May 22, 2025 - No. 21 In This Issue : Airbus to Assume Spirit Asset as Boeing Takes Back Supplier : Cessna SkyCourier Marks Five Years Since First Flight of Clean-Sheet Aircraft, Bringing High Payload, Versatile Mission Capability to Customers Around the World : Bell Demonstrates Future Long Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA) Virtual Prototype to U.S. Army : No-boom supersonic flights could slide through US skies soon : Boeing ramps up F-15EX jet production : New US Army helo engine lifts off, but may be headed for cancellation : SpaceX to FCC: We Can Supply a GPS Alternative Through Starlink : US tests world’s first hypersonic jet engine that hits Mach 6 straight from runways : GE Aerospace completes latest test milestone advancing compact engine core technology : Honeywell Expands Navigation Portfolio with New Single-Card Resilient Navigation System : Florida man rebuilding 'junk' Cessna 120 says he can't believe what he has to do to make it work Airbus to Assume Spirit Asset as Boeing Takes Back Supplier (Bloomberg) -- Airbus SE agreed to take over some assets and sites from Spirit AeroSystems Holdings Inc., clearing the way for the struggling US aerospace supplier to be acquired back by its former parent Boeing Co. The European planemaker will take over a facility in Kinston, North Carolina, for fuselage sections of the Airbus A350 model, as well as a site in France also making parts for the widebody plane. Other factories include a wing manufacturing site for the A220 in Belfast, Ireland, and a wing-component site in Prestwick, Scotland, according to a statement by Spirit. Some portions of the deal are tentative, like the remainder of the Belfast site and a business in Malaysia, which Airbus will take over if no other suitable buyer is identified. The Airbus deal is a key part of a complex three-way transaction that reunites Boeing with Spirit, an operation that the US company spun off in 2005. Airbus will receive a payment of $439 million from Spirit to take the assets, according to a release by Airbus. The planemaker will also provide Spirit with $200 million of credit lines to help the struggling manufacturer support the Airbus programs. Airbus said the financial accord won’t change its earnings outlook for this year. “With this operation, Airbus aims to ensure stability of supply for its commercial aircraft programs through a more sustainable way forward, both operationally and financially, for key Airbus work packages,” Airbus said. Airbus rose as much as 2.1% to €143.56 in Paris trading. The stock has lost 6.9% in value this year. Airbus reports earnings after the European close on Wednesday. Boeing To Buy Spirit Aero For $4.7 Billion In Stock Deal While Spirit has since become an important vendor to Airbus, it’s still Boeing’s largest single supplier. Boeing’s $4.7 billion acquisition, announced in July 2024, required Airbus to take over some operations or rely on its global rival Boeing to supply it with critical aircraft components. Spirit AeroSystems, which makes the fuselage for Boeing’s 737 aircraft from its base in Wichita, has struggled financially for years. Both planemakers have provided it with hundreds of millions of dollars in funding to prop up its finances and keep parts flowing. Boeing’s move to reacquire its former subsidiary was triggered by a near-catastrophic accident on January 2024 in which a fuselage built by Spirit lost a large panel during flight. That mishap led to a rolling crisis at Boeing, leading to a management shakeup, an ongoing quality makeover and federal limits on Boeing’s production that are still in place. At the time of the deal’s initial announcement in July 2024, Airbus said it would pay $1 for the Spirit assets it was acquiring, and receive $559 million in compensation. Airbus said on Monday that the compensation amount has been adjusted to reflect revised transaction perimeters. The facilities that Airbus is taking over are crucial the European planemaker’s aircraft programs, and have struggled to keep up with Airbus’s timetables to increase output. Chief Executive Officer Guillaume Faury said in February that issues at Spirit were putting pressure on the ramp-ups of both its A350 widebody and A220 single-aisle aircraft programs. Spirit makes the central section panels for the A350 in Kinston, which are incorporated into the widebody’s fuselage in Saint-Nazare. In Belfast, it makes advanced composite wings for the A220. The Prestwick plant builds wing leading and trailing edge elements for the A320, Airbus’s top-selling jet. Airbus is keen to ramp up output of the fuel-efficient and airy A220 model that it acquired control of from Bombardier Inc. for a symbolic one Canadian dollar in 2018. Under Bombardier, the program was years late and billions over budget, and Airbus has said it wants to cut costs and turn-around the loss-making program by building 14 units a month by 2026. Cessna SkyCourier Marks Five Years Since First Flight of Clean-Sheet Aircraft, Bringing High Payload, Versatile Mission Capability to Customers Around the World Cessna SkyCourier marks five years since first flight of clean-sheet aircraft. (Photo Credit: Textron Aviation) WICHITA, Kan.