Airframer
Log in

The Airframer Bulletin

Scaled Composites LLC
All news ✕ Clear ‹ Current edition

Every Bulletin story and press release covering Scaled Composites LLC, newest first.

20 items

2026
2 September First flight of the Jet1 demonstrator is scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2027.

JetZero raises $100m as Z4 nears flight test

The financing arrives as the blended-wing aircraft programme moves from demonstration towards production, with the Jet1 demonstrator's first flight scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2027.

14 May DARPA’s XRQ-73 SHEPARD hybrid-electric experimental aircraft takes off at Edwards Air Force Base.

DARPA hybrid-electric UAV takes off from Edwards

The remotely piloted SHEPARD demonstrator completed its April flight at Edwards Air Force Base as propulsion research continued.

6 May

DARPA and Northrop Grumman fly XRQ-73 hybrid-electric demonstrator

Hybrid-electric flight testing at Edwards Air Force Base has advanced efforts to develop lower-emission military aircraft with greater operational flexibility.

19 March

ReleaseNorthrop Grumman’s Talon IQ flies Shield AI’s Hivemind software

2025
14 August

ReleaseMerlin to go public via business combination with Inflection Point-led SPAC as leading defense prime contractor for AI in aviation

7 August Beacon brings together flight-proven software and hardware with partner technologies to test autonomous systems in real-world mission scenarios.

Six partners aboard for Beacon autonomy testbed trials

Flight trials on the Scaled Composites Model 437 aircraft and Northrop Grumman hardware will begin this year using autonomy software from partners including Applied Intuition and Shield AI.

31 July Red 6 is providing augmented reality training tools to simulate high-threat mission environments on the Beacon platform.

Merlin and Red 6 join forces with Northrop Grumman on Beacon

Two companies will support autonomy testing on the Vanguard using software and augmented reality tools in Mojave, California.

18 June

ReleaseNorthrop Grumman unveils Beacon autonomous testbed ecosystem

2024
10 July

ReleaseNorthrop Grumman builds next-generation hybrid electric uncrewed X-plane for DARPA

26 June The Series Hybrid Electric Propulsion AiRcraft Demonstration program, known as SHEPARD, sees its hybrid-electric uncrewed aircraft system (UAS) receive its official X-plane designation, XRQ-73.

DARPA dubs its newest X-plane XRQ-73

The XRQ-73 aircraft will be a Group 3 UAS weighing approximately 1,250 pounds, which draws on the earlier AFRL/IARPA Great Horned Owl (GHO) project. First flight is expected by year-end 2024.

2023
24 August Jet Zero has selected Pratt & Whitney GTF engines to power the demonstrator.

Air Force investment boosts development of BWB project

JetZero is collaborating with Northrop Grumman and Scaled Composites to build and test a full-scale demonstrator of its blended wing body aircraft design, scheduled to fly by 2027.

2021
12 August The all-electric X-57 has successfully completed high-voltage ground testing.

All-electric Maxwell powers past a testing milestone

One NASA goal is to establish the X-57 as a reference platform for integrated approaches of distributed electric propulsion technologies. Next up, the X-57 will undergo verification and validation testing.

10 May

ReleaseX-57 high-voltage testing continues

2019
26 September

ReleaseNASA Armstrong completes X-57 wing tests

8 July

ReleaseSkyworks Global announces collaboration with Scaled Composites to develop the VertiJet demonstrator

2017
11 October

ReleaseScaled completes first flight of new experimental aircraft, Model 401

31 May

ReleaseScaled completes tow test of world's largest composite aircraft, Stratolaunch

2014
19 August

ReleaseNorthrop Grumman developing XS-1 experimental spaceplane design for DARPA

2012
5 October

ReleaseVirgin Galactic acquires full ownership of The Spaceship Company

2009
24 April

ReleaseWhite Knight Two flight test program update