentally friendly aircraft. Potential competition The planemaker has previously stated that the new plane would cater to the 70-100 seat market. It has plans for two variants, one for 70 and one for about 90 passengers. This could put it in competition with Embraer’s own E175 E2 jet, which has a capacity of 88 passengers. Its other potential competitors, such as the Dash 8 and ATR 72, seat 90 and 78 passengers at the high-end respectively. The wings of the new aircraft are placed lower to the ground, similar to Embraer’s previous turboprop, the EMB 120 Brasilia. The current rendering of the propulsion system shows no signs of a hybrid variant. However, Embraer has previously confirmed that the conventional design will be capable of reducing fuel consumption by 20%, but that it will also be prepared to receive hybrid technology. Twenty years since the last EMB 120 If the project goes into production, it will be the first time since 2001 that Embraer has made turboprop planes, which is when it ceased production of its EMB 120 after close to 20 years. Embraer built 359 of the small 30-seater aircraft. According to data from ch-aviation, 104 are still flying, mostly with the Brazilian Air Force. The new project is set to be something entirely different, and perhaps it is just the upgrade that the turboprop market needs? Talks are still ongoing with potential commercial partners, but as with all new aircraft development, it will be an exciting one to follow. https://simpleflying.com/embraer-turboprop-2022/ SpaceX's Starlink satellite internet could achieve global coverage by September The Starlink satellite internet service may have the capability to provide users in far-flung regions around the world with high-speed connections before the year ends. SpaceX has deployed 1,800 or so satellites for the Starlink constellation so far. While that number's just a fraction of the 12,000 satellites regulators already approved for the constellation, it's enough to enable worldwide coverage. According to Reuters, SpaceX president Gwynne Shotwell has revealed at a web conference that the service will be able to offer continuous global coverage once all 1,800 satellites reach their operational orbit. The aerospace corporation expects that to happen as soon as September this year. That doesn't mean the company can automatically offer everyone around the world access to broadband-speed internet services, though. As Shotwell explained during the event, SpaceX will first have to secure regulatory approval to provide telecommunications services in every country where it wants to offer Starlink's internet. At the moment, Starlink is available as a beta service in only a handful of countries, including the US, the UK and Canada. CNBC discovered earlier this year, though, that the company has already registered subsidiaries in Austria, Australia, Argentina, Brazil, France, Chile, Colombia, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, the Philippines, South Africa and Spain. As of February this year, SpaceX reported in an FCC filing that the service already has over 10,000 users as part of its initial public beta test rollout. The company then opened its beta testing program to more people and gave everyone interested the option to pay a $99 deposit with the promise of providing them coverage sometime this year or the next. There was so much interest in the service that SpaceX revealed in May that it received over 500,000 Starlink orders. Shotwell didn't expound on the company's plans for the service after September, but we'll likely see Starlink expand its beta program to welcome new users in those aforementioned countries. https://www.engadget.com/spacex-starlink-satellite-internet-global-coverage-084815155.html Curt Lewis