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Textron Aviation today celebrated the five-year anniversary of the first flight of the versatile Cessna SkyCourier, the company’s clean-sheet twin-engine, high-wing utility turboprop. This is a significant milestone for this high-performing aircraft which has become a trusted asset for operators worldwide. The Cessna SkyCourier is designed and produced by Textron Aviation Inc., a Textron Inc. (NYSE:TXT) company. To support growing flight activities of the SkyCourier, the company is investing in a 52,000-square-foot expansion of a production flight test hangar in Wichita, Kansas. The expansion will add an additional six hangar bays to the north side of a facility on Textron Aviation’s East Wichita Campus. “The versatility of the Cessna SkyCourier enables operators to tackle diverse mission profiles and operate in some of the most challenging environments in the world,” said Lannie O’Bannion, senior vice president, Sales & Marketing. “With two variants of the aircraft and the optional gravel and combi conversion kits, the SkyCourier has brought innovative solutions to our customers around the globe." The Cessna SkyCourier prototype first took flight on May 17, 2020. Since then, it has become a reliable solution for air freight, passenger, humanitarian and other special mission needs across the world with its ability to land on unimproved runways and transport passengers and cargo simultaneously. Program Milestones Recent program milestones include the first order from the Marshall Islands and first delivery to Canada. See below for additional milestones. • March 2022 – Earned FAA type certification • July 2022 – Certified in the Bahamas • September 2022 – Certified in Suriname • February 2023 – Optional Gravel kit offered • June 2023 – Certified in Brazil • August 2023 – Certified in Mexico • May 2024 – Certified in Australia • May 2024 – Combi conversion kit FAA certified • July 2024 – Certified in the Philippines • December 2024 – Certified in Canada About the Cessna SkyCourier The twin-engine, high-wing turboprop offers a combination of performance and lower operating costs for air freight, commuter and special mission operators. The freighter variant is sized to handle up to three LD3 shipping containers with an impressive 6,000 pounds of payload capability. The 19-passenger variant includes crew and passenger doors for smooth boarding, as well as large cabin windows for natural light and views. Both configurations offer single-point pressure refueling to enable faster turnarounds. The SkyCourier is powered by two wing-mounted Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-65SC turboprop engines and features McCauley Propeller Systems’ C779 propeller, a reliable 110-inch aluminum four-blade propeller, which is full feathering with reversible pitch, designed to enhance the performance of the aircraft while hauling tremendous loads. The SkyCourier is operated with Garmin G1000 NXi avionics and has a maximum cruise speed of more than 200 ktas and a 900 nautical-mile maximum range. About Textron Aviation We inspire the journey of flight. For more than 95 years, Textron Aviation Inc., a Textron Inc. company, has empowered our collective talent across the Beechcraft, Cessna and Hawker brands to design and deliver the best aviation experience for our customers. With a range that includes everything from business jets, turboprops, and high-performance pistons, to special mission, military trainer and defense products, Textron Aviation has the most versatile and comprehensive aviation product portfolio in the world and a workforce that has produced more than half of all general aviation aircraft worldwide. Customers in more than 170 countries rely on our legendary performance, reliability and versatility, along with our trusted global customer service network, for affordable and flexible flight. For more information, visit www.txtav.com | www.defense.txtav.com | www.scorpionjet.com. About Textron Inc. Textron Inc. is a multi-industry company that leverages its global network of aircraft, defense, industrial and finance businesses to provide customers with innovative solutions and services. Textron is known around the world for its powerful brands such as Bell, Cessna, Beechcraft, Pipistrel, Jacobsen, Kautex, Lycoming, E-Z-GO, and Textron Systems. For more information, visit: www.textron.com. Certain statements in this press release may project revenues or describe strategies, goals, outlook or other non-historical matters; these forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made, and we undertake no obligation to update them. These statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Bell Demonstrates Future Long Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA) Virtual Prototype to U.S. Army Fort Worth, TX (May 20, 2025) – Bell Textron Inc., a Textron Inc. (NYSE:TXT) company, joined the U.S. Army Program Manager FLRAA office and members of Team FLRAA in support of a program status update and demonstration of the FLRAA Virtual Prototype. “I am thrilled to see the first piece of hardware that will be delivered on the Army’s FLRAA program,” said Col. Jeffrey Poquette, FLRAA Project Manager. “By leveraging Congressional authorities, not only will we deliver two FLRAA virtual prototype cockpit simulators but also accelerate the broader FLRAA program by four years. Once delivered they will provide our user community, Army pilots, with the ability to experiment with tiltrotor tactics and ultimately develop doctrine for its future use. Additionally, we will take the feedback received from our users and seek to incorporate what is most important to them into the final design of the aircraft. Overall, this represents great progress for the FLRAA program.” The