In a potentially big development for the advanced air mobility sector, Joby Aviation has acquired Xwing, a company developing autonomous flight control systems. With its piloted, four-passenger eVTOL air taxi progressing toward certification and service entry in 2025, Joby is already making plans for a subsequent iteration of the aircraft that could transport passengers without pilots on board.

Xishan Tourism has announced plans with EHang to launch eVTOL sightseeing flights around the city of Taiyuan in China’s Shanxi province. The state-owned company signed a memorandum of understanding covering an initial order for 50 of EHang’s two-seat autonomous EH216-S aircraft, with options for another 450 units over the next two years.

For decades, the team at TE Connectivity (TE) has been helping design safe and efficient electrical power management systems for everything from military planes to moon landers. Now TE is supporting a new frontier: the emerging Electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing (eVTOL) industry.

Textron eAviation’s full-scale technology demonstrator for the Nexus eVTOL aircraft is starting to take shape at the company’s Wichita headquarters. The Nexus team recently finished connecting the two halves of the aircraft’s fuselage. Announcing the milestone on May 30, Textron eAviation also released the first photo of its progress on the technology demonstrator, along with a time-lapse video of the build.

To better understand how its automated flight technologies can benefit the U.S. Air Force, Merlin recently sent a team of engineers to fly along in a Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker and study how the pilots do their work. The KC-135 took off from MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida, on May 14 and 15 with three Merlin engineers on board to collect data on human factors.

As Elroy Air ramps up flight testing with a prototype of its hybrid-electric Chaparral cargo freighter, the California-based aircraft developer is preparing to demonstrate an autonomous resupply mission for the U.S. Marine Corps. Elroy Air is partnering with Leidos, a Virginia-based prime contractor specializing in autonomous systems, to orchestrate the logistics demo in July at the U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground in Yuma, Arizona.

Archer Aviation’s Midnight eVTOL aircraft is heading to South Korea later this year to participate in the Korean Urban Air Mobility (K-UAM) Grand Challenge. South Korean taxi and rideshare booking platform Kakao Mobility selected Archer as its eVTOL partner for the K-UAM Grand Challenge, which aims to validate the safety and feasibility of urban air mobility operations in South Korea through a series of public flight demonstrations.

Aria Hotels, a subsidiary of the Libra Group, announced plans to construct and operate four vertiports across Greece to facilitate the deployment of eVTOL aircraft. Aria Hotels, recognized for its portfolio of about 70 boutique properties across Greece, will manage 10 Alia eVTOL aircraft leased from Beta Technologies through an agreement with LCI, another Libra Group subsidiary.

Electra has shared a stunning new video with aerial views of its hybrid eSTOL technology demonstrator making its first ultra-short takeoff and landing during high-performance flight testing the company conducted last month in Virginia. According to Electra, the two-seat EL-2 Goldfinch aircraft exceeded expectations when it took off in under 170 feet. The performance target for the aircraft is to be able to operate from spaces shorter than 300 feet.