AeroTime
• Ian Molyneaux
Horizon Aircraft CEO Brandon Robinson says the company’s ambition is to shake up the helicopter industry, arguing that eVTOL developers are not its primary competitors. The positioning frames Horizon’s strategy around challenging established helicopter operators and manufacturers as it seeks to outmaneuver its rivals.
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A UK inquiry found that a fuel-system fault, an incorrectly diagnosed emergency and the shutdown of two functioning engines combined to cause a fatal Royal Navy Merlin helicopter ditching. The findings underscore how technical failures and crew decisions can compound rapidly in military rotorcraft operations.
Horizon Aircraft CEO Brandon Robinson says the company’s ambition is to shake up the helicopter industry, arguing that eVTOL developers are not its primary competitors. The positioning frames Horizon’s strategy around challenging established helicopter operators and manufacturers as it seeks to outmaneuver its rivals.
Avincis is partnering with McDermott Aviation to acquire five 214ST helicopters, expanding its capabilities in aerial firefighting and utility operations. The deal adds dedicated heavy-lift rotorcraft capacity to Avincis’ emergency-response and specialized aviation activities.
Angola has taken delivery of six Anavia HT-100 uncrewed rotorcraft from EDGE Group after a successful test campaign. The vertical-takeoff-and-landing assets will operate from the decks of Angola’s new naval corvettes, expanding the navy’s shipborne surveillance and mission capabilities.
Japan has sent three CH-47 helicopters aboard the JS Kunisaki to West Kalimantan, Indonesia, for its first overseas Self-Defense Forces wildfire-fighting mission. The deployment supports bilateral humanitarian assistance as fires on Borneo produce toxic haze across neighboring Southeast Asian countries, while Malaysian authorities pursue cloud seeding.
Elbe Flugzeugwerke will provide direct NH90 maintenance support to the German armed forces under a seven-year agreement, marking the Dresden-based MRO provider’s first contract with the Bundeswehr. The deal expands EFW’s role beyond its established commercial aircraft maintenance activities into military helicopter sustainment.
A helicopter conducting a Flying Doctor Service mission crashed in a remote area of Sarawak on Malaysia’s Borneo island, killing all five people aboard. Authorities recovered the remains of the pilot and four medical staff, according to reports.
High activity
Robinson Unmanned has completed demonstration flights of its remotely piloted R44 AirTruck, including a landing on an offshore-style deck at a Louisiana airport. The uncrewed helicopter is designed to support offshore logistics missions, positioning the platform for cargo operations in demanding environments.
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