After completing the world’s first electric air taxi flights in Guangzhou and Hefei in December, EHang on Sunday made debut passenger carrying flights in the city of Taiyuan.

The trips, completed using EHang’s self-flying EH216-S air taxi, follow the company’s delivery of 10 aircraft to Xishan Tourism, which in May signed a purchase order for 50 units. The companies have a tentative agreement for EHang to deliver 450 aircraft over the next two years, with an eye toward launching aerial tourism and sightseeing services across North China.

“We have gradually delivered EH216-S by batches to Taiyuan, Hefei, Wuxi, Wencheng, Zhuhai, and other places, and are actively assisting our local partners who are creating application scenarios to obtain [air operator certification],” said Zhao Wang, chief operating officer of EHang.

EHang received its own air operator certificate last week from China’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAAC).

The province of Shanxi, in which Taiyuan is located, has been designated by the Chinese government as a national demonstration province for the country’s low-altitude economy, an analog to the advanced air mobility (AAM) industry forming in the U.S. and elsewhere. Taiyuan is the region’s capital and largest city and is considered a political and economic center.

The measure subsidizes regular, low-altitude tourism flights in the region, as well as the construction of infrastructure and other capabilities needed for routine service.

“Taiyuan is a national civil unmanned aerial vehicle test zone, with the foundation and advantages to develop the aviation industry, and will actively seize the lead in the emerging low-altitude economy industry,” said Jicheng Yang, executive vice mayor of Taiyuan and a member of the city’s municipal committee. “Taiyuan will enhance policy support, essential guarantees, and innovation capabilities, and promote the deep integration of technological innovation and the low-altitude economy.”

Xishan Tourism plans to use the designation to launch low-altitude sightseeing and tourism routes to local sites such as Yuquan Mountain, Paddy Field Park, and Juewei Mountain.

On Sunday, two EH216-S aircraft, carrying two passengers each, took off and flew autonomously from Paddy Field Park in a ceremony attended by regional government officials and industry experts. Two of the passengers were officials within the newly formed Taiyuan Xishan Ecological Tourism Demonstration Zone.

Xishan Tourism, though, said it is still working toward “regular operation”—in other words, the flights are not yet routine, as is the case in Guangzhou and Hefei.

“Xishan Tourism plans to collaborate with EHang and other partners on low-altitude scenarios of air mobility, tourism, and public services to establish multiple flight camps or landing pads, alongside various low-altitude sightseeing routes for pilotless eVTOL within Taiyuan and nearby scenic areas,” said Yaozong Chang, chairman of Xishan Tourism. “We aim to build an urban low-altitude tourism mobility network and a new urban air traffic management system, and to establish a low-altitude economy industrial park.”

EHang at the event also demonstrated its longer-range, passenger-carrying VT-30, firefighting EH216-F, and EH216-L for cargo logistics.

All four aircraft were on display in the Middle East in May, when the manufacturer completed that region’s first passenger carrying eVTOL flights in the United Arab Emirates.

The company’s flagship EH216-S is the first and only eVTOL design to receive type certification from a national aviation regulator, the CAAC. The regulator in December also handed the EH216-S the world’s first eVTOL airworthiness certification and in April gave the green light for EHang to begin mass manufacturing the model.

That puts the company well ahead of competitors in the U.S. such as Archer Aviation and Joby Aviation, which are building piloted air taxis but have yet to obtain any of those three approvals. Both companies are targeting commercial rollouts in 2025.

Like EHang, Boeing air taxi subsidiary Wisk Aero is building a self-flying design but does not expect it to fly commercially until the end of the decade.

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At the Farnborough International Airshow in the U.K., Eve unveiled its first full-scale eVTOL air taxi prototype, assembled at Embraer’s test facility in Brazil’s São Paulo state.

In the U.S., Archer Aviation was the first to hit that milestone, followed shortly after by Joby Aviation and Overair. German eVTOL manufacturers Lilium and Volocopter each have rolled out full-scale prototypes as well, as has China’s EHang.

Eve’s 100 percent electric design now joins them. The lift-plus-cruise model is built to fly up to four passengers and a pilot on 60 sm (52 nm) air taxi routes in and around major cities. It will be piloted at launch, but the company intends to transition to uncrewed operations in the future.

The air taxi includes eight dedicated propellers for vertical flight and fixed wings for cruise, as well as an electric pusher powered by dual electric motors.

