by Jessica Brownlow | May 9, 2025 | Connectivity, Flight Ops IT
Originally published on TotalTele
The three-year plan will see new telecoms equipment deployed at over 4,600 locations
This week, the US Department of Transport (DOT) has announced a new plan to upgrade the nation’s ‘antiquated’ air traffic control infrastructure.
The three-year ‘Brand New Air Traffic Control System Plan’ will includes upgrades throughout the system, from new hardware and software to the construction of six new air traffic control centres.
“Decades of neglect have left us with an outdated system that is showing its age. Building this new system is an economic and national security necessity, and the time to fix it is now,” said Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy in a statement.
The update will also include a major revamp of the system’s telecoms infrastructure, including “new fiber, wireless and satellite technologies at over 4,600 sites, 25,000 new radios and 475 new voice switches”.
The financial requirements for such an upgrade were not formally announced, but Duffy said that “billions” would be required from Congress to complete the project.
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by Jessica Brownlow | May 7, 2025 | Innovation
Industry 4.0 merges the digital and physical worlds, leveraging technologies like AI, automation, machine learning, data analytics, real-time decision making and more to transform how industries function. Digital Twin technology embodies this transformation driving new levels of productivity and optimisation across industries.
The UK Digital Twin Centre has been constructed to drive nationwide industrial innovation and officially opened at the start of the month. The Belfast-based innovation centre was the product of Digital Catapult, Belfast Region City Deal, and Innovate UK’s collaboration and has been positioned to catalyse the adoption of digital twin technology across critical sectors.
The Centre “offers a practical route to adoption” supporting programmes to unlock the value of digital twin technology where limited test environments and underdeveloped technology has made significant progress difficult to achieve.
At the opening, co-investing industry partners – Artemis Technologies, Spirit AeroSystems, and Thales UK showcased a few early stage applications of the digital twin tech, highlighting the value of cross-sector collaboration. For the first six-month Accelerator Programme, aerospace projects, as well as maritime and defence will be fast-tracked.
Speaking on the launch, Susan BowenCEO, Digital Catapult said:
“The UK Digital Twin Centre brings together our technical expertise, facilities, and networks to unlock the power of deep technologies. By connecting industries with cutting-edge technology through our programmes, we are enabling businesses to harness the full potential of digital twins–driving operational efficiencies, advancing sustainability, and sharpening the competitive edge of UK businesses.”
Find out more here.
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by Jessica Brownlow | Apr 30, 2025 | Innovation
Having amassed over 40,000 miles of test flights, Joby has now flown a full transition flight with a pilot onboard.
The California-based Joby Aviation has already successfully tested the electric, vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) air taxi’s design both remotely-piloted and in hover and low-speed flight. But this month, Joby signalled their confidence in the aircraft with the first pilot-on-board transition flight.
Demonstrating its ability to transition from vertical to cruise flight, and back again, the aircraft showcased its versatility in the performance, harnessing the benefits of both helicopters and airplanes.
Speaking on the achievement, Didier Papadopolous, President of Aircraft OEM at Joby, commented:
“Achieving this milestone is hugely significant for Joby. It not only demonstrates the high level of confidence we have in the performance of the aircraft as we prepare for commercial service in Dubai, it also paves the way to starting TIA flight testing with FAA pilots onboard […] We have taken a very methodical approach to achieving this long-planned milestone, with an immense amount of testing, both in the air and on the ground, helping form a solid foundation that allowed us to move from one historic flight to routine pilot-on-board transitions almost overnight.”
Having successfully completed this test on the 22nd April 2025, Joby has since got multiple transition flights under its belt with three different pilots. The first pilot, Joby Chief Test Pilot James “Buddy” Denham said:
“I’m honoured to have played a role in this historic moment. Designing and flying an aircraft that can seamlessly transition between vertical and cruise flight has long been considered one of the most challenging technological feats in aerospace, but our team has developed and built an aircraft that makes it feel like an everyday task. The aircraft flew exactly as expected, with excellent handling qualities and low pilot workload.”
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by Jessica Brownlow | Apr 28, 2025 | BUZZ, Innovation
After first announcing plans in July for Airbus to acquire several of Spirit AeroSystems’ assets and facilities, a definitive agreement been the pair has been reached today. The break up of Spirit has prompted an unusual strategic cooperation between the world’s largest aircraft manufacturers, Airbus and Boeing, as they work to secure critical parts of the aerospace supply chain.
Spirit AeroSystems was established in 2005 and became one of the world’s largest manufacturers of aerostructures for commercial airplanes, defence platforms, and business/regional jets. Following its financial struggles, it will be bought back by Boeing at $4.7 billion, over 20 years after first spinning it off.
In February, Spirit reported losses of over half a billion dollars.
Under the terms of the agreement, Airbus will acquiring the production of wing components for A320 and A350 in Prestwick, Scotland and take ownership of the following assets:
- The site of Kinston, North Carolina, U.S. (A350 fuselage sections);
- The site of St. Nazaire, France (A350 fuselage sections);
- The site of Casablanca, Morocco (A321 and A220 components);
- The production of A220 pylons in Wichita, Kansas, U.S.;
- The production of A220 wings in Belfast, Northern Ireland; and
- The production of the A220 mid-fuselage in Belfast, Northern Ireland, unless Spirit AeroSystems identifies a suitable buyer for the part of the site where these activities are located.
As part of the deal, Spirit will pay $439 million to Airbus, while a memorandum of agreement will see Airbus provide Spirit with a $200 million loan that will be used to support Airbus programmes.
The official transfer of operations is scheduled for the third quarter of 2025.
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by Jessica Brownlow | Apr 23, 2025 | Connectivity, Innovation
As the industry prepares for new aircraft like autonomous air taxis and delivery drones to enter airspace, the importance of reliable communications links is more critical that ever. NASA is driving innovation in this space leading ground-breaking research changing how these next-generation aircraft will stay connected.
Glenn researcher Bryan Schoenholz explained:
“If an autonomous air taxi or drone flight loses its communications link, we have a very unsafe situation. We can’t afford a ‘dropped call’ up there because that connection is critical to the safety of the flight.”
To tackle this, researchers at NASA have been developing and testing an aerodynamic, reliable communication solution that is embedded into the skin of an aircraft. This “ultra-lightweight” antenna uses one of the lightest solid materials in the world.
Designed to be integrated into the skin of an aircraft, the antenna lays flat against the surface, minimising drag while maintaining a strong and steady satellite connection. This new system, known as an “active phased array aerogel antenna,” electronically steers its radio beam with pinpoint accuracy to maintain a reliable link, even at high speeds or during complex manoeuvres.
Yesterday, NASA released an announcement that described the aerogel as:
Made up of flexible, high-performance plastics known as polymers. The design features high air content (95 per cent) and offers a combination of light weight and strength. Researchers can adjust its properties to achieve either the flexibility of plastic wrap or the rigidity of plexiglass.
NASA sandwiched a layer of aerogel between a small circuit board and an array of thin, circular copper cells, then topped the design off with a type of film known for its electrical insulation properties. This innovation is known at NASA and in the aviation community as an active phased array aerogel antenna.
The material has already undergone a series of tests. These include mounting a rigid version of the antenna on a small aircraft last summer and ground tests in October where the antenna was used to successfully connect with both Low Earth orbit satellites and Geostationary satellites.
With the integration of new aircraft looming close on the horizon, technologies like NASA’s aerogel antenna could play a crucial role in building a safe, connected, and efficient future.
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