AINonline
• Charlotte Bailey
Vertical Aerospace is expanding its manufacturing facility at Cotswold Airport in the UK for its Valo electric vertical-takeoff-and-landing aircraft. The site expansion comes ahead of the company’s selection of a final location for Valo’s planned mass production.
Europe
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Vertical Aerospace is expanding its manufacturing facility at Cotswold Airport in the UK for its Valo electric vertical-takeoff-and-landing aircraft. The site expansion comes ahead of the company’s selection of a final location for Valo’s planned mass production.
Germany, Austria and Luxembourg have agreed to provide €2.1 billion in joint subsidies for electricity-based sustainable aviation fuel, targeting the cost gap that limits production. The mechanism is intended to accelerate European eSAF output and support the development of a regional supply base.
LOT Polish Airlines is preparing to enter the dedicated freighter market, according to ch-aviation. The move would broaden the Polish carrier’s cargo offering beyond passenger-aircraft capacity, although details on aircraft, timing, routes and the scale of the planned operation have not been disclosed.
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Analysis from the first UK Space Power Conference describes a more assertive British space posture, including plans for a new offensive space squadron and a costed strategy. It also identifies a funding gap extending to 2035, with implications for European defense planning and capability development.
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Attestor Capital, Condor’s majority owner, has exercised an option agreed in 2021 to acquire the remaining 49% held for Germany’s federal and Hesse state governments. The definitive transfer is expected by late August 2027, as Condor pursues growth and medium- and long-haul fleet renewal.
Flight-tracking data initially appeared to show a Safran Patroller operating near Poland’s border with Belarus. The aircraft was likely a crewed Stemme operated by Poland’s Border Guard, highlighting the risks of identifying military and security aircraft from incomplete or misclassified tracking data.
Finnish F/A-18 Hornets and Swedish JAS 39 Gripens conducted their first joint operational identification mission on Sept. 24, scrambling over the Gulf of Finland to intercept Russian MiG-31 and Su-30 military aircraft in international airspace. The operation underscores growing Nordic air-force integration within NATO.
The nose cone for the Callisto reusable rocket demonstrator has been shipped to CNES for integration, marking another step toward the vehicle’s initial hop tests in 2027. The milestone indicates that the demonstrator is moving from component production into vehicle-level integration ahead of its flight campaign.
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