As Archer Aviation presses ahead with plans to launch electric air taxi services in the UAE this year, the U.S. manufacturer is slowly ramping up production of its four-passenger Midnight eVTOL aircraft. In its second-quarter earnings report, the company announced that three Midnight aircraft are in the final stages of assembly, with three more on the way.

Electra Aero is in talks with a select group of prospective operators for its nine-passenger EL9 Ultra Short airplane with a view to collecting nonrefundable deposits from launch customers. Company CEO Marc Allen told AIN he aims to prioritize early delivery slots for the hybrid-electric, blown-wing design as Electra works to bring it to market in 2029.

Spike Aerospace is refining the aerodynamics, cabin configuration, and lower-boom performance of its Mach 1.6 S-512 Diplomat as it lays the groundwork to bring a supersonic business jet to market. The company is completing what it calls an “enhanced study” that builds on previous research and design iterations to validate the aircraft’s ability to meet stringent noise requirements over land with low-boom capability.

The Oregon Department of Aviation and Yamaha Motor have signed a memorandum of understanding to explore the potential use of the Japanese company’s Fazer SAR uncrewed aircraft system for wildfire mitigation and suppression. Oregon experiences a number of wildfires during the hot, dry summer season, and so far this year, the state has had 1,649 fires and 194,949 acres burned.

Autonomous flight control system developer Merlin is preparing to raise capital through an initial public offering by combining its business with Bleichroeder, a special-purpose acquisition company. The U.S. start-up said on August 15 that it aims to complete the transaction on the Nasdaq stock market in early 2026 and expects to raise up to $385 million.

Eve Air Mobility plans to raise $230 million in equity capital through a share offering that is set to close on August 15. The government-backed Brazilian Development Bank, along with Embraer and several institutional investors, subscribed to the offering of 47,422,680 shares in common stock, priced at $4.85 per share.

The Australian government has awarded a grant worth AU$3 million ($1.9 million) to support AMSL Aero’s work to develop its Vertiia hydrogen-electric VTOL aircraft. Announcing the award on August 18, the Sydney-based start-up explained that it is part of a wider two-year project called Liquid Hydrogen Powered Aircraft for Regional and Remote Australia that is backed with a total of A$7.56 million.

The fifth and final part of Leeham News & Analysis five-part series examining the potential next generation of airliners planned for the coming decades is now online. This week, the report takes a closer look at aircraft projects 9 to 13 shown in the diagram.

These include the These are the (9) Comac 929, (10) an eco-version of Boeing's New Light Twin concept, (11) CFM's Open Fan single-aisle concept, (12) the Boeing 787 re-engining plan, and (13) Airbus A350 re-engining.

Scott Hamilton and Bjorn Fehrm look into these aircraft in more detail and write about how challenging it will be to develop and mature the needed technologies. To read these in full, subscribe to Leeham News & Analysis, which is now part of AIN Media Group.