Category: Joint Venture News (Page 12 of 34)

JAL and REGENT sign agreement to study Seaglider operations in Japan

October 8, 2023 / WIL BALDWIN

Tokyo, Japan – Japan Airlines Co., Ltd. (Tokyo Stock Exchange: 9201) and REGENT Craft Inc. (Headquarters: United States, CEO: Billy Thalheimer, hereinafter referred to as “REGENT”) have announced the signing of a comprehensive partnership agreement to establish a system for seaglider operations in Japan. The agreement follows a strategic investment in REGENT made earlier this year by JAL Innovation Fund, the CVC of JAL. Through this agreement, the two companies aim to implement next-generation mobility where people can move safely and comfortably with zero emissions.

The all-electric seagliders being developed by REGENT are wing-in-ground effect craft that fly several meters above the water on a cushion of air trapped between the wings and the water’s surface. Seagliders are attracting attention as a new form of sustainable mobility, further expanding the possibilities of new transportation methods that do not place a burden on the environment, as well as the development of new markets.

The new agreement signifies a commitment to deepen business development between the two companies. With the goal of establishing a system of seaglider operations in Japan, JAL aims to utilize its accumulated knowledge of safe operation while REGENT brings its technological expertise to the table. Together, the companies will collaborate to drive awareness and understanding of seagliders in the region, identify jurisdictions for seaglider operations by JAL and JAL Group operators, develop infrastructure for seaglider operations – including a planned demonstration flight in 2025 – and obtain certification for the safe operation of electric seagliders. In addition, JALUX Co., Ltd. (location: Minato-ku, Tokyo, CEO: Satoru Takahama) will act as a sales agent for the maritime craft.

Maersk & Kodiak Robotics launch commercial autonomous trucking lane between Houston and Oklahoma City

October 6, 2023 / WIL BALDWIN

Florham Park, New Jersey/Mountain View, California — A.P. Moller – Maersk AS (OTC: AMKBY) and Kodiak Robotics, Inc., have launched the first commercial autonomous trucking lane between Houston and Oklahoma City. The freight lane marks an expansion of the collaboration between Kodiak and Maersk, which began with their first autonomous freight deliveries together in November 2022 as part of Maersk’s Global Innovation Center Program. Kodiak has been delivering eight loads per week, with a safety driver behind the wheel, for Maersk customers since August.

Kodiak and Maersk are completing four round trips per week on a 24-hour-a-day, four-day-a-week basis between a Houston facility, where consumer products are loaded onto 53-foot trailers, to a distribution center in Oklahoma City. Operational learnings gained from the activity are captured and documented as part of the Kodiak Partner Deployment Program, which is designed to help companies learn how Kodiak’s self-driving trucks can become an integral part of their overall logistics strategy and offerings.

Autonomous trucking solutions have the potential to address long-term challenges faced by the trucking industry. According to the American Trucking Association, the trucking industry faces a shortage of roughly 78,000 drivers. The ATA estimates that, based on current driver demographic trends, as well as projected growth in freight demand, the shortage could swell to more than 160,000 over the next decade.

Safety continues to be a perennial challenge for the trucking industry as well. U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) research also estimates that 94% of crashes occur due to human error. For Kodiak, safety and performance are foundational to its autonomous trucking solution. Each vehicle is equipped with 18 different sensors, including cameras, radar, and lidar, that provide the platform with a 360-degree view around the truck. Every tenth of a second, the truck evaluates the performance of more than 1,000 safety-critical processes and components in both the self-driving stack and the underlying truck platform. The trucks learn in parallel, with system upgrades shared to the entire fleet simultaneously, and are not subject to environmental distractions.

Eve and Moviation Sign Letter of Intent for First eVTOL Urban ATM for South Korea

October 1, 2023 / WIL BALDWIN

Melbourne, Florida, September 28, 2023 – Eve Air Mobility (NYSE: EVE) and Moviation, South Korea’s first Urban Air Mobility (UAM) service provider, announced the signature of a Letter of Intent to purchase Eve’s Urban ATM solution. The software solution will be a key enabler to the implementation and scalability of Urban Air Mobility (UAM) and provides critical traffic management services that will play an essential role in enabling the global UAM market to scale.

The agreement comes as Eve’s Urban ATM (Air Traffic Management) concept has been adopted as part of Korea’s K-UAM Grand Challenge. The Challenge is a phased demonstration program in which Urban Air Mobility (UAM) vehicle safety and traffic management solutions are tested in urban conditions and environments for suitability to support the commercialization of UAM in 2025.

From before take-off to after landing, the urban air environment will count on integrated systems, services and technologies being developed by Eve to enable the safe launch of an efficient and predictable ecosystem to support eVTOL operations alongside many other airspace users. In the future, the advancement of infrastructure and regulation will rely on these network management services to enable autonomous flight.