Eve seeks to introduce the aircraft commercially in 2026, in line with many of its competitors. The company received proposed airworthiness criteria, a key step toward that goal, from Brazil’s National Civil Aviation Agency (ANAC) in December.

“Our global team of engineers have shown exceptional dedication and expertise to successfully assemble our first full-scale eVTOL prototype,” said Johann Bordais, CEO of Eve. “This is a significant milestone that underscores our commitment to safety, accessibility and innovation.”

Eve is building its flagship air taxi using components and systems from a massive network of suppliers, and it announced two more at Farnborough: Diehl Aviation will design the eVTOL’s interior, while electric aerospace systems provider ASE will supply a power distribution system. Other Eve suppliers include Honeywell, Thales, Garmin, and BAE Systems.

On Tuesday at the airshow, the manufacturer announced another key collaborator, the smart infrastructure arm of technology conglomerate Siemens. The partners will work to gauge just how much energy an eVTOL network will require, as well as the best way to get that energy into the aircraft.

“The results and insights that Siemens and Eve Air Mobility will gain from this collaborative effort are expected to inform our strategy in preparing the ecosystem and developing services at scale for customers in the U.S. and, potentially, around the world,” said Luiz Mauad, vice president of customer services at Eve.

Eve last year announced the site of its first eVTOL manufacturing plant, where it intends to produce as many as 480 aircraft annually. Per the manufacturer’s fourth-quarter 2023 earnings report in March, it has an order pipeline of 2,850 aircraft, with the total value of nonbinding orders exceeding $8 billion.

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Electra picked Honeywell to provide the flight control computers and electromechanical actuators for its nine-passenger eSTOL design. In addition, Honeywell said it made a “strategic financial investment” in Electra, the value of which was not disclosed.

“Our ability to preintegrate multiple subsystems will not only help reduce the time it takes to install and integrate these technologies, but it will also enable Electra to expedite and streamline production of its groundbreaking eSTOL aircraft,” said Dave Shilliday, president of Honeywell Aerospace Technologies’ advanced air mobility (AAM) arm.

The company’s AAM business has racked up $10 billion worth of contracts and added customers such as Lilium, Boom Supersonic, and Heart Aerospace.

Electra’s flagship model makes use of a unique blown lift propulsion system, which redirects airflows downward to enable takeoffs at neighborhood driving speeds. The hybrid-electric design is expected to require just 150 feet of runway, with no electric chargers necessary. The manufacturer seeks to achieve certification under FAA Part 23 regulations by 2028.

Honeywell’s compact fly-by-wire flight control computer, which it describes as the “brains” of the aircraft, will be a key piece of Electra’s full-scale model. It is a fraction of the size and weight of typical computers on larger aircraft, the company says, drawing less power by comparison. The technology is intended to reduce turbulence by dynamically adjusting the eSTOL’s electric motors, replacing hydraulics and control cables.

The electromechanical actuators are similarly light and compact despite having 10 percent greater power density than most other actuators on the market, by Honeywell’s estimate. These take electronic commands from the pilot or onboard flight system, convert them to mechanical force, and use it to move control surfaces such as flaps.

The agreement to supply the two components was accompanied by an undisclosed investment from Honeywell Ventures, the firm’s venture capital arm.

“The investment supports collaboration between the two companies, reinforcing Honeywell’s commitment to advanced air mobility and the future of sustainable flight,” Honeywell said Wednesday.

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On Wednesday at the Farnborough International Airshow in the U.K., the company announced it received a preorder for 100 Integrity air taxis from Australia’s Wilbur Air, a recently launched operating subsidiary of eVTOL infrastructure specialist Skyportz.

Skyportz has been developing a network of vertiports—akin to heliports but with electric chargers for eVTOL aircraft—to be built across Australia for the past half decade. Wilbur, which also has plans to fly U.S. manufacturer Electra’s hybrid-electric short takeoff and landing (eSTOL) aircraft, will operate Crisalion’s Integrity across that network.

The zero-emission air taxi, designed to seat as many as five passengers plus a pilot, has an expected range of 80 sm (70 nm) when cruising at about 70 knots with a payload of around 880 pounds.

Its calling card is the company’s FlyFree propulsion system, which comprises 16 motors arranged in two arms on either side of the aircraft and running on lithium-ion batteries.

