Vertical Aerospace is pushing back its target date to achieve type certification of its four-passenger eVTOL aircraft from 2026 to 2028. The UK company announced the timeline adjustment on November 12 while unveiling its new “Flightpath 2030” strategy to investors and financial analysts, which it said is based on an extensive review of its business plan.

Pratt & Whitney Canada is preparing to demonstrate hydrogen combustion technology on a PW127XT turboprop engine as part of the Canadian government’s Initiative for Sustainable Aviation Technology. On November 6, the RTX group company said the Hydrogen Advanced Design Engine Study will be conducted in partnership with Next Hydrogen Solutions, which is developing high-efficiency, low-cost electrolyzers for the hydrogen production process.

Soracle, a new joint venture between Japan Airlines and Sumitomo, plans to operate Archer Aviation’s four-passenger Midnight eVTOL air taxi in Japan. California-based Archer announced on November 7 that Soracle has signed a provisional sales agreement covering orders for up to 100 Midnight aircraft. The deal, worth a potential $500 million, includes pre-delivery payments contingent on certain milestones that Archer must achieve ahead of the deliveries. 

Rolls-Royce has quietly confirmed its exit from electric propulsion activities in the advanced air mobility sector. In a trading update released on November 7, the aircraft engines manufacturer mentioned the move in a one-line reference without providing any details as to how the business unit will be wound down.

NASA has added Electra to its cohort of partners developing technologies and aircraft concepts for next-generation commercial airliners. On November 12, the Virginia-based company, which is developing a hybrid-electric short takeoff and landing regional airliner, was awarded a contract under the Advanced Aircraft Concepts for Environmental Sustainability 2050 initiative.

Draco Aircraft has launched a funding round aiming to raise around $4.5 million to step up its work to bring what it calls a hyper short takeoff and landing model to market in 2028. The Polish-U.S. start-up’s plans are based on the out-of-production PZL-104 Wilga aircraft, which U.S. entrepreneur and engineer Mike Patey has already modified.

FlyNow Aviation is working on a full-scale technology demonstrator for its planned eCopter family of eVTOL aircraft. The Austrian start-up, which is engaged in a Series B funding round, expects to have an initial cargo version ready for flight testing and early use cases by early 2027, followed by one- and two-seat passenger-carrying models that it aims to get to market by 2029.

EHang is seeking higher-performance electric propulsion systems for its eVTOL aircraft. On November 11, the Chinese company announced a technology development partnership with Zhuhai Enpower Electric, which specializes in electric motors and motor controllers.