Airbus unveils PioneerLab twin engine flying laboratory

September 25, 2023 / WIL BALDWIN

Hamburg, Germany, September 25, 2023 – During the German National Aviation Conference in Hamburg, Airbus Group SE (Paris: AIR) Helicopters unveiled the PioneerLab, its new twin-engine technology demonstrator based on the H145 platform. It complements Airbus’ range of FlightLabs and focuses on testing technologies that reduce helicopter emissions, increase autonomy and integrate bio-based materials.

The PioneerLab aims to demonstrate a fuel reduction of up to 30% compared to a conventional H145, thanks to a hybrid electric propulsion system and aerodynamic
improvements. Aboard the demonstrator, Airbus Helicopters will also flight-test structural components made from bio-based and recycled materials, which aim to reduce the
environmental footprint across the entire aircraft life cycle. The company intends to produce the new parts using processes that reduce material and energy consumption and improve recyclability. Further research activities will include the integration of the latest digital technologies into the aircraft’s flight control system and associated sensors to increase autonomy and safety during critical flight phases such as take-off and landing.

PioneerLab is partially co-funded by the BMWK, the Federal German Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Actions through its national research program LuFo. Airbus Helicopters’ FlightLabs provide agile and efficient test beds to quickly test technologies. They are part of the company’s strategy to bring incremental innovation to improve its current products and as well as to mature technology for future platforms.

The PioneerLab’s flight campaign has already begun at the manufacturer’s largest German site in Donauwörth, with a rotor strike alerting system being the first techno-brick tested on board the demonstrator. The next phase will be to test an automated take-off and landing system.

Regional Express Holdings Ltd (REX) takes delivery of airline’s ninth Boeing 737-800NG

September 24, 2023 / WIL BALDWIN

Rex-Media-Release-9-25-23

Textron Aviation and NetJets sign fleet agreement for up to 1,500 Cessna Citation jets

September 20, 2023 / WIL BALDWIN

September 20, 2023, – NetJets named launch customer for the new Cessna Citation Ascend

Wichita, Kansas, Business Wire – Textron Aviation (NYSE: TXT) and NetJets, a Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRKa) today announced a record-breaking fleet agreement for the option for NetJets to purchase up to 1,500 additional Cessna Citation business jets over the next 15 years. This agreement extends NetJets’ existing fleet agreement, and includes options for an increasing number of aircraft each year, enabling NetJets to expand its fleet with Cessna Citation Ascend, Citation Latitude and Citation Longitude aircraft. Equally exciting is the announcement that NetJets has been named the fleet launch customer for Textron Aviation’s newest jet — the Citation Ascend. Deliveries of the Citation Ascend are expected to begin in 2025 when the aircraft, currently under development, is expected to enter into service.

Since the inception of the more than 40-year relationship between the companies, NetJets has taken delivery of more than 800 aircraft from Textron Aviation, including exercising over 300 options for Citation Latitudes and Longitudes during the past eight years. This enduring relationship equips discerning customers with class-leading, safe, and reliable aviation travel experiences worldwide. Through the years, NetJets has owned and operated industry-leading Citations including the Citation SII, V, Excel/XLS, Sovereign, X, Latitude and Longitude models.

The Citation series of business jets has evolved to offer an unmatched range of capabilities, systems and options that allow customers to expand their business reach. More than 30 Citation models have been certified over the 50-year history of the Citation line. There are currently six Citation models in production: Citation M2 Gen2,Citation CJ3+, Citation CJ4 Gen2, Citation XLS Gen2, Citation Latitude and Citation Longitude, with the Citation Ascend under development.

Joby Aviation selects Dayton, Ohio for first scaled manufacturing facility

September 19, 2023 / WIL BALDWIN

Santa Cruz, California and Dayton, Ohio, September 18, 2023 — Joby Aviation, Inc. (NYSE: JOBY), a company developing electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft for commercial passenger service, today announced it plans to locate its first scaled aircraft production facility in Dayton, Ohio, the birthplace of aviation.

The Wright Brothers, who invented and flew the first powered aircraft, lived and worked in Dayton and opened the first airplane factory in the United States there in 1910. The city is also home to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, and the headquarters of the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratories which has played a key role in supporting Joby’s development.

Joby plans to build a facility capable of delivering up to 500 aircraft per year at the Dayton International Airport, supporting up to 2,000 jobs. The 140-acre site it has selected has the potential to support significant further growth over time, providing enough land to build up to two million square feet of manufacturing space. Construction of the scaled Ohio facility is expected to start in 2024 and it is expected to come online in 2025. Joby plans to use existing nearby buildings to begin near-term operations.

