Airbus has acknowledged that its plans to bring hydrogen-powered airliners into commercial service will not be achieved by the 2035 target date set when the company announced the ZeroE project in September 2020. On February 7, the European aerospace group confirmed that the work is taking longer than expected but did not specify an adjusted timeline.

Archer Aviation has raised a further $300 million, boosting available cash to complete type certification of its Midnight eVTOL aircraft. On February 11, the company announced that backing from institutional investors, including BlackRock, has taken its liquidity tally to around $1 billion.

French eVTOL aircraft developer Ascendance plans to demonstrate its Sterna hybrid-electric propulsion system on a fixed-wing drone as part of a government-backed initiative to modernize observation capabilities at France's missile testing facilities. Ascendance is collaborating with French drone manufacturer Delair to integrate its proprietary Sterna system with Delair’s DT46 long-range drone, enabling nearly 50% greater flight endurance.

Lithuanian start-up Airvolve is developing what it believes will be a cost-effective alternative to both existing helicopters and larger uncrewed aircraft in military applications including logistics and casualty evacuation. This year, the company aims to build a full-scale working prototype for a hybrid-electric aircraft to demonstrate to partners and prospective operators from several European countries including Ukraine, Greece, and Poland, as well as Lithuania’s armed forces.

Eve Air Mobility is teaming with infrastructure specialists in Brazil to prepare the groundwork for supporting eVTOL aircraft operations in the South American country. On February 4, the Embraer offshoot, which is developing a four-passenger eVTOL model, signed an agreement with PRS Aeroportos and VertiMob Infrastructure to jointly participate in a 24-month sandbox exercise initiated by Brazilian civil aviation regulator ANAC.

The Japan Civil Aviation Bureau has issued G-1 documentation to SkyDrive, confirming the basis for the type certification of the company’s three-seat SD-05 eVTOL aircraft. The Japanese start-up announced the milestone on February 10 and released the first photo of an SD-05 prototype flying as preparations continue for it to be demonstrated at the World Expo 2025 event in Osaka, which will run from April 13 to October 13.

The FAA has contracted Aura Network Systems to demonstrate and validate the voice-relay capabilities it is developing for remote pilots operating uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) to effectively communicate with air traffic controllers. Flight testing at the Northern Plains UAS Test Site in Grand Forks, North Dakota, will include qualitative and quantitative measurements of voice quality, intelligibility, and end-to-end latency.