Virtual Prototype, an advanced simulator based on a digital twin of the FLRAA weapon system, is a key element of the Army’s accelerated acquisition approach leveraging the Middle Tier of Acquisition (MTA) process. The two Virtual Prototypes will support accelerated user familiarization, feedback, and development of TTPs (Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures) in preparation for FLRAA’s transformational speed and range. These assets are expected to be converted into Flight Training Devices (FTDs) over time. “I am incredibly proud of the joint team’s execution, working together in parallel to the weapon system development to deliver this advanced capability,” said Ryan Ehinger, senior vice president and FLRAA program director, Bell. “Having the PM FLRAA team alongside the Bell team as we head into final USG testing and delivery is further evidence of the extensive industry/government collaboration benefitting this program.” The U.S. Army’s new long-range assault aircraft is designed to fly twice as far and twice as fast as the current fleet while providing unmatched agility and handling capabilities. Utilizing mature tiltrotor technology coupled with an innovative digital engineering approach and a modular open systems approach, it is designed to be the most reliable, affordable and high-performing long-range assault aircraft in the world. This material is based upon work supported by the Army Contracting Command – Redstone Arsenal under Contract No.W58RGZ-23-C-0001 Any opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Army Contracting Command – Redstone Arsenal. No-boom supersonic flights could slide through US skies soon As long as you're quiet about it Iain Thomson Sat 17 May 2025 // 11:02 UTC Feature This week, a bipartisan bill was introduced that would allow supersonic flight over the continental US for the first time in 52 years, as long as they're quiet. The Supersonic Aviation Modernization Act would allow America's aviation watchdog to issue licenses allowing flights over land "at a Mach number greater than one so long as the aircraft is operated in such a manner that no sonic boom reaches the ground in the United States," the legislation states [PDF]. In February, Trump advisor and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk named it as one of the federal regulations he wanted to do away with. Now, a group of Republican politicians has taken up the cause. The bill was introduced to the Senate by Senators Ted Budd (R-NC), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Mike Lee (R-UT), and Tim Sheehy (R-MT); and to the House of Representatives by Troy Nehls (R-TX), and Representative Sharice Davids (D-KS). If successful, it'll give the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) a year to comply and allow the next generation of supersonic commercial aircraft into American skies once again. The backing of Budd and Tillis for the legislation is understandable. Boom Supersonic, which is building an 80-person commercial supersonic passenger jet, chose the US state the two senators represent, North Carolina, to build the Overture Superfactory it'll use to manufacture the aircraft. In January, Boom's single-seat XB-1 test aircraft, piloted by Tristan "Geppetto" Brandenburg, broke the sound barrier six times without a noticeable sonic boom. Boom boasts a number of big-name VCs and tech luminaries as funders, including AI poster child Sam Altman and LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman. • Boom's XB-1 jet nails supersonic flight for first time • NASA's X-59 plane is aiming for a sonic thump, not a boom • Lego's Concorde is the only supersonic jet you can build for the price of a fancy dinner • Getting up close and personal with Concorde, Concordski, and Buran NASA, too, has skin in the game, as it has been funding research into quiet supersonic flight for decades and last year fired up the engines on its X-59 supersonic test vehicle. The Register spoke to the pilot James "Clue" Less at the time, and he said the technology works and that the agency expects the first full flight later this year. "The race for supersonic dominance between the US and China is already underway and the stakes couldn't be higher," said Senator Budd in a canned statement. "The Supersonic Aviation Modernization Act paves the way to lift decades-old restrictions, allowing for faster air travel. This is a critical step to ensure America leads the next era of aviation." China is certainly making progress in the area. Beijing-based Lingkong Tianxing Technology is developing a ramjet-powered passenger aircraft that would travel at Mach 4, although it will need to be launched from a carrier rocket, which will bring it to an altitude of about 20 km (it's designed for vertical takeoff), before achieving those speeds. It predicted the first test flight will be in 2026, with commercial flights kicking off in 2030, according to China Daily. More prosaically, in March the Middle Kingdom's state-owned commercial aviation biz published a paper describing the C949, a proposed supersonic passenger aircraft capable of carrying 24 to 48 people 50 percent further than Concorde at Mach 1.7 with a sonic boom of less than 90 decibels, but it's not proposed to fly until 2049 at the earliest. Nevertheless it's clear there's interest in commercial supersonic passenger travel, with Boom joined by Spike Aerospace and the now defunct Exosonic startup in the US. But that pesky sonic-boom ban is holding