Monday, October 12, 2026

A350F test aircraft emerges in distinctive ‘parcel’ paint scheme

Fuselage design for initial freighter selected after competition. Airbus has unveiled the paint scheme on its first A350F aircraft, as the freighter edges towards flight testing. The initial flight-test airframe features a fuselage design representative of packaging, with labels and postal instructions. This livery was the successful entry from over 4,000 submitted during a competition…

Dovetail upbeat on European certification path for electric powertrain

Developer buoyed by first firm customer agreement and battery industrialisation pact. Dovetail Electric Aviation is confident that it can reach an agreement with Europe’s civil aviation regulator by year-end on the certification basis of its DovePower propulsion system. Founder and chief executive David Doral says discussions with the European Union Aviation Safety Agency are under…

Avion Express provides A320s for FlyOne Armenia and Tarom

Aircraft will add capacity for the two carriers, which are new customers for the wet-lease operator, over the summer season. FlyOne Armenia and Romanian carrier Tarom have each signed an agreement with wet-lease specialist Avion Express for the provision of an Airbus A320 over the summer. Avion Express says the two carriers are new customers.…

Northrop Grumman readies Block II upgrade for E-2D

Northrop’s E-2D Block II upgrade package completed a key government-led critical design review, clearing the way to begin integration and testing, with delivery before 2030. Defence manufacturer Northrop Grumman says it has completed a critical design review of the Block II upgrade package for the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye carrier-based airborne warning and control aircraft. Northrop…

Regent demonstrates Squire autonomous seaglider at US Navy drone event
Aviation

Regent demonstrates Squire autonomous seaglider at US Navy drone event

The ground-effect vehicle can reach speeds of 70kt with a range exceeding 100nm and a 22kg payload, start-up says.  American start-up Regent Craft demonstrated an uncrewed military variant of the company’s seaglider vehicle in recent Pentagon drone exercises. Regent is best known as the developer of the Viceroy – a crewed passenger craft that can…

UK launches first airspace-scale contrail avoidance trials

Operation Blue Skies consortium to carry out testing in Shanwick oceanic airspace from later this year. Operational evalutions are set to begin later this year of an airspace-scale contrail avoidance trial through a 30-month project part-funded by the UK government. To take place in Shanwick oceanic airspace, the eastern half of the North Atlantic corridor,…