AFRWERX Archives - Eco-Aviation Foundation International

House bill: Time to put Air Force’s ‘flying car’ concept into action

Liz Tang — Fri, 17 May 2024 19:45:35 +0000

The Air Force has experimented with electric vertical-takeoff-and-landing aircraft under the Agility Prime program in recent years.

House lawmakers want the Air Force to start seriously thinking about how to make its electric “flying car” concept a reality.

A subcommittee’s section of the House Armed Services Committee’s proposed fiscal 2025 National Defense Authorization Act would require the Air Force and the Pentagon to set up a working group dedicated to transitioning its Agility Prime concept into programs that can be used operationally.

Agility Prime is a program run by AFWERX, the Air Force’s innovation arm, to work with industry to develop and demonstrate electric vertical takeoff-and-landing aircraft, or VTOLs. The Air Force issued contracts to more than a dozen companies beginning in 2020 to create these electric air taxis.

The service has already experimented with electric aircraft created by Joby Aviation and Beta Technologies to transport spare parts or cargo around bases, and conducted a simulated casualty evacuation exercise with Beta’s Alia — this one a conventional takeoff-and-landing aircraft — earlier this year.

The Air Force has also floated the idea of using Agility Prime-derived technology to conduct combat rescue operations, since electric aircraft can operate much more quietly than traditional fuel-powered helicopters.

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AFWERX to Safely Field Advanced Air Mobility Systems

Liz Tang — Fri, 05 Apr 2024 18:12:56 +0000

AFWERX will spotlight efforts to safely integrate Advanced Air Mobility into the national airspace system during the Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International XPONENTIAL 2024 convention April 22-25, 2024, at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, California.

AFWERX, the Department of the Air Force’s innovation arm, has worked with other federal agencies to address the technical, policy and regulatory challenges associated with fielding a new category of aircraft while also building the industrial base necessary to support it.

“As the Department of Defense expedites the fielding of autonomous aircraft and systems, it is critical to focus on airspace modernization to scale…

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Joby widens USAF partnership, will deliver 2 eVTOLs to MacDill AFB

Liz Tang — Wed, 20 Mar 2024 17:11:49 +0000

Joby Aviation, Inc., a company developing electric air taxis for commercial passenger service, today announced it will deliver two aircraft to MacDill Air Force Base (AFB) in 2025 as part of the Company’s AFWERX Agility Prime contract with the U.S. Air Force.

MacDill AFB is home to the U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM), U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), and units from the Air Mobility Command (AMC), along with numerous logistics-oriented units. Personnel will test and train with the aircraft based at MacDill AFB, on base and in the surrounding area.

Joby delivered its first aircraft to Edwards Air Force Base in California in September 2023, with a second aircraft expected to be placed on the base this year. At Edwards, the Joby team is working closely with the 412th Test Wing on testing and experimentation that will inform future operational testing…

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The US Air Force Is Eyeing One of the Most Famous Personal eVTOLs

Liz Tang — Tue, 27 Feb 2024 20:36:16 +0000

Pivotal’s Helix, originally known as Opener’s BlackFly, is one of the most exciting personal electric aircraft available for pre-order.

What became known to the public as Opener’s Blackfly is now Pivotal’s Helix aircraft. It was one of the eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing) pioneers and one of the most intriguing personal electric aircraft concepts. Today, it’s not only gearing up for the first deliveries in just a few months but also kicking off an evaluation process with the US Air Force (USAF).

AFWERX Agility Prime has been linked to several eVTOL makers as the military’s initiative for supporting this innovative technology. One of the latest of these aircraft to be eyed for an evaluation process by USAF is Pivotal’s Helix, previously known as BlackFly.

Eight BlackFlys are set to participate in this evaluation program that will unfold at two locations – New Braunfels National Airport in Texas and the National Advanced Air Mobility Center of Excellence at Springfield-Beckley Municipal Airport in Ohio.

Four of them have already been delivered, and they’ll be joined by two flight simulators as well. After AFWERX and MTSI (Modern Technology Solutions, Inc.) selected Helix for Agility Prime, the California-based Pivotal committed to providing USAF with eight aircraft units, two flight simulators, as well as support services and pilot training.