things up, claim Boom and others. Why the FAA is going softly softly The history of sonic booms over the continental US is contentious, mired in technology, politics, and the immense forces involved in supersonic flight. America was the first nation to break the sound barrier back in 1947 with the purpose built Bell X-1 Glamorous Glennis, and by 1960 the US military had other fighters and bombers capable of Mach 2 - the Lockheed F-104 Starfighter and Convair B-58 Hustler respectively. In the 1960s Britain, France, the US, and the Soviet Union all started work on commercial supersonic flight. Getting up close and personal with Concorde, Concordski, and Buran READ MORE The results were mixed. France and the UK decided pursuing separate projects was too expensive and joined forces on Concorde, which first went supersonic on October 1, 1969. The former Soviet Union technically beat them to it, taking its Tupolev Tu-144 past Mach 1 that June, but the aircraft was small, very noisy on the inside, and poorly designed, which it fatally demonstrated at the Paris Air Show, as you can see below. Boeing had been noodling with supersonic passenger jets since the 1950s but things stepped up a notch when the UK, France, and the-then USSR got involved and US President John F Kennedy funded a competition among aircraft manufacturers to come up with a prototype to match the Europeans. The FAA held tests of what sonic booms would do to Americans and their environment. In 1961 and 1964, the citizens of St Louis and Oklahoma City were deliberately subjected to repeated sonic booms in Operations Bongo and Bongo II. In the latter case, the test was originally scheduled to have aircraft generate eight sonic booms a day overhead for six months, but this was cut to four months after windows were broken and residents complained. Congress cut off funding for the project in 1971 and Boeing dropped it. But the testing also gave legislators an excuse to ban supersonic flight altogether two years later, which limited the Concorde's usefulness and commercial potential. • Stratolaunch's air-launched test vehicle hits supersonic speed • NASA, Lockheed Martin reveal subtly supersonic X-59 plane • Concorde? Pffft. NASA wants a Mach 4 passenger jet • This could still wing its way to you, if you have the dosh: One Concorde engine seeks new home But after more than half a century of research by NASA and others, it seems we now understand supersonic flight well enough to silence the sonic boom such travel generates. The trick is to fly high and mount the engines on the top of the aircraft, according to the space agency. Boom has augmented this by figuring out how to direct the sound waves from a sonic boom so that they refract away from the ground when they hit the warmer air at lower altitudes. They call it "boomless cruise" and claim the XB-1 proved the concept, as you can see below. "Supersonic flight without an audible sonic boom should obviously be allowed," enthused Blake Scholl, CEO of Boom Supersonic on the news of the legislation. "The ban on supersonic has held back progress for more than half a century. I urge Congress to pass the Supersonic Aviation Modernization Act supersonically, so we can all enjoy faster flights and maintain American leadership in aviation." Then again, he would, wouldn't he? ® Boeing ramps up F-15EX jet production NewsAviation By Dylan Malyasov May 16, 2025 Modified date: May 16, 2025 Boeing is intensifying production of its F-15EX Eagle II fighter jets, with 90 aircraft currently in the pipeline, as part of a broader effort to supply the U.S. Air Force with enhanced air combat capability. The company is aiming to achieve a steady delivery rate of two aircraft per month by the end of 2026. The increase in output comes amid reported improvements in factory efficiency and quality control. According to Boeing, recent operational upgrades have led to a month-over-month reduction in rework and unplanned task adjustments, known as “traveled work.” “Factory performance has been improving in recent months, with rework and traveled work rates decreasing month over month, enhancing workflow productivity and supporting factory stabilization,” said Tom Altamuro, Boeing’s director of F-15 manufacturing and safety. The company’s internal initiative, dubbed “Cut the CoRRS” (Cost of Rework and Repetitive Scrap), includes a daily “Quality Power Hour” where teams address production issues in real time to preempt delays and defects. The F-15EX, which is expected to serve alongside fifth-generation aircraft like the F-35 and upgraded F-22 Raptors, features modern avionics and open mission systems architecture. It can carry up to 12 AIM-120 AMRAAMs, with future capability for hypersonic missiles and other advanced weaponry. The aircraft is viewed as a high-endurance, cost-effective solution for the Air Force’s evolving needs. Its twin-engine design, digital backbone, and capacity for rapid software integration allow for long-range, high-payload missions that complement stealth platforms. In a statement, Boeing emphasized the jet’s adaptability: “The F-15EX is built to deliver combat capability now, with room to grow as mission demands evolve.” The Air Force has already accepted initial deliveries and continues to integrate the aircraft into operational planning. With China and other near-peer competitors expanding their aerial capabilities, Pentagon officials have stated that platforms like the F-15EX are essential to maintaining deterrence and combat