AeroVironment Gets $21M US Army Contract Option for Raven Radio Frequency Modifications

AeroVironment, Inc.  announced that the United States Army exercised the second of three options under the sole source Flight Control Systems (FCS) domain of the Army’s multi-year small UAS contract on February 25, 2021. The value of the contract option is $20,979,905 and includes avionics and data link upgrade packages to modify radio frequencies employed by the Army’s existing fleet of Raven tactical UAS. Continue reading →

Volocopter Raises €200M in Series D Funding Round

Urban air mobility (UAM) company Volocopter announced the signing of its Series D funding round, raising €200 million in additional capital. Cumulatively, Volocopter has raised €322 million. The funding will be used to solidify Volocopter’s leading position in the UAM market by bringing the VoloCity, the battery-powered air taxi for cities, to certification and by accelerating the launch of its first commercial routes. Continue reading →

Sikorsky S-72 X-Wing Jet Helicopter with Blades as Wings

The Sikorsky S-72 was more than just a visually striking aircraft. This unique and unusual vehicle could take off and land vertically like a chopper, but it could also fly fast and far like a plane. The S-72 would ultimately be neither a helicopter nor a plane. Instead, it was a new concept, an “X-Wing,” conceived through a joint effort between the U.S Navy and NASA. Unfortunately, its innovative design ultimately proved too much for the time. Continue reading →

Toshiba Invests $15M in C-UAS Company Fortem

Toshiba Corporation announced that Toshiba Infrastructure Systems & Solutions Corporation, the Toshiba Group company specializing in the global infrastructure business (hereinafter Toshiba), has entered into a strategic business alliance with Fortem Technologies, Inc. (hereafter Fortem), and invested 15 million USD in the company. Fortem is a supplier of counter-drone security systems and Toshiba, through the alliance, aims to expand its radar-based security solutions business. Continue reading →