BlackFly was designed for private use and is currently being commercialized as a personal eVTOL. Compared to eVTOLs that were designed to operate as air taxis, these electric aircraft with just one or two seats have different potential benefits when it comes to military operations. An aircraft like the BlackFly/Helix could be useful in surveillance, emergency response, and special operations. According to the AFWERX Agility Prime branch chief, Lt Col John Tekell, cost-effectiveness compared to conventional helicopters is one of the main selling points.

These eight Pivotal aircraft now have eight months of intensive testing ahead. In the end, the USAF will decide whether the potential for military use is worth investing further.

In the meantime, the aircraft is already up for grabs for the general public. Like all eVTOLs intended for private use, Helix doesn’t require a pilot license. There are a few basic requirements related to both the location and the personal data (height and weight) of the future owners, which must be met prior to ordering the aircraft. Once that’s out the way, the manufacturer will schedule the customer for a training session at its customer center in Palo Alto, California.

Pricing starts at $190,000 with a non-refundable $250 order fee and a $50,000 deposit. Those who want to take things to the next level can even customize their Helix aircraft with a 4K camera and a premium flight deck, among others.

The first Helix personal aircraft are set to be delivered to their owners in just a few months, starting June 10.

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WATCH: Cali startup delivers first electric cargo plane for US Air Force with up to 200 mi range

Liz Tang — Wed, 14 Feb 2024 18:20:48 +0000

Pyka, a Silicon Valley startup, delivered its first electric autonomous cargo plane to AFWERX, the US Air Force’s network of innovators.

Founded in 2017 in CEO Michael Norcia’s parent’s garage in Silicon Valley, the startup is now handing over electric planes for US Air Force use.

Pyka initially focused on crop spraying with fewer regulations and hurdles. Its first model, the Egret, was certified in New Zealand in May 2019, making it the first human-scale electric aircraft for commercial use.

By January 2020, Pyka flew its second-gen electric plane, the Pelican. With a new design and features, the aircraft could carry over three times the payload of its predecessor.

After completing load and flight testing, Pyka began serial production of the Pelican in late 2020. Most of the manufacturing is done at its Oakland, California facility. The Pelican went to work spraying Bananas in Costa Rica a few months later, in April 2021.

Pyka made history again, unveiling the Pelican Cargo last January, the world’s largest electric autonomous cargo plane.

The California-based startup announced Tuesday it had delivered its first Pelican electric cargo plane to AFWERX.

AFWERX was established in 2017 by the Secretary of the Air Force as an innovation unit that looks for solutions to improve Air Force capabilities.

The US Air Force Agility Prime program will use the electric plane to help improve the Department of Air Force (DAF). Agility Prime Branch Chief, Lt Col John Tekell, commented on the milestone, saying the program looks forward to learning more about “deployment and operational capabilities of electric aircraft through this contract.”

Pyka said it’s now on its way to providing “innovative solutions that could strengthen the national defense.”

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USAF tried an electric plane. Now it wants to buy

Liz Tang — Sat, 03 Feb 2024 00:28:00 +0000

A three-month test of the battery-powered ALIA has the service looking to move ahead.

The U.S. Air Force wants to buy battery-powered planes after it deployed BETA Technologies’ ALIA aircraft to one of the service’s bases.

A final decision on when and how many of the electric conventional takeoff and landing planes the service will buy is a “rolling process,” but the service is “definitely on an acquisition path to get these into the inventory,” said Andrew Lau, AFWERX’s Agility Prime program manager. The program was launched in 2020 to propel electric aviation development.

The Defense Department, the world’s largest industrial producer of greenhouse gases, sees electric aircraft as a way to ease both maintenance and operational logistics in the Pacific.

“I think that the reduced reliance on fossil fuels and jet fuel in some of the locations might be very valuable [and] the ability to operate a reduced fuel footprint because the supply chain, just to get the fuel into some of these remote locations can be quite challenging,” Lau said in a Monday interview.

The ALIA aircraft recently finished a three-month deployment to Duke Field at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, where it flew over 55 missions, including cargo and logistics missions and a simulated casualty evacuation, said Chris Caputo, a BETA test pilot. The electric plane also completed a simulated “maintenance recovery team” mission and picked up parts for an F-35.

