Toulouse, 1 February 2023 - Qatar Airways and Airbus are pleased to have reached an amicable and mutually agreeable settlement in relation to their legal dispute over A350 surface degradation and the grounding of A350 aircraft.
A repair project is now underway and both parties look forward to getting these aircraft safely back in the air.
The details of the settlement are confidential and the parties will now proceed to discontinue their legal claims.
The settlement agreement is not an admission of liability for either party.
This agreement will enable Qatar Airways and Airbus to move forward and work together as partners.
First phase will define the seaplane's design and capabilities
2/1/2023 Liberty Lifter Two teams -- General Atomics working with Maritime Applied Physics Corporation and Aurora Flight Sciences working with Gibbs & Cox and ReconCraft -- will develop designs for DARPA's Liberty Lifter Seaplane Wing-in-Ground Effect full-scale demonstrator. The Liberty Lifter program aims to demonstrate a leap-ahead in operational capability by designing, building, floating, and flying a long-range, low-cost X-Plane capable of seaborne strategic and tactical heavy lift.
The planned Liberty Lifter demonstrator will be a large flying boat similar in size and capacity to the C-17 Globemaster III transport aircraft. Goals include takeoff and land in Sea State 4, sustained on-water operation up to Sea State 5, and extended flight close to the water in ground effect with the capability to fly out of ground effect at altitudes up to 10,000 feet above sea level.
"We are excited to kick off this program and looking forward to working closely with both performer teams as they mature their point-of-departure design concepts through Phase 1," said DARPA Liberty Lifter Program Manager Christopher Kent. "The two teams have taken distinctly different design approaches that will enable us to explore a relatively large design space during Phase 1."
The General Atomics team has selected a twin-hull, mid-wing design to optimize on-water stability and seakeeping. It employs distributed propulsion using twelve turboshaft engines.
Aurora Flight Sciences point-of-departure design more closely resembles a traditional flying boat, with a single hull, high wing and eight turboprops for primary propulsion.
During Phase 1, DARPA will work with both performer teams and Department of Defense stakeholders to refine the Liberty Lifter designs with particular attention to operational needs and operating concepts. The Phase 1 contract awards are for an 18-month period of performance with six months of conceptual design work and nine months of design maturation culminating in a preliminary design review. There will be an additional three months for manufacturing planning and test/demonstration planning reviews.
As scheduled, Phase 1 will transition into Phase 2 in mid-2024 with continued detailed design, manufacturing, and demonstration of a full-scale Liberty Lifter X-Plane. DARPA anticipates teaming with one or more DoD Service and international partners for those activities and further development of the Liberty Lifter concept into an operational vehicle.
Ameriflight places order for 20 Natilus autonomous feeder cargo aircraft valued at $134M in a strategic move to be the first regional U.S. carrier to develop a new roadmap for the future of air freight operations.
Total commitments for Natilus now $6.8 Billion for delivery of 460+ aircraft.
Natilus aims to address pilot shortages using its autonomous technologies.
press release SAN DIEGO (January 26, 2023) – Natilus, a U.S. corporation designing and producing the world's first autonomous aircraft for efficient and sustainable freight transport, has announced that Ameriflight, an industry leader in freight operations, has become the first regional U.S. carrier to sign an Aircraft Purchase Agreement with Natilus. The Ameriflight agreement for 20 Natilus Kona feeder aircraft valued at $134M brings total commitments to $6.8 billion for delivery of 460+ aircraft.
Ameriflight is the nation's largest Part 135 cargo airline, serving 200 destinations throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and South America – with more than 1,500 weekly departures. As a critical part of the supply chain with UPS being its largest customer, Ameriflight's primary business is moving high priority air freight to and from remote areas across the country for overnight express carriers.
"Through this strategic partnership, we are positioning Ameriflight to build the roadmap for the future in cargo operations and be the first regional operator for Natilus in the United States," said Alan Rusinowitz, President and Chief Operating Officer of Ameriflight. "Our goal is to grow our product and transform the way we do business through innovation and collaboration, and now through this new partnership with Natilus, Ameriflight will connect the world safely within a sustainable business model."
"Innovation in design allows the Natilus fleet to carry more volume at lower costs, and the exploration of new sustainable fuels will lower carbon emissions," explained Aleksey Matyushev, Co-Founder and CEO of Natilus "The Ameriflight agreement is a major move forward for the air cargo industry to strengthen the regional supply chain".
The Natilus fleet of carbon fiber, blended-wing-body designed cargo aircraft offer a 60% reduction to cost of operations and cuts carbon emissions by half – enabling the opening of new and emerging markets in remote areas, where larger aircraft do not have the runway capacity and/or infrastructure to land, through both scheduled and specialized operations. This will provide needed medicines, food and other important goods to develop these outlying areas.
"Developing autonomous solutions that are purpose-built to address the needs of the air cargo market is one important step toward developing more robust long-term solutions," continued Matyushev. "Autonomous technologies seek to utilize labor more efficiently by allowing a single pilot to control multiple aircraft, helping address the dire pilot shortage".
Oakland, CA, January 30, 2023— Pyka, the global leader in autonomous electric aviation technology, today unveiled the latest addition to its fleet of purpose-built industrial aircraft; the Pelican Cargo. Featuring unprecedented payload and range capabilities, Pelican Cargo is the world's largest zero-emission cargo airplane and the first autonomous vehicle of its class.
With a range of up to 200 miles, a payload of up to 400 pounds in 66 cubic feet of cargo volume and a nose-loading system with a sliding cargo tray, the Pelican Cargo platform will enhance express logistics networks, enable connectivity of remote rural communities, and ensure fast and reliable access to vital goods and supplies for areas in need.
"Pelican Cargo will have a significant positive impact on people's lives," says Pyka Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder, Michael Norcia. "We designed this plane to eliminate C02 emissions from the logistics chain, while offering a significant speed advantage over ground transportation and operating costs at a fraction of conventional air transportation."
Following the commercial success of its agricultural spray aircraft, which led to a $37 million Series A raise in April 2022, Pyka has secured pre-commitments of over 80 orders and options for its Pelican Cargo from three launch customers across North America and Europe. The aircraft is currently undergoing rigorous testing at Pyka's flight test facility in Northern California. The first commercial operation of the new product is expected for the second half of 2023.
"We operate a carefully selected fleet of UAS platforms across our markets, each of which has been
chosen due to its operational capabilities and unrivaled performance," says Alex Brown, Director, Skyports Drone Services, one of Pyka's launch customers for Pelican Cargo. "Welcoming the Pelican Cargo aircraft into our fleet will enable us to continue on our mission of solving complex logistical and
operational challenges with tailored drone services. We know a thing or two about drones and in our
eyes, the Pelican Cargo is the most advanced product in its payload class on the market. We're excited to
kickstart operations with Pyka and put the Pelican through its paces."
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