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• Charles Alcock
Vertical Aerospace has extended the cash runway for its Valo electric vertical-takeoff-and-landing aircraft with fresh funding, while the UK-based company says it plans to complete the program’s critical design review this year. The milestone will mark a key step in the aircraft’s development and certification campaign.
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Vertical Aerospace has extended the cash runway for its Valo electric vertical-takeoff-and-landing aircraft with fresh funding, while the UK-based company says it plans to complete the program’s critical design review this year. The milestone will mark a key step in the aircraft’s development and certification campaign.
Joby Aviation plans to acquire Resonant Sciences for $500 million, establishing the company as Joby’s dedicated defense business. Resonant will house Joby’s hybrid-electric and autonomous projects, creating a formal separation between its commercial and defense-oriented VTOL activities.
Hyde County emergency services used a single-seat Pivotal BlackFly eVTOL for two real 911 responses, marking the aircraft’s first reported emergency deployments in the United States. In one call, the paramedic pilot reached the patient 20 minutes before the ground ambulance in the rural coastal county.
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Heart Aerospace completed the first flight of its X1 demonstrator on Aug. 12 at Plattsburgh International Airport in New York. The 23-meter aircraft is described as the largest all-electric aircraft ever flown, marking a transition from the company’s electric-airliner concepts to flight testing.
Joby Aviation is partnering with an artificial-intelligence company to develop vertiports, linking the eVTOL developer’s aircraft commercialization plans with the digital systems and infrastructure needed to support future air-taxi operations. The announcement highlights vertiport development as a parallel requirement alongside aircraft certification and production.
Boeing is divesting its electric aircraft and defense drone units in exchange for a 20% stake in Archer Aviation, valuing the air-taxi company at $5 billion. The transaction shifts Boeing’s exposure to advanced air mobility from direct development to an equity position in Archer.
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Airbus delivered 418 commercial aircraft through July 2026, maintaining its global lead over Boeing, while Boeing recorded 38 gross orders during a slower month focused on recovery and production stability. The July period also brought certification, flight-testing, partnership and infrastructure progress, alongside major Farnborough deals.
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