“When you’re in a theater or you’re island hopping, things like that, you’re limited by the number of parts that can be moved around, the number of aircraft that are in the field to support the fighters, for example, so being able to put them out there supporting the F-35s was a huge win for us,” Lau said.

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AFWERX Agility Prime program demonstrates mobile battery charging station for eVTOL aircraft

Liz Tang — Sat, 06 Jan 2024 22:24:39 +0000

The AFWERX Agility Prime program, launched by the Air Force in April 2020, is partnering with the electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) commercial industry to develop a new class of air mobility systems.

The program aims to test and accelerate the development of eVTOL aircraft, which can move people and things around in a more efficient and environmentally friendly way.

One of the challenges of eVTOL aircraft is the battery management. To address this, the program recently received a demonstration of a mobile battery care station developed by Arctech Charge, a Utah-based company.

The station, which was specifically designed to support eVTOL aircraft testing and operations, can provide fast and safe charging for up to 36 batteries at a time. The station’s battery charging bays are climate controlled and can offer two battery care profiles: one for extending battery life cycles and one for charging as quickly and safely as possible.

Manti Gleason, the co-founder/CEO of Arctech Charge, said they focused on “mobility and safety” when developing the battery charging station, which is something the Agility Prime program managers insisted on with the project.

“We can either prioritize faster battery turnover or focus on longevity for our battery fleet,” he said. “Our battery care profiles use dynamic charging to optimize the battery’s charge condition, ensuring that it meets mission operational needs while also extending its lifespan.”

The station’s ability to provide optimal care for each battery will reduce the need for frequent battery replacements, which has the potential to save time and money for end users.

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US Air Force Tests Electric Aircraft, Fuel Cells, “FIERCE” Jet Fuel

Liz Tang — Thu, 07 Dec 2023 20:10:00 +0000

The US Air Force aims for battery electric aircraft, hydrogen fuel cells, and efuels to cut itself loose from the fossil fuel supply chain.
There is a lot of activity in the electric aircraft field, though for now much of it revolves around smaller aircraft. Electrifying huge cargo, passenger, and military aircraft will have to wait a while.
In the meantime, the US Air Force is among those eager to dip into the electric aircraft field. They are starting small, with one example being the five-passenger, 1,000-pound payload ALIA electric aircraft from the US company BETA Technologies

The Air Force has been partnering with BETA to develop electric aircraft since 2019, and it looks like all that hard work is beginning to pay off. In October, the Air Force took delivery of an ALIA aircraft at the Eglin Air Force Base in Florida.

The compact aircraft has a wingspan of 50 feet. It can go 250 miles on a single charge and reach a top speed of 138 mph.

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U.S. Air Force Awards $37 Million to Piasecki Aircraft Corporation to Develop Next-Generation VTOLs and Hydrogen Propulsion Technologies

Liz Tang — Wed, 22 Nov 2023 23:49:33 +0000

“The STRATFI program plays a critical role in advancing emerging American technologies and we are thrilled to receive this significant investment,” said John Piasecki, CEO of Piasecki Aircraft. “This new funding will allow us to demonstrate ARES’ unique tilt-duct configuration, which enables seamless transition between hover and fixed-wing forward flight — a technological leap that would address critical aerial challenges faced by the U.S. military. The STRATFI test program will also fund the demonstration of zero-emission hydrogen fuel cell propulsion technology for VTOLs, including our forthcoming PA-890 compound helicopter. Demonstration of the PA-890 would be a world-first for electric aviation and would usher in a new era of clean vertical flight.”

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MightyFly awarded USAF innovation development contract

Liz Tang — Wed, 08 Nov 2023 03:10:07 +0000

MightyFly has been awarded a U.S. Air Force innovation contract to develop its autonomous loading and unloading system. The company, an innovative leader in autonomous hybrid eVTOL cargo aircraft, has recently been awarded a lucrative Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II contract worth $1.25 million by AFWERX.

AFWERX is a United States Air Force program with the goal of fostering a culture of innovation within the service.

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