Reliable Robotics has flown a small cargo airplane with no humans on board for the first time, marking a significant milestone for autonomous aviation. The company’s modified Cessna 208B Caravan safely executed a 12-minute test flight at Hollister Municipal Airport in California—including taxi, takeoff, and landing—without any human intervention. A remote pilot monitored the flight from a control station about 50 miles (80 kilometers) from the airport in Mountain View.

Maeve Aerospace is working to bring an 80-seat hybrid-electric aircraft to market by 2031, having abandoned plans announced earlier this year for a 44-passenger all-electric regional airliner. The European start-up is in discussions with an undisclosed major aircraft engine manufacturer over plans for the propulsion system and expects to be able to deliver a range of up to 800 nm and significant savings in terms of airline operating costs.

At its headquarters near Munich, Lilium has started assembling the first example of its six-passenger Lilium Jet, which will be one of seven aircraft to be used for type certification flight testing in late 2024. The manufacturer this week launched a partnership with German airline Lufthansa to explore eVTOL operations in Europe.

On December 10, Ampaire's Electric EEL technology demonstrator flew for exactly 12 hours and covered 1,375 miles before landing with over two hours of fuel and battery reserves remaining. The company used the converted Cessna 337 Skymaster to develop the H570 AMP Drive hybrid-electric propulsion system it is employing to convert Cessna Caravans into its Eco Caravan model.

Rotor Technologies has unveiled the R550X autonomous helicopter that it intends to bring to market in 2024. Built on the foundation of the Robinson R44 Raven II, the R550X is the world’s largest uncrewed civilian helicopter, designed for safety-critical cargo, utility, and maritime operations that require a greater payload capacity and range than drones or eVTOLs can provide. Rotor says it has already received letters of intent from some agricultural customers who want to use the R550X for crop spraying, and the company has begun producing the first two helicopters at its facilities in New Hampshire.

Boeing makes its Cascade climate-modeling tool more easily accessible; Whisper launches a sustainable mobility consortium in Tennessee; Limosa and Airmedic partner on electric air ambulance design; Jetoptera finds a local partner to bring a cargo drone to the UAE; Japanese airline ANA teams with Joby for eVTOL infrastructure; and Volatus and Resilienx plan for Oshkosh vertiport.

Japanese start-up SkyDrive has posted a video showing wind-tunnel testing of what it describes as a 21 percent scale model of the three-seat eVTOL aircraft it is developing. The tests are being conducted at facilities operated by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. Last week, the company announced it is relocating its development base from its headquarters in Toyota City to Nagoya Airport. It is aiming to complete type certification in 2026.