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The Airframer Bulletin

Aerospace manufacturing, week by week — reported by Airframer’s editors

All news ✕ Clear Jump to press releases ↓
Edition of 29 February Published every Thursday
Lead story

Sikorsky looks to a future family of VTOL systems

The HEX program will put a premium on greater than 500 nautical mile range at high speed, fewer mechanical systems to reduce complexity, and lower maintenance costs.

29 February 2024
Sikorsky is to build, test and fly a hybrid-electric vertical takeoff and landing demonstrator (HEX/VTOL) with a tilt-wing configuration.
Sikorsky is to build, test and fly a hybrid-electric vertical takeoff and landing demonstrator (HEX/VTOL) with a tilt-wing configuration.
The new facility will work closely with the company's historic foundry in Gennevilliers, near Paris.

Safran to create factory in Brittany for aircraft engine parts

The new facility will be operational in 2027 and will further extend the company's global production network for advanced fan blades.

29 February 2024
The next step is to upgrade the flight testbed to fly the powertrain fueled by Universal's modules.

Universal Hydrogen powers megawatt-class powertrain using liquid hydrogen

The company's liquid hydrogen module holds fuel to power the iron bird for over three hours at full power, with two such modules sufficient for 500 nautical miles of usable range (on top of reserves) for an ATR72 airliner.

29 February 2024
The long bed machining capability at the Wrexham facility.

Magellan gains multi-year contract for Airbus wing spars

The agreement focuses on the production of precision-machined wing spars for use on the A320 family of aircraft, and will involve expansion of Magellan's long bed machining capability at its Wrexham facility.

29 February 2024
More news – Structural Components
Flight tests took place at Leonardo’s PZL-Swidnik facility in Lublin, Poland, with Leonardo’s SW4 and SW4 Solo RUAS/OPH helicopters.

Leonardo and Daedalean complete flight testing of AI for advanced navigation

A year-long project equipped helicopters with cameras, computer and interface display, identifying aerial traffic including birds and drones, determining location in GPS-denied environments, and offering landing guidance.

29 February 2024
The Blériot prototype operates on 1.2 kg of gaseous hydrogen stored in three tanks at 340 bar, generating a maximum electrical power of 85 kW.

Beyond Aero achieves France's first manned fully hydrogen-electric flight

The powertrain features an unprecedented hybridization ratio, says the manufacturer: two-thirds of its power comes from a hydrogen fuel cell, with the remaining third supplied by batteries.

29 February 2024
More news – Beyond Aero One, Airframer
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Edition of 22 February 2024

Whisper tracks propulsor production with ION software

ION captures everything that happens on the factory floor, including processes, parts, inspections and red lines. This will significantly reduce the time it takes to comply with the rigorous audits required for certification.

22 February 2024
More news – Airframer
Edition of 15 February 2024

Airborne streamlines composite kitting for Airbus Helicopters

The software takes the nest, kit and material input, and translates this into instructions for the operator to offload the cutter, to make kits with plies in the correct sequence and to store them in the dynamic buffer.

15 February 2024