The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has awarded Beta Technologies a $20 million contract to evaluate how electric aircraft could support public health provision. In the first phase of work announced on on August 28, Beta will install electric charging systems at 22 sites along the East Coast and the Gulf of Mexico as part of a pilot program to assess how electric aircraft might be a viable alternative to helicopters for emergency medical operations.

Dufour Aerospace has flown what it described as a production-ready version of its Aero2 uncrewed eVTOL utility aircraft. This Swiss company released images of the first hover flight with the latest X2.3 prototype at its facility near Zurich.

Archer Aviation’s Midnight eVTOL air taxi prototype has completed 402 flight tests so far this year, the company announced on September 3. With its 2025 target for FAA certification and service entry looming, Archer ramped up flight testing activities this year, surpassing the 400-flight goal it set for the year four months ahead of schedule.

The FAA has published proposed special conditions that apply to the interaction of systems and structures for the Skyryse One supplemental type certificate program, which aims to certify a fly-by-wire universal operating system in a Robinson R66 helicopter. Skyryse’s Sky OS operating system will also be adapted to a variety of aircraft to meet the company’s goal “to bring about a new era in flight, with a goal of zero fatalities, and where piloting any aircraft is simple and safe.”

Ampaire is relocating its headquarters from Hawthorne, California, to a larger facility at Long Beach Airport as the electric aviation company expands its research and development activities. The hybrid-electric propulsion pioneer held a ribbon-cutting event at the new headquarters on August 27.

Officials in Brisbane are including eVTOL air taxi services in the public transportation options it aims to offer visitors to the Olympic Games the Australian city will host in 2032. In a report published on August 28, the Brisbane City Council spells out its ambitions for the event to serve as a showcase for urban air mobility services.

Japanese eVTOL aircraft developer SkyDrive has raised a further 8 billion Yen ($55 million) in the latest of its Series C funding rounds. Investors for the round that concluded this week include Inventum Ventures, Osaka Metro, Mizuho Bank, and Energy & Environment Investment, which also backed the Series A and B fundraising.