Aviation Week
• Chen Chuanren
Japan Airlines has begun fully driverless towing tractor operations at Fukuoka Airport, extending its Level 4 autonomous-driving program beyond Tokyo Haneda and Narita. The deployment makes Fukuoka the third airport in JAL’s network to use the technology for aircraft towing.
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Japan Airlines has begun fully driverless towing tractor operations at Fukuoka Airport, extending its Level 4 autonomous-driving program beyond Tokyo Haneda and Narita. The deployment makes Fukuoka the third airport in JAL’s network to use the technology for aircraft towing.
LiveEO co-founder Daniel Seidel discusses a new alliance with Airbus and IBM Germany, using satellite data to generate 3D terrain in minutes. The initiative is framed against Germany’s gap in sovereign imagery capability; the available report does not detail the partners’ commitments or the system’s operational status.
High activity
Elon Musk said SpaceX has closed $40 billion in debt financing to acquire graphics processing units for its artificial intelligence efforts. Bloomberg, citing people familiar with the discussions, reported that pricing talks were still ongoing, leaving details of the deal unclear.
General Atomics is working with Spirit Defense, a Boeing subsidiary, to help increase production of its FQ-42 collaborative combat aircraft as the U.S. Air Force seeks fighter drones over the next six years. The partnership points to an effort to build manufacturing capacity around the emerging uncrewed combat-aircraft requirement.
The Air Force wants artificial intelligence to review aerial refueling operations using video from cameras mounted on tankers, then provide crews with “hot wash” feedback. The initiative is aimed at strengthening crew capability through analysis of refueling performance.
The U.S. Space Force has awarded initial operational contracts for its Commercial Augmentation Space Reserve, while Kyiv is considering ICEYE- and Nokia-backed sovereign communications satellites after uncertainty over Ukraine’s Starshield access. Separate efforts target satellite links for UK drones and commercial satellite intelligence for wildfire response, underscoring expanding defense and public-service uses.
PhillipCapital upgraded SpaceX from sell to buy and tripled its price target to $250, implying about 70% upside, citing the potential of its AI business. Bernstein says Starlink’s improving profitability could support aggressive broadband pricing and competition with established U.S. telecom operators, despite slowing subscriber growth.
NASA has awarded U.S. physical artificial intelligence company AstraQua a $1.275 million Phase II contract to develop AstraSense for electric and hybrid-electric aircraft, including advanced air mobility applications. The award supports development of technology intended to let autonomous aircraft “feel pain.”
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