readiness. New US Army helo engine lifts off, but may be headed for cancellation By Jen Judson Friday, May 16, 2025 Sikorsky team members remove a recently delivered T901 engine from it shipping crate at the Sikorsky facility in West Palm Beach on Oct. 20. (Photo by David Hylton/U.S. Army) NASHVILLE, Tenn. − For the first time, the Army’s UH-60M Black Hawk utility helicopter lifted off the ground into a hover at a Sikorsky test facility, powered by the improved turbine engine that has been in development since the mid-2000s, according to the service’s program executive officer for aviation. But as the Improved Turbine Engine Program leaps that hurdle toward the finish line, the effort is in jeopardy as the service looks to cut large programs to make way for the pursuit of what it sees as higher priorities amid the need to cut its budget by 8% as directed by the defense secretary. Army Vice Chief of Staff, Gen. James Mingus told reporters at the Army Aviation Association of America confab here that the service is waiting to see where it lands with the fiscal 2026 budget. Officials are trying to gauge how much flexibility the service has in the budget reconciliation process to fully understand if it can afford to pay for ITEP. “The future of ITEP is largely going to depend on where all these things land inside the ’26 budget,” Mingus said. Currently, there is no funding planned to move the program from development into production. Amid mixed messages on the engine’s fate over the past several weeks, following the release of an Army directive outlining sweeping change to the service dubbed by the service secretary as the Army Transformation Initiative, Army aviation leaders are working on various potential paths for the engine. Options include outright cancellation, a continuation of the development program followed by its closeout, or a decision to proceed into production. “We have two weeks, and now there are several programs named, you know, each of them come with a set of courses of action that we have been working on to make sure that we can meet Army senior leaders’ intent,” Brig. Gen. David Phillips, the Army’s program executive officer for aviation, told reporters May 15 at the Army Aviation Association of America. The ITEP program kicked off in a competition 15 years ago to replace the engines in both the UH-60 and the AH-64 Apache attack helicopter. But the engine effort has been plagued by various delays across its life as the service wrestled with funding, development strategies and a protest from the Advanced Turbine Engine Company – a Honeywell and Pratt & Whitney team, which competed against General Electric’s aerospace division to build the engine for the Army. More recently, the engine was hit with more delays due to technical issues as well as the coronavirus pandemic, which caused supply chain problems. When GE won the contract, it touted a plan to move more quickly, but that window to accelerate closed and the Army subsequently predicted a two-year delay getting the T901 engine into the UH-60 Black Hawk, the first aircraft in the current fleet to receive the new tech. The Army was able to garner some important data when it chose to integrate the ITEP onto two competitive prototypes for the Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft. The companies in that competition – Bell and Sikorsky – had both received the engines and were installing them when the service decided to cancel the FARA program early last year. When the service canceled the FARA pursuit, it also delayed a production decision for the ITEP engine by three years. Sikorsky had taken advantage of fiscal 2024 FARA program funding before the Army officially closed the program at the end of the year to run tests of the ITEP in the prototype, ahead of integrating the engine into the UH-60, in order to drive down risk. The company received the first ITEP engines for the Black Hawk last fall and began ground runs earlier this year. “We’re currently still under contract to execute the program we were for ITEP,” Rich Benton, Sikorsky’s head, told Defense News in an interview at the AAAA event. “There’s still budget in 2025 to continue that work. Will there be budget in the future years or not? You know, that’s up to the Army and the [congressional] appropriators,” he said. “The budget we have today, we’ll get the Black Hawk in the air,” he said in a May 14 interview. “How much flying and how much data we get from that will be up to the Army,” Benton said. “We’re looking at a path ahead in real time on the options and the options could be finish [integration], because there’s not just the aircraft integration going on, but there’s also the engine qualification testing that is going on in test stands,” Phillips said. “We’ve had engines in test stands now for several years gathering low altitude, high altitude, low performance, high performance data. All of that data is very rich and informing the path ahead.” Additionally, the Army continues to have discussions with its joint partners regarding their interest in the engine and how they might integrate it onto their aircraft and a potential path forward there, according to Phillips. And foreign partners have also asked the same question about how they could potentially move forward with the ITEP engine as well. “We’re presenting all those, on how we could get Army senior leaders to meet their intent but get the most out of the dollars that we’ve invested in the program,” he said. Overall, the