“Each arm can independently adjust its thrust vector in both pitch and roll, using the differential thrust of the motors,” Crisalion said.

The firm says the patented design is meant to boost stability across phases of flight, including in adverse weather.

Additionally, the aircraft’s interior can be configured to support passenger transport, aerial tourism, logistics, and emergency situations.

Crisalion expects to certify Integrity in 2028 ahead of a 2030 commercial rollout. Wednesday’s preorder agreement is the company’s first in the Australian market.

Skyportz on its website displays a large map of potential hubs in its planned vertiport network, which includes several locations in Europe, Latin America, and the U.S. Those markets may be the next to see Integrity fly under the partnership.

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The German firm on Wednesday announced it will work with Groupe ADP, which manages 23 airports around the world, including Paris’ Charles de Gaulle Airport (LFPG) and Le Bourget Airport (LFPB), to prepare eVTOL infrastructure in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.

Separately, at the Farnborough International Airshow in the U.K., Lilium on Tuesday signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with SEA Milan, which operates the Italian city’s airports, and vertiport developer Skyports Infrastructure to build a Lilium Jet network in Italy’s Lombardy region.

These regions are envisioned as early launch markets for the Lilium Jet, a zero-emission, six-passenger design capable of cruising at 162 knots on city-to-city trips spanning 25-125 sm (22-109 nm).

Groupe ADP, working with fellow German eVTOL manufacturer Volocopter, is developing an air taxi network connecting five vertiports across the Paris region, including at Charles de Gaulle and Le Bourget.

The original plan was for air taxi public transport and tourism routes to be ready for the 2024 Olympic Games, which open Friday in Paris, though that appears to be out the window. The French government signed off on heavily restricted, nonpassenger carrying flights, but Paris’ city council said it will fight the authorization in court.

Although it looks like the Paris Olympics won’t quite be the eVTOL launchpad for which Groupe ADP had hoped, it could make history by bringing the Lilium Jet to the region. With a projected commercial launch in 2026, the jet—which takes off like a helicopter but cruises on fixed wings—will likely be the first of its kind to hit the market.

“It is becoming increasingly clear that some of the very first eVTOL flights will happen in France, and this partnership brings that milestone closer into view,” said Sebastian Borel, chief commercial officer of Lilium. “Groupe ADP has an impressive portfolio of airports, both in France and around the world, in markets that will be key to Lilium’s commercial operations.”

Earlier this year, Lilium said it was in “advanced talks” with the French government to install manufacturing facilities in the country. It is also collaborating with Aéroports de la Côte d’Azur and vertiport developer UrbanV to create a network in the French Riviera.

Groupe ADP will now work to accommodate the six-passenger design, which is significantly larger than Volocopter’s air taxi, at vertiports throughout Paris.

“We are thrilled to officialize the work we have been conducting with Lilium to ensure the development of new services by eVTOL in the Paris region and worldwide,” said Edward Arkwright, deputy CEO of Groupe ADP.

The partnership will also extend to Turkey, India, and Saudi Arabia, where Lilium is planning another network with flag carrier Saudia. The airline this month agreed to purchase 100 Lilium Jets. On Monday at Farnborough, the manufacturer said it signed an MOU with Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) to prepare eVTOL regulations in the country.

Italy is set to be another important market for Lilium as the company partners with SEA Milan and Skyports to serve the Lombardy region, home to an estimated one-fifth of the country’s population. The manufacturer, airport operator, and infrastructure specialist hope to bring a network online by 2027.

“We’ve been working with our partners at SEA for some time, and we’re excited to prepare to open the doors of our vertiports and see eVTOL aircraft take flight over Lombardy,” said Duncan Walker, CEO of Skyports.

SEA will manage airport hubs and will operate vertiports jointly with Skyports, which will lead the development and construction of the sites. An initial route will connect Milan Malpensa Airport (LIMC) with the Milan city center.

In 2022, Lilium secured an order for 12 jets from operator Globe Air, which plans to fly them in the French Riviera and Italy—it’s unclear whether these aircraft will be part of the planned network.

The German manufacturer also has plans for the U.S. With newly established operating partner UrbanLink Air Mobility, it intends to fly in Florida, California, and the Caribbean U.S. territory of Puerto Rico.

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On Monday at the Farnborough International Airshow in the U.K., Wisk, in an expansion of its partnership with vertiport developer Skyports, announced an electric air taxi network that it hinted could be ready in time for the marquee event.

