During a recent demonstration by the San Bernardino County Fire Protection District, a Ponderosa FireSparrow Mk10 drone and two Robinson R44 helicopters equipped with Ciconia’s vehicle-to-vehicle Coordination & Collision Avoidance System flew in close proximity. The demonstration in California at the Glen Helen North Training Center was intended to answer a critical question as drones proliferate in airspace heretofore reserved for larger and crewed aircraft.

The FAA has published proposed special conditions for the certification of Skyryse’s fly-by-wire flight control system in the Robinson R66 helicopter. It notes that the fully digital system is a novel design feature not addressed by existing FAR Part 27 regulations for control margin awareness—a cue pilots normally feel, and one the fly-by-wire system will have to synthesize. Public comments on the proposal are due by October 13.

Swedish defense group Saab has provided the first details of the future fighter technology demonstrators it is building. Results from trials conducted with them will support the Swedish government in its upcoming decision on what the nation’s airpower will look like beyond the Gripen E that is currently entering service.

Zuri has begun ground tests with the first full-scale example of its uncrewed hybrid-electric VTOL cargo aircraft in preparation for the start of flight testing in early 2027. Announcing the milestone on August 27, the Czech start-up said it has already signed letters of intent with two prospective customers, including the Air Mobility Group.

Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University has completed an initial flight test campaign for its domestically designed eVTOL prototypes. Conducted at the German Aerospace Center facilities in Cochstedt, the month-long mission saw two scaled demonstrators perform a range of uncrewed activities. 

Wisk Aero, the autonomous eVTOL manufacturer that Archer Aviation is acquiring from Boeing, has begun building a vertiport near its flight-test facility at Hollister Municipal Airport (KCVH) in California. According to Wisk, the vertiport will be one of the first in the U.S. where both piloted and pilotless eVTOL aircraft will be able to take off and land.