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• Hanneke Weitering
Elroy Air says its hybrid-electric Chaparral drone has completed its first uncrewed logistics demonstration flights under the FAA’s eVTOL Integration Pilot Program. The flights mark an operational milestone for the company’s autonomous cargo aircraft and its effort to advance uncrewed delivery missions.
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Elroy Air says its hybrid-electric Chaparral drone has completed its first uncrewed logistics demonstration flights under the FAA’s eVTOL Integration Pilot Program. The flights mark an operational milestone for the company’s autonomous cargo aircraft and its effort to advance uncrewed delivery missions.
The US Navy is asking defense companies to propose autonomous combat aircraft capable of operating from aircraft carriers, conducting strike missions and carrying as much as 10,000 pounds of externally mounted weapons. The request signals an emphasis on integrating high-payload uncrewed platforms into carrier aviation.
The 2014 fund launched by early SpaceX backer 137 Ventures is now worth more than eight times the capital investors originally committed, after fees and other charges. The returns reflect the fund’s stakes in SpaceX, defense company Anduril and artificial-intelligence startup Cognition.
The Space Force has priced Boeing’s seven-satellite Evolved Strategic SATCOM program at $11.6 billion while preparing to broaden its National Security Space Launch vendor pool and focus SBIR awards on operational needs. Separately, the Air Force awarded $766 million for B-52H radar and systems upgrades.
High activity
Regent completed its first crewed electric seaglider flight, carrying two captains 33 feet above Narragansett Bay for 30 seconds and traveling 596 meters. The milestone comes as the FAA advances its eIPP pilot program and Archer begins a multi-state Midnight eVTOL tour ahead of planned air-taxi operations.
Hermeus will use Anduril’s autonomy technology in its Quarterhorse drone under what executives from both companies described as a mutually beneficial arrangement. The partnership links Hermeus’ high-speed unmanned aircraft development with Anduril’s autonomy capabilities, though the companies did not disclose additional deal terms.
Alpha Unmanned Systems will supply its lightweight A900 Class I remotely piloted helicopter to the Spanish Armada’s CEVENTA experimentation center for maritime-surveillance assessment. Separately, aviation authorities AESA and ENAIRE issued guidance for authorizing high-altitude unmanned platform operations, formalizing pathways for emerging systems in Spain.
Saab is developing Project Skynapse, an AI-augmented, simulator-based approach intended to “gamify” Gripen fighter training. The effort points to a shift in how combat-aircraft operators could learn and practice, using simulation and artificial intelligence to make training more engaging and adaptive.
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