Army has spent over an estimated $1.5 billion over the past two decades on ITEP and its precursor development. The service had spent approximately $720 million on the program by 2016. The Army’s contracts to competitors in 2016 totaled $256 million and the service awarded a $517 million contract for the engineering and manufacturing development phase to GE in 2019. What is under consideration for a different path to modernize the Black Hawk and Apache’s engines, if the Army chooses to end the ITEP program prior to production, is unclear. “If I had to decide today, hey, if that engine isn’t going to be available in the future, what would I do differently? Integrate a different engine? I would quickly pivot to the engine the [Special Operations forces] flies. The SOF flies with a more powerful engine,” Benton said. “Today it’s been integrated in Black Hawk, it has been demonstrated. It is available today, so there would be commonality that would provide some more capability than I have today, [but] not as much as ITEP.” The Army is “always looking at new ways to provide more performance to the aircraft, whether it’s making components lighter, whether it’s adding more power, whether it’s adding additional fuel consumption capabilities,” Phillips said, “We always look at that and I think we’ll continue to look at that regardless of the outcome.” SpaceX to FCC: We Can Supply a GPS Alternative Through Starlink The company tells the US regulator it's already working on a Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) system for its cellular Starlink service. By Michael Kan May 14, 2025 As the Federal Communications Commission considers GPS alternatives, SpaceX says its Starlink satellites are already up for the task. The company made its pitch in a Wednesday letter to the FCC after the commission kicked off a public inquiry about developing alternatives to GPS, which has long been run through a single provider, the US Defense Department. The FCC’s goal is to usher in Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) solutions to complement GPS. In response, SpaceX sent a five-page letter that noted: "One opportunity stands out as a particularly ripe, low-hanging fruit: facilitating the rapid deployment of next-generation low-Earth orbit ('LEO') satellite constellations that can deliver PNT as a service alongside high-speed, low-latency broadband and ubiquitous mobile connectivity.” The letter says SpaceX has already been working on a PNT system for its cellular Starlink service, which is in public beta and will launch through T-Mobile in July. “SpaceX has also been actively working to integrate PNT solutions into its direct-to-device commercial service offerings,” the company wrote. “In so doing, SpaceX can advance the Commission’s goal in this proceeding to maintain American leadership in next-generation PNT services both here at home and in over 130 countries it serves around the world.” SpaceX didn't say how it would offer the PNT system for public use, writing only that “SpaceX looks forward to playing an integral role in creating a more robust, resilient, and secure PNT ecosystem for Americans and people around the world.” Get Our Best Stories! The letter also notes that Starlink satellites can already operate independent of GPS. “This capability not only allows those systems to operate unhindered even if GPS is unavailable, it also sets the foundation for future solutions that can use any authorized frequency to deliver accurate, reliable, and resilient PNT to any end user device," it says. SpaceX previously told the FCC it's advocating for an open approach to GPS alternatives "that promotes security, resilience, and continual innovation," over technologies that lock the device into a "proprietary solution." "Standards bodies such as the 3GPP have been hard at work on a new release that would integrate 'GNSS-free' PNT," the company told the Commission last month. "Next-generation satellite systems using these standards could offer consumers GNSS-free PNT as a part of a co-primary MSS service or through supplemental coverage from space." Wednesday’s letter further indicates that SpaceX is preaching for the development of a “diversified and robust” PNT ecosystem. That said, SpaceX took some shots at Hughesnet’s parent EchoStar, alleging the company’s control of the 2GHz radio spectrum for a mobile satellite service (MSS) remains unused. US tests world’s first hypersonic jet engine that hits Mach 6 straight from runways The company plans future vehicles that could fly passengers from Los Angeles to Tokyo in under two hours. Updated: May 15, 2025 07:22 AM EST Kapil Kajal Venus Aerospace In a significant step toward closing the hypersonic technology gap with China, Venus Aerospace, a Houston-based startup, has completed the first US flight test of a Rotating Detonation Rocket Engine (RDRE). This test marks an important moment in American aerospace, aiming to enable vehicles to travel at four to six times the speed of sound directly from conventional runways. New hypersonic engine The RDRE, in development since the 1980s, had never been flown in the United States or, possibly, anywhere globally until now. Venus’s proprietary RDRE, an affordable and compact propulsion system, delivers exceptional efficiency and thrust, proving its capability under real-world flight conditions. “This is the moment we’ve been working toward for five years,” said Sassie Duggleby, CEO and Co-founder of Venus Aerospace. “We’ve proven that