Advanced ground control station for eVTOL aircraft

Honeywell and Frequentis, an Austria-based global supplier of communication and information systems for control centers with safety-critical tasks, reached a major milestone in advancing operation of remotely piloted aircraft in European airspace as part of the SESAR Joint Undertaking Operate Anywhere (OperA) project consortium.

Through a successful flight test, Honeywell showcased a new ground control station for electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. Frequentis provided mission conformance monitoring and tactical conflict detection.

A two-display ground control station enabled the ground control station operator to receive commands originated by air traffic control through real-time data exchange with different systems. This development paves the way for safer and more efficient uncrewed aircraft operations.

Honeywell’s ground control station also demonstrated the initial implementation of a ground-based detect-and-avoid solution, a safety tool designed to make drone flights safer and more reliable. https://aerospace.honeywell.com; https://www.frequentis.com

Lyten to power UAV with US-manufactured Li-S batteries

Lithium-sulfur (Li-S) battery technology company Lyten and manned and unmanned systems and services provider AEVEX Aerospace are partnering to demonstrate, manufacture, and deliver unmanned air vehicles (UAVs) powered by Li-S batteries. The California companies’ goal is to deliver lighter-weight and longer-range UAVs that are the first to comply with the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) domestic battery sourcing restrictions prohibiting the U.S. Department of Defense from procuring batteries or battery components after October 2027 from Chinese manufacturers. https://lyten.com; https://aevex.com/unmanned-systems