The State of Ohio, JobsOhio and local political subdivisions have offered incentives and benefits of up to $325 million to support the development of the facility, while Joby plans to invest up to $500 million as it scales operations at the site. Joby is also announcing today that it has been invited by the U.S. Department of Energy to submit a Part II Application for financing under the Title XVII Loan Guarantee Program, which provides access to low-interest loans for clean energy projects and would support the scaling of the facility.

Joby’s long-term investor, Toyota, who worked with Joby on the design and successful launch of the company’s Pilot Production Line in Marina, California, plans to continue to advise Joby as it prepares for scaled production of its commercial passenger air taxi in Ohio.

Click the link below to watch the Joby aircraft rollout!

Airbus delivers first C295 to India

September 13, 2023 / WIL BALDWIN

Seville, Spain, September 13, 2023 – Airbus Group SE (Paris: AIR) Defence and Space has officially handed over in fly-away condition the first of 56 C295 aircraft to the Indian Air Force (IAF) to begin replacing its ageing Avro 748 fleet.

The C295, in transport configuration and with an indigenous electronic warfare suite, will leave Airbus’ production site in Seville, Spain, for Delhi, India, in the next few days, piloted by a joint IAF and Airbus crew.

The first 16 C295’s of the 56 aircraft on order will be assembled at the San Pablo Sur site in Seville, Spain, with the second aircraft due to be delivered in May 2024 and the next 14 rolled out at a rate of one per month until August 2025.

First C295 ‘Make in India’ in 2026

To boost self-reliance in the defence-manufacturing sector in India, the remaining 40 C295s of the IAF order will be manufactured and assembled – in partnership with Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) – at a Final Assembly Line (FAL) in Vadodara in western India.

The production of components of these aircraft has already started in the Main Constituent Assembly (MCA) facility in Hyderabad, southern India. These parts will be shipped to the Vadovara FAL, which is expected to be operational by November 2024.

The first ‘Make in India’ C295 will roll out of the Vadodara FAL in September 2026 in what will be a milestone for the Indian aerospace industry; the final aircraft expected to be delivered to the IAF by August 2031.

BAE Systems & L3Harris deliver first EC-37B Compass Call aircraft to the U.S. Air Force

September 12, 2023 / WIL BALDWIN

BAE Systems PLC (London: BAES) and L3Harris Technologies Inc. (NYSE: LXH) delivered the first of 10 EC-37B Compass Call aircraft to the U.S. Air Force for formal combined developmental and operational testing. The next-generation system evolves the Air Force’s 40-year mission of employing electromagnetic attack (EA) capabilities in support of U.S. and coalition air, surface, and special operations forces.

Mission system prime BAE Systems produces the Compass Call Airborne Electromagnetic Attack mission system at its Hudson, New Hampshire facility. The system disrupts enemy communications, radars and navigation systems, and suppresses enemy air defenses by preventing the transmission of essential information between adversaries, weapon systems and command-and-control networks.

Platform integration prime L3Harris integrated the EC-130H Compass Call mission system into a modern Gulfstream G550 business jet at its Waco, Texas aircraft missionization center. The EC-37B has increased speed, endurance and high-altitude operation for improved survivability and range to deliver EA effects.

Airbus and PHI Group sign for 20 H175 & 8 H160 helicopters

September 12, 2023 / WIL BALDWIN

Marignane, France, September 12, 2023 – Airbus Group SE (Paris: AIR) and PHI Group Inc (PHI) have signed a framework agreement that includes commitments for 20 super-medium H175 helicopters and 8 H160s to serve the energy market worldwide, including in the US. These 28 state-of-the-art helicopters will better position PHI to respond to the energy market’s expected growing offshore transportation needs. These commitments are composed of firm orders as well as purchase options that PHI may exercise during the course of the framework agreement.

PHI has been supporting the energy industry for 74 years. Today, PHI operates over 200 helicopters across the globe serving a number of markets, including energy and air medical. PHI’s Airbus fleet consists of H125, H135, H145, H160 and H175 family helicopters – with the H175 being the latest addition.

In service since 2015, Airbus’ H175 belongs to the super-medium class of helicopters, combining long-range with smooth flight qualities, making it the perfect solution for several mission profiles, including offshore crew change, public services, and private and business aviation. 54 H175s currently in service have accumulated around 195,000 flight hours, of which 170,000 are flying for the energy sector.

Designed as a multi-role helicopter capable of performing a wide range of missions, the H160 integrates Airbus’ latest technological innovations. With its light maintenance plan, the H160 optimises operating costs and offers a new standard in availability. The helicopter is powered by two of the latest Arrano engines from SafranHelicopter Engines that offer a 15% reduction in fuel burn. Both the H175 and H160 are already certified to fly with as much as 50% sustainable aviation fuel.

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