this technology works, not just in simulations or the lab, but in the air. With this milestone, we’re one step closer to making high-speed flight accessible, affordable, and sustainable.” The demonstration happened at Spaceport America in New Mexico. It confirmed that the RDRE works well in flight conditions. RDREs are more efficient and smaller than traditional rocket engines, making them great for advanced aerospace uses. Venus’s engine is designed to be affordable and scalable for defense and commercial systems, including future vehicles that could fly passengers from Los Angeles to Tokyo in under two hours. Venus’s RDRE is also engineered to work with the company’s exclusive VDR2 air-breathing detonation ramjet. This pairing enables aircraft to take off from a runway and transition to speeds exceeding Mach 6, maintaining hypersonic cruise without rocket boosters. Venus is planning full-scale propulsion testing and vehicle integration of this system, moving toward their ultimate goal: the Stargazer M4, a Mach 4 reusable passenger aircraft. “This milestone proves our engine works outside the lab, under real flight conditions,” added Andrew Duggleby, Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer. “Rotating detonation has been a long-sought gain in performance. Venus’ RDRE solved the last but critical steps to harness the theoretical benefits of pressure gain combustion. We’ve built an engine that not only runs, but runs reliably and efficiently, and that’s what makes it scalable. This is the foundation we need that, combined with a ramjet, completes the system from take-off to sustained hypersonic flight.” Emerging innovators Venus Aerospace is not alone in developing hypersonic weapons in the US. Several US startups are developing hypersonic weapons and technology to bolster national defense capabilities. One name is Anduril Industries. The company has successfully test-fired a 21-inch hypersonic solid rocket motor for the US Navy, aiming to enhance the speed and range of the SM-6 missile system to between Mach 5 and 7. Founded by former SpaceX engineers, Castelion also develops affordable, mass-produced hypersonic long-range strike weapons. The company has raised $100 million to support its efforts and plans to have a product ready by 2027. In addition, Ursa Major’s Hadley engine, a 5,000-pound-thrust liquid oxygen and kerosene engine, has achieved sustained hypersonic speeds in flight tests. The company is also developing the Draper engine, a storable liquid rocket capable of hypersonic speeds in atmospheric and exoatmospheric conditions. Georgia-based Hermeus is developing the Quarterhorse, a hypersonic aircraft aiming to reach speeds of Mach 5. The company plans to use a modified Pratt & Whitney F100 engine and a ramjet to achieve these speeds. Hermeus is also working on the Halcyon, a hypersonic passenger jet designed to fly from London to New York City in 90 minutes. At last, the Pentagon awarded Kratos Defense & Security Solutions a $1.45 billion contract to develop testing capabilities for hypersonic weapons. The company’s Erinyes hypersonic test bed has reached speeds over Mach 5. Kratos is also working on a hypersonic drone that will be much cheaper than current models. As these startups continue to develop and test their technologies, the United States is getting closer to matching hypersonic capabilities. This progress helps ensure national security and keeps a strategic edge in the changing world of aerospace and defense. GE Aerospace completes latest test milestone advancing compact engine core technology May 13, 2025 Download image/jpeg (491 KB) • Reflects early focus on durability and reliability of next-generation engine designs • More than 3,000 cycles run with high-pressure turbine airfoils • Dust ingestion testing planned next CINCINNATI – GE Aerospace (NYSE: GE) recently completed more than 3,000 cycles of endurance tests on next-generation high-pressure turbine (HPT) airfoil technologies, another step in the development of a more compact engine core for the future of flight. The test campaign of HPT blades and nozzles demonstrated improved durability and fuel efficiency compared to conventional turbine technology, important for customer operations. Endurance tests look to simulate high-thrust takeoff and climb to see how parts would withstand flight conditions. Earlier tests initially focused on validating thermal, mechanical, and system performance of the HPT hardware. GE Aerospace is developing a compact engine core including high-pressure compressor, HPT, and combustor technologies for a core demonstrator later this decade through the CFM RISE* program. “With endurance tests conducted on new high-pressure turbine blade cooling technologies, it shows the CFM RISE program’s early focus on durability and reliability. This is the earliest in new technology development that we’ve done durability tests, incorporating the experience of our commercial aircraft engines flying today,” said Arjan Hegeman, vice president of future of flight engineering for GE Aerospace. Additional testing is planned. The next step is to run dust ingestion testing to evaluate how the turbine blades located in the hottest section of the engine behave in severe environments. Real progress Unveiled in 2021, the CFM RISE program is one of the aviation industry’s most comprehensive technology demonstrators showing real progress with more than 250 tests completed. The RISE program is advancing a suite of pioneering technologies. In