An experimental glider aircraft equipped with two of Whisper Aero’s eQ250 electric ducted fans has achieved its first flights, the company announced on August 19. Whisper conducted the flights last week at its flight-test facility in Crossville, Tennessee. Test pilot Zac Majors flew the aircraft, called the Whisper Powered Swift, across three flights totaling more than 130 minutes in the air.

Unrelenting wildfires across Europe have focused the minds of policymakers on the imperative to strengthen air power options to combat the deadly blazes now spreading faster and farther. French start-up Hynaero, with backing from several leading legacy aerospace groups, is stepping up its plans to offer an alternative to the ubiquitous but aging Canadair water bomber for the 2030s.

Archer Aviation and Anschutz Entertainment Group plan to develop a vertiport for electric vertical takeoff and landing air taxis at L.A. Live, the 27-acre sports and entertainment district in downtown Los Angeles, under an exclusive partnership the companies announced on August 24. 

Skyhop Aviation, an Indian start-up launching commercial seaplane operations, has agreed to add 15 of Noemi Aerospace's electric amphibious aircraft to its fleet. The companies signed a memorandum of understanding on August 25 under which Skyhop said it plans to take the first 10 of the 9-passenger aircraft in 2030.

Elroy Air has won a $46 million U.S. Army contract to develop its hybrid-electric Chaparral cargo drone for battlefield resupply missions, the California-based company announced on August 18. A Pentagon contract listing published a day earlier valued the firm-fixed-price Phase III Small Business Innovation Research award at $46,058,871 and set an estimated completion date of Feb. 18, 2029.

Hybrid-electric propulsion systems developer Ampaire has raised $19 million in a Series B led by DiamondStream Partners, with corporate venture arms of Alaska Airlines and International Airlines Group joining the round. The Long Beach, California-based company said it will use the capital to advance certification of its hybrid-electric Eco Caravan and develop a new line of hybrid-electric auxiliary power units for commercial aircraft.

Australian start-up Stralis Aircraft has abandoned its plans to bring its hydrogen-electric propulsion technology to market. In a statement issued on August 19, the company said it has been unable to raise sufficient capital to advance projects such as converting the Beechcraft 1900 twin turboprop and developing its own 50-seat SA-1-HE regional airliner.