Wisk and Skyports in 2022 gave an early look at their vision for an eVTOL air taxi network, complete with infrastructure for vertical takeoff and landing, or vertiports. They will function much like heliports with electric aircraft chargers to juice up Wisk’s air taxi.

The partners now are working with the Council of Mayors of Australia’s South East Queensland (SEQ) region, with which Wisk has collaborated since 2022, to devise a network for the company’s Generation 6 model.

A prototype of the flagship design has a range of 90 sm (78 nm) with reserves and charge time of 15 minutes. Like designs from competitors Archer Aviation and Joby Aviation, the Gen 6 features tilting propellers that aid in both vertical and forward flight. Wisk, though, is one of a handful of firms in the industry looking to fly autonomously at launch. It projects a commercial rollout will happen by the end of the decade.

Wisk and Skyports will pick out hubs for the air taxi across the SEQ region, home to an estimated 4 million and growing. The partners said they will study regional travel patterns, conduct feasibility studies, and speak with local communities about what to expect from the service.

They also noted that the region is already preparing for the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic games, saying they expect to plan out air taxi infrastructure in time for the big event.

“We’re excited to see this evolving industry bring high-value local jobs to SEQ and support improved services like medical and tourism,” said Scott Smith, CEO of the SEQ Council of Mayors. “To secure our place as a global destination, we must be at the forefront of adopting emerging technologies.”

Wisk is developing a similar network in Japan in partnership with flag carrier Japan Airlines.

It likewise has plans for the U.S. in the Greater Houston region of Texas and is working toward bringing the Gen 6 to Long Beach, California. Officials in Los Angeles are preparing for the introduction of air taxis ahead of the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games, though it is unclear if Wisk will meet that deadline.

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The manufacturer has begun ground testing a new, more advanced full-scale prototype of its flagship VX4 air taxi after an initial prototype was damaged during an uncrewed flight test last year.

A failed pylon affected the way the aircraft’s flight control system communicated with its motors, causing it to tumble from about 30 feet in the air onto the runway at Cotswold Airport (EGBP) in the U.K.

Vertical’s latest prototype air taxi is more powerful, capable of reaching 150 mph—the intended cruise speed for its flagship model—courtesy of an improved power-to-weight ratio. It features new propellers, which were developed prior to last year’s crash, and proprietary battery technology manufactured at a dedicated facility in Bristol.

Sixty percent of the aircraft’s technology and components come from suppliers including Honeywell, Leonardo, GKN Aerospace, Hanwha, and Molicel, compared to 10 percent on the first prototype. The company is also developing an identical prototype.

The new aircraft and its systems have been tested and commissioned, and Vertical has already completed initial ground testing, including propeller balancing and spinning tests that measure the weight distribution of each blade. The next step will be powered propulsion system testing of the air taxi’s powertrain and battery packs, during which the engines will be run while the vehicle is anchored. 

After that, Vertical will need to secure a permit to fly from the U.K.’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), which will allow it to move to the “wheels up” phase: crewed testing of tethered aircraft and low-speed untethered flights. It will also need to perform thrustborne, wingborne, and transition flights, demonstrating that the aircraft can maneuver and gain lift as expected.

The manufacturer’s type certification safety target is the same as that for commercial airliners. Its flagship model will enable a pilot to fly as many as four passengers up to 100 sm (87 nm) while producing zero operating emissions and just 50 dBA of noise during cruise, which the company says allows it to fit seamlessly within an urban soundscape. The firm claims it will be capable of flying from Miami to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in only 11 minutes.

Despite suffering a crash, Vertical continues to receive support from the U.K. government, which in February awarded it $10 million to develop its next-generation propellers. The allocation brings the manufacturer’s total U.K. government grant funding received to $47 million

Vertical founder Stephen Fitzpatrick also committed $50 million to the company, which he predicted would keep it liquid through mid-2025. The money will be used to support the aircraft testing and certification process, which the manufacturer hopes to complete by the end of 2026.

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Lilium, manufacturer of the seven-seat Lilium Jet, on Thursday announced that Saudia Group—owner of Saudia, the flag carrier of Saudi Arabia and one of the largest airlines in the region—signed a binding sales agreement for the purchase of 50 aircraft, with an option for 50 more. Saudia expects to receive its first jets in 2026.

