The White House took a step to clear obstacles to supersonic overland flight with the signing of an executive order on June 6 that directs the FAA to lift the ban within 180 days via an interim rule and establish a final rule within two years. In signing the executive order, the administration noted that “decades of stifling regulations grounded progress” on supersonic flight, which the new directive is intended to remove.

After exploring the benefits and application of laminar-flow aerodynamics with the Celera 500 experimental aircraft, Otto Aviation has instead decided to launch the Phantom 3500, a clean-sheet light business jet slated for certification in 2030. To facilitate laminar flow, the 3,200-nm twinjet will not have any cabin windows, except for the one required for the emergency exit. Instead of windows, passengers’ view of the outside world will be on 42-inch 4K monitors mounted on the cabin walls, four on each side.

Jekta has begun flight trials with a 1:9 scaled demonstrator of its PHA-ZE 100 electric amphibious aircraft. The Swiss company announced on June 9 that operational testing have begun, but the location was not disclosed.

VoltAero is offering a new version of the hybrid-electric powertrain it is developing for its Cassio family of regional airliners that could be used for homebuilt and kit-built light aircraft. The HPU 210 was unveiled on June 5 at the France Air Expo show at Lyon–Bron Airport.

Horizon Aircraft has started building the first full-scale prototype of the Cavorite X7 hybrid-electric VTOL aircraft, which it aims to fly by mid-2027. According to the Canadian start-up, its design featuring ducted fans installed in the patented Hovr wing and canard has been validated by the recent transition flight it achieved with a sub-scale demonstrator in mid-May.

Dovetail Electric Aviation is working with cooling specialist Engineered Fluids to develop a new immersion-cooled battery suitable for multiple aircraft applications. The companies announced their partnership on June 12 in Australia.