Beta Technologies has delivered its all-electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft to Eglin Air Force Base in Florida to undergo a series of tests as part of the U.S. Air Force's Agility Prime accelerator program. The Air Force Research Laboratory's AFWERX innovation arm and Beta Technologies plan to commence the test campaign for the Alia eVTOL aircraft on Nov. 7 at Duke Field on Eglin AFB, AFRL said Friday.

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The U.S. Air Force and Beta Technologies conducted a crewed test flight of an electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, dubbed Alia, on March 9, at the company’s testing facility in Plattsburgh, New York. Alia can transport passengers and cargo and is a fully electric aircraft with zero emissions and can be recharged for less […] More

BETA Technologies has received airworthiness approval from the U.S. Air Force for its electric vertical aircraft. The approval allows the company to begin operating its manned ALIA electric aircraft under the AFWERX Agility Prime Program that uses government resources to rapidly deploy new platforms to help broaden technology transition pathways and advance dual-use markets.

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Air Force Life Cycle Management Center seeks market information on signal and geospatial intelligence technologies that would transmit information to support rapid targeting. AFLCMC said Monday in a SAM notice that it requires these on-platform SIGINT and GEOINT technologies to address requirements under the country's Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Dominance Flight Plan and National Defense Strategy.

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The Air Force Research Laboratory has indicated its intent to award Raytheon Technologies a sole-source contract to demonstrate a weapon system for defending military facilities against drone threats. The company would demonstrate a prototype of the Counter Electronic Highpower Microwave Extended Air Base Air Defense system, AFRL said Thursday in a notice of contract action.

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A Textron Inc. company has released the beta version of its new geospatial image exploitation product that is designed to help customers deliver geospatial analysis to their users. Textron Systems Geospatial Solutions developed the web-based RVcloud Electronic Light Table tool with HTML5 technologies to operate on desktop and mobile platforms, Textron said Monday. The image […] More

Will Roper, a seasoned defense and technology leader and three-time Wash100 Award winner, has been added to the operating executive board of private equity firm J.F. Lehman & Company. As an OEB member, Roper will contribute to strategy formation, investment inquiry and portfolio maintenance of the organization’s designated sectors of aerospace, defense, maritime, government and environmental, JFLCO said Wednesday. […] More

Artificial intelligence technology developer Shield AI has secured funds from the U.S. Air Force’s AFWERX innovation program to integrate autonomy tool into military and commercial aircraft platforms. The Strategic Funding Increase Program award will allow the San Diego-based company to demonstrate the potential of its Hivemind software to support drone swarming and electronic vertical take-off […] More

Robert Lightfoot, executive vice president of Lockheed Martin’s space business, said the company launched a new unit, dubbed Ignite, to promote innovation and facilitate the maturation of technologies to accelerate the delivery of on-orbit capabilities to government agency customers, Breaking Defense reported Thursday. “What we’ve heard from the traditional customers is: ‘we need better technical […] More

U.S. Special Operations Command has awarded other transaction agreements worth $19.2 million combined to five companies to develop manned aircraft system prototypes as part of the Armed Overwatch Program. Leidos, MAG Aerospace, Textron Aviation Defense, L3Harris Technologies and Sierra Nevada Corp. will perform work at their respective locations and at Eglin Air Force Base in […] More

The Space Development Agency needs market information on technologies, methods and other concepts to operate and secure a national system of military sensors and data transmission in space. The National Defense Space Architecture would operate mainly from low Earth orbit to support secure military sensing and SDA needs industry input on the system's Tranche 1 Product Line, the agency said Friday in a SAM.gov request for information notice.

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The National Institute of Standards and Technology plans to release a request for information on China’s policies and efforts to establish international standards for emerging technologies and intends to find a contractor that could help gather, compile, review and offer recommendations based on RFI responses. Responses to the sources sought notice are due May 20.

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