The deal follows a 2022 memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed by the partners, with plans to establish an eVTOL network across Saudi Arabia.

“The Middle East is a priority for Lilium, and Saudi Arabia will be a very large and exciting market for electric, high-speed regional air mobility,” said Lilium CEO Klaus Roewe.

According to Lilium, the purchase agreement is the largest of its kind for the Middle East-North Africa (MENA) region. Archer Aviation, an eVTOL air taxi manufacturer, earlier this year signed a nonbinding agreement with the United Arab Emirates’ Air Chateau for 100 aircraft.

The signing of Lilium’s deal with Saudia, which includes payment schedules, delivery timelines, performance guarantees, and provisions for maintenance, spare parts, and repairs, was attended by Michael Kindsgrab, Germany’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia.

Saudia will operate the jets through its Saudia Private subsidiary, while Lilium will provide fleet maintenance and support through its recently launched customer service offering. The airline will also assist the manufacturer in certification efforts with Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA).

“The eVTOL jets are revolutionizing guest transportation,” said Ibrahim Al-Omar, director general of Saudia. “Their unique vertical takeoff and landing capabilities open up entirely new routes. Imagine traveling up to [108 miles] at speeds of [155 miles] per hour, saving valuable time compared to traditional options. This technology also tackles traffic congestion head-on. Business travelers and exhibition attendees will benefit tremendously from the ease and speed of electric aircraft, allowing them to seamlessly attend and participate in events.”

Al-Omar said use cases for the aircraft will include tourism, sports, entertainment, business conferences, and events out of Saudia hubs in cities like Riyadh and Jeddah.

The companies said they may even ferry worshippers to Mecca during the Hajj and Umrah pilgrimages, which attract millions every year but frequently result in deaths due to heat and crowd density. Lilium and Saudia expect the eVTOL jets will alleviate some of that congestion and reduce travel times by as much as 90 percent.

Other eVTOL manufacturers looking to fly in the country include Joby Aviation, Bristow Group, and Volocopter.

According to Lilium, the company’s order portfolio now includes more than 100 firm orders, 76 options, and hundreds of tentative orders under MOUs. Customers include ASL Group, PhilJets, and UrbanLink Air Mobility, a newly formed company that plans to fly the Lilium Jet in Florida, California, and the Caribbean.

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Four projects intended to study potential AAM use cases and guide Michigan lawmakers as they regulate the industry have received a total of $6.25 million in funding. AAM is an umbrella term used by the FAA to denote new forms of passenger- and cargo-carrying aircraft, from drones to electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) air taxis.

The $2.6 million will be allocated to electric aircraft and charging station developer Beta Technologies. The remaining funds will be divided among drone infrastructure developer Skyports ($512,000); Traverse Connect, the economic developer for the state’s Great Traverse region ($689,500); and Michigan Central, a transportation technology campus located in Detroit ($2.45 million).

The money comes from the Michigan AAM Activation Fund, which has the combined backing of the state’s Department of Transportation (MDOT), Office of Future Mobility and Electrification (OFME), and Economic Development Corporation (MEDC). The fund aims to prepare Michigan for the arrival of AAM aircraft by coordinating state agencies.

“Advanced air mobility is an incredible economic opportunity for the state of Michigan,” said Gilchrist. “These investments create high-tech jobs, grow cutting-edge businesses, and enhance quality of life for our residents. These innovative advancements will elevate the way our companies operate, making air transportation more efficient and changing the way we move both people and cargo.”

Added Bradley Wieferich, Michigan state transportation director: “This new investment complements the state’s strategy to find safe and cost-efficient ways to capitalize on a robust network of aviation infrastructure serving Michiganders today.”

Beta will use its $2.6 million appropriation to install electric aircraft chargers statewide, including at Cherry Capital Airport (KTVC), Capital Region International Airport (KLAN), West Michigan Regional Airport (KBIV), and Willow Run Airport (KYIP).

The company is developing systems that adhere to the combined charging standard (CCS), a set of design protocols endorsed by Beta, the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA), and other manufacturers such as Archer Aviation and Boeing’s Wisk Aero. So far, Beta has about 20 chargers installed and online in the Eastern U.S., with another 50 or so in the construction or permitting process.

Skyports will use its money to launch a trio of proof-of-concept, ship-to-shore drone delivery services in the cities of Sault Ste. Marie and Detour Village, in partnership with local shipping provider Interlake Steamships. The ships will be anchored while drones arrive to pick up deliveries.