addition to the compact core, these include engine architectures like Open Fan and hybrid electric systems. Technologies are being tested with conventional and alternative jet fuels, such as unblended Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). The CFM RISE program targets more than 20% better fuel burn and improved durability and reliability compared to the most efficient commercial engines in service today. *Revolutionary Innovation for Sustainable Engines (RISE) is a technology demonstration program and registered trademark of CFM International, a 50-50 joint company between GE Aerospace and Safran Aircraft Engines. Honeywell Expands Navigation Portfolio with New Single-Card Resilient Navigation System HGuide o480 is suitable for a wide range of industries including unmanned and autonomous systems across air, land and sea. May 20, 2025 PHOENIX, May 20, 2025 – Honeywell (NASDAQ: HON) has expanded its navigation portfolio with the launch of the HGuide o480, a high-performance, single-card inertial navigation system (INS) engineered to deliver precise, resilient localization and attitude data in an ultra-low size, weight and power package. “The HGuide o480 is an engineering marvel and a technological breakthrough,” said Matt Picchetti, vice president, Navigation and Sensors, Honeywell Aerospace Technologies. “For the size, there are no competing products in the industry today that can achieve the same high-performance at the price point, in addition to having the ability to be augmented by the wide array of Honeywell alternative navigation capabilities to form a truly remarkable resilient navigation solution.” The entire HGuide o480 product line is suitable for a wide range of industries, including the emerging small-factor unmanned aerial vehicles, autonomous ground and underwater vehicles, as well as an extensive range of aerial and terrestrial mapping systems for the geodetics industry. The HGuide o480 can be integrated directly into the electronics stack of a range of applications requiring precise and robust localization. It can also reduce system size and integration complexity, enabling faster deployment and improved performance for unmanned and autonomous systems across air, land and sea. The system is fully compatible with multiple velocity aiding sensors, including the Honeywell Radar Velocity Sensor, and provides GPS-denied localization performance that is typically unavailable in similar systems. Additionally, security is built into the fabric of the HGuide o480. Designed to perform in contested and GPS-challenged environments, the system features anti-jamming and anti-spoofing capabilities via Septentrio’s AIM+ technology included with the Mosaic global navigation satellite system (GNSS) receiver. The HGuide o480 is offered with both the triple-frequency Mosaic X5 in a single-antenna configuration and with the dual-frequency, dual-antenna Mosaic H for when GNSS attitude aiding is required. In both cases, the Mosaic delivers best-in-class real-time kinematic (RTK) GNSS performance. Florida man rebuilding 'junk' Cessna 120 says he can't believe what he has to do to make it work • This guy bought a 78-year-old Cessna • There’s a lot of work to be done • One thing in particular left the buyer shocked Published on May 12, 2025 at 2:48 PM (UTC+4) by Alessandro Renesis Last updated on May 12, 2025 at 9:18 PM (UTC+4) Edited by Kate Bain This plane collector in Florida decided to take a leap of faith and buy a 1947 Cessna 120 aircraft. Unsurprisingly, the plane wasn’t in good condition. The buyer couldn’t believe his eyes when he actually looked ‘under the hood’ and realized what he was going to have to do. There was one thing in particular he wasn’t expecting. Jimmy Webb from the Jimmys World YouTube channel recently decided to invest a significant chunk of cash, not to mention time and effort, into an old 78-year-old Cessna plane registered in Florida. After all, this is the guy who bought Elvis Presley’s jet, turned it into an RV in record time and then even drove it to the McDonald’s Drive Thru. He bought the plane around a month ago and, even though it is 78 years old, this single-engine Cessna 120 is still airworthy, and it’ll remain airworthy until 2028. However, if Jimmy wants this plane to still be airworthy after its certification expires about three years from now, he’s going to have to roll up his sleeves and break out the checkbook because it needs a lot of work. For starters, he had to install a new starter, which also happens to be about 50 percent lighter than the one he replaced. After all, this is a light aircraft, and that means that even shaving one or two pounds off its overall weight that can make a difference. On top of that, he had to replace a long list of engine components, including the rubber mounts, magnetos, oil filter adapter and push-button starter. In accordance with the old adage that if things can get worse they will, Jimmy then discovered an even bigger problem because the wing fabric was damaged and the fuel cap was bent. But the biggest problem, by far, was the fact Jimmy had to cut a shaft inside the engine, because otherwise it wouldn’t fit. And he had to do this while also making sure the ‘operation’ wouldn’t leave metal shavings and debris inside the engine. “Cutting this in a brand-new engine, this is such a bad idea. But they tell me it can be done,” he said in the video. This is an ongoing process, so we’ll surely have updates in the near future. Curt Lewis