Airbus

In this podcast from AirVenture 2022, AVweb’s Kate O’Connor talks with vice president for research and technologies at Airbus Americas Amanda Simpson about the company’s sustainability goals, concepts and technologies.

Airbus Helicopters announced on Friday that it has delivered the 7000th single-engine light helicopter from the Ecureuil family. The aircraft went to French-based company Blugeon Hélicoptères, which specializes in sling work at high altitudes. The Ecureuil flew for the first time in 1974 and is used primarily for aerial work, passenger transport, business flights, public […]

The NATO Eurofighter and Tornado Management Agency (NETMA) has signed a contract for the acquisition of 20 Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets to be operated by the Spanish air force. The order includes 16 single-seat and four twin-seat aircraft and is valued at approximately €2.043 billion ($2.15 billion). Once the contract is complete, the Spanish Eurofighter […]

Airbus announced this week that it has successfully flown its “extra long range” A321XLR single-aisle passenger jet for the first time. The test flight, which was conducted from Germany’s Hamburg-Finkenwerder Airport (XFW), lasted approximately 4 hours and 35 minutes. According to the company, the crew tested the aircraft’s flight controls, engines and systems, including flight […]

The Airbus Foundation has launched its first Discovery Science Week with the goal of encouraging an interest in science in students between the ages of 12 and 16 years old. According to Airbus, the program will provide digital science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM)-related educational materials and activities to more than 60 educational centers in […]

Airbus is heading a Germany-based partnership aimed at “making urban air mobility within and between cities a reality.” Called the Air Mobility Initiative (AMI), the program will set up a series of research projects focused on three areas: electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, unmanned traffic management (UTM) services and airport and city integration. […]

Airbus announced on Tuesday that it has wrapped up wind-tunnel testing of its eXtra Performance Wing demonstrator. Alongside fello’fly’s widebody formation flights and AlbatrossONE’s flapping wings, the eXtra Performance Wing is one of the company’s “biomimicry” projects that engage in “the study and imitation of nature … to help solve human challenges.” Launched last September, […]

Airbus Helicopters has begun testing autonomous takeoff and landing capabilities at sea for its VSR700 unmanned aerial system (UAS/drone). According to the company, the test campaign used an optionally piloted vehicle (OPV) based on a modified Guimbal Cabri G2 equipped with the autonomous take-off and landing (ATOL) system developed for the VSR700. The VSR700 is […]

Airbus announced on Tuesday that it has launched a new air cargo service for transporting outsized freight using its fleet of BelugaST aircraft. Airbus Beluga Transport is aimed at markets including the space, energy, military, aeronautic, maritime and humanitarian sectors. The service completed its first delivery at the end of 2021 with a run from […]

Airbus Corporate Jets (ACJ) has successfully delivered the first ACJ TwoTwenty business jet to launch customer Comlux. The aircraft is headed to Comlux’s facility in Indianapolis, Indiana, for cabin completion before its planned entry into service in early 2023. Comlux is slated to outfit the first 15 TwoTwenty cabins at its Indianapolis completion center. “The […]