Traverse Connect, with an assortment of partners, will examine the use of drones to deliver critical medical supplies to rural areas, which typically have less access to the U.S. healthcare system. The drones will also be deployed for marine surveying, water sampling and testing, bathymetric mapping, and emergency response in the Lake Michigan area.

Michigan Central, meanwhile, has been tasked with improving Michigan’s recently announced advanced aerial innovation region, an urban campus that was opened to bring AAM companies and jobs to the state. It will also work alongside Brooklyn’s Newlab, a technology center best known for revitalizing the Brooklyn Navy Yard, to test beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) drone use cases across building inspection, cargo delivery, and medical delivery.

“Michiganders have always been pioneers in the mobility space, and now we’re taking to the skies, finding new ways to use next-generation transportation to deliver critical resources like medical supplies and food, reinforcing international partnerships and cross-border collaboration, and so much more,” said Justine Johnson, Michigan chief mobility officer.

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On Monday, the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) announced that it and the Air Mobility Command (AMC), which provides aerial refueling and airlift services for U.S. forces worldwide, began testing a UAS traffic management (UTM) system at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida.

The system, called CLUE, or Collaborative Low-Altitude Unmanned Aircraft System Integration Effort, is designed to integrate UAS flights next to crewed aircraft above and around Air Force installations. According to the AFRL, MacDill is the first base to use a UTM system in airspace overseen by Department of Defense air traffic controllers.

“This is a significant milestone for AMC, AFRL, and the CLUE program, as the MacDill Air Traffic Control Tower and Base Defense Operations Center are first in the Air Force to operationally assess UTM capabilities,” said Phil Zaleski, manager of the AFRL CLUE program.

CLUE was born out of the AFRL’s Information Directorate as a project meant to provide “air domain awareness, situational awareness, and UTM operational capabilities for UAS operators, air traffic control [ATC] personnel, Security Forces and other stakeholders.”

The system arrived at MacDill in 2022, where initial testing focused on airspace deconfliction, communication, and security. The goal was to enable drone flights beyond the visual line of sight (BVLOS) of the operator, which are heavily scrutinized and restricted by the FAA.

Since then, the UTM platform has been developed to give air traffic controllers a three-dimensional view of UAS activity and make it possible to grant flight permissions automatically.

“Equipping airspace managers and UAS operators with a 3D operational viewing capability and additional features designed to reduce lengthy manual and advanced planning procedures will be critical to achieving real-time flight planning and mission execution,” said James Layton, chief of plans and programs at MacDill.

The system is also sensor-agnostic, meaning it integrates with an array of different sensors designed to detect, track, and identify drones, including a counter UAS system being tested at MacDill.

The Air Force in May began formally testing CLUE’s capabilities on the base, opening it to the site’s ATC tower, Defense Operations Center, and airfield management team. Personnel so far have used the system to plan the intent of UAS flights or let operators know where they are approved to fly a drone, for example.

Operators ask CLUE for the all clear to fly, and their request is either approved or denied by the control tower. Once permission is granted, they can fly within a bounded area. CLUE feeds the operators information about the airspace and other nearby aircraft, helping them stay within the approved zone while avoiding other drones.

The UTM system has also been installed at Eglin AFB’s Duke Field (KEGI) in Florida, where the AFRL conducted a demonstration of its capabilities in 2023. There, CLUE will begin by integrating flights of small UAS (weighing less than 70 pounds) before moving to larger designs, including electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) air taxis such as Joby Aviation’s five-seat S4.

Joby, partnering with AFWERX, the Air Force’s innovation arm, earlier this year committed to deliver two air taxis to MacDill and has also shipped a prototype aircraft to Edwards AFB in California.

MacDill in May also hosted flights of a KC-135 Stratotanker equipped with an autonomous flight system from developer Merlin Labs, which is designed to one day enable fully remote flights. That technology, as well as systems from fellow AFWERX collaborators Xwing and Reliable Robotics, could one day be integrated into the CLUE UTM.

AFWERX and the AFRL are not the only government entities studying UTM systems. The Air Force is working with NASA to build a digital operations center for drones and electric air taxis nationwide and is collaborating with the FAA to integrate novel and uncrewed aircraft with air traffic control and other systems within the national airspace.

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