GE Aerospace and Beta Technologies have begun work to jointly develop a hybrid-electric turbogenerator to power various military and civil aircraft. Under the terms of a strategic partnership announced on September 4, GE is making a $300 million equity investment in Beta, which is developing the Alia CX300 electric airplane and Alia 250 eVTOL aircraft.

To meet growing demand for drones in the U.S., aircraft battery developer Amprius has begun shipping its SiCore high-energy lithium-ion batteries from a pilot production line in Fremont, California, as contract manufacturing partners in China and South Korea continue to carry out mass production abroad. Among the first customers to receive SiCore battery cells from the Fremont facility is Airbus subsidiary Aalto, which has been using them to power a high-altitude drone called Zephyr.

Efforts to resurrect insolvent eVTOL aircraft developer Lilium appear stalled as prospective investors at the Ambitious Air Mobility Group (AAMG) seek to find a way through the legal complexities and acquire the company’s assets, intellectual property, and facilities. The Netherlands-based company has said it could invest up to €750 million ($880 million) to resume work on the aircraft while also seeking new revenue streams, including new military applications and allowing third parties to use Lilium’s test facilities at Oberpfaffenhofen in southern Germany.

Chinese eVTOL aircraft developer EHang has conducted its first passenger-carrying demonstration flight in Africa, the company announced on September 5. According to EHang, the two-seat EH216-S aircraft is the first eVTOL air taxi to fly on the continent. EHang flew the EH216-S during the Aviation Africa Summit and Exhibition, which took place in Kigali, Rwanda, on September 4 and 5. The Guangzhou-based company conducted the demonstration flights in collaboration with Rwanda’s Civil Aviation Authority and the China Road and Bridge Corporation.

German eVTOL developer Volocopter is teaming up with Euro Flight Test, an EASA-certified flight school for test pilots, to offer eVTOL training courses. Under a memorandum of understanding announced September 5, the partners will jointly develop comprehensive training modules for eVTOL test pilots and flight test engineers, including a ground-based eVTOL familiarization course, hands-on flight test experience, and remotely piloted drone training.

Vertical Aerospace says it is getting close to achieving a full wingborne transition from vertical to horizontal flight with its VX4 eVTOL prototype. On September 9, the UK company reported it had completed Phase 3 of testing, which demonstrated “stable and efficient flight on the wing.”