March 18, 2021 - No. 21 In This Issue : IATA Travel Pass Successfully Trialed on First International Flight : Updated Il-103 light single to be licence-built in Hungary : SE Aeronautics To Manufacture "Greenest" Widebody Aircraft : NASA Microphone Detects Turbulence Hundreds of Miles Away Using Infrasound : Airlines push for standardized 'health passports' : Scientists Say Jet Fuel Made From Food Waste Could Slash Aviation’s Climate Impact : eVTOL developer backs hybrid propulsion technology for extra range : Aviation leaders launch 100% SAF emissions study on passenger jet : U.S. military to test whether jetpacks are ready for the battlefield : Ukraine blocks Chinese takeover of jet engine maker on US urging : UPDATE ON STARSHIP SN11 AS SPACEX MARCHES TOWARD A STATIC FIRE IATA Travel Pass Successfully Trialed on First International Flight The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced the arrival at London’s Heathrow Airport of the first traveler using the IATA Travel Pass app to manage their travel health credentials. “The successful implementation of IATA Travel Pass in this trial with Singapore Airlines passengers demonstrates that technology can securely, conveniently and efficiently help travelers and governments to manage travel health credentials. The significance of this to re-starting international aviation cannot be overstated,” said Alexandre de Juniac, IATA’s Director General and CEO. JoAnn Tan, Acting Senior Vice President, Marketing Planning, Singapore Airlines, said: “Digital health credentials will be essential as borders reopen and travel restrictions get progressively lifted worldwide. The successful implementation of the IATA Travel Pass reflects Singapore Airlines’ goal of using secure digital solutions to verify health credentials, and support a safe and seamless travel experience for our customers.” Passengers on Singapore Airlines flights from Singapore to London during the trial could use IATA Travel Pass to: Create a secure digital version of their passport on their mobile device Input their flight details to learn of travel restrictions and requirements Receive verified test results and a confirmation that they meet all travel requirements “Today’s success is a big win for many parties. It gives travelers a one-stop-shop to help them comply with the new rules for travel. It shows that governments can efficiently manage these travel requirements with complete confidence in the identity of the passenger and the veracity of the travel credentials—importantly, avoiding long queues. And it’s a purpose-built means for airlines to manage the new travel requirements without drowning in inefficient and ineffective paper processes,” said de Juniac. Automated Processing “Airlines understand that their ground operations will grind to a halt if they have to manage COVID-19 travel requirements — test results or vaccine certifications — with paper documentation. The same is true for border authorities. The UK is ahead of other governments in mapping a way to re-starting international travel at scale. This real-life proof of concept should give all governments confidence that industry has a workable digital solution that will ease the pressure of incorporating health certificate checks into the travel process, including at borders. This trial is an opportunity for us to work with the UK government to demonstrate that the solution works and to share the results with others as we build a robust and efficient system that will help the world get moving again,” said Nick Careen, IATA’s Senior Vice President Airport, Passenger, Cargo, Security. Global Standards To gain maximum benefit from IATA Travel Pass and avoid confusion and inconvenience for passengers, the standardization of test or vaccination certifications, and their acceptance by authorities is key. A recent IATA poll of travelers found that 89% agree with the need for global standards and 80% are keen to use a mobile app to manage their travel credentials. Last Friday, ICAO moved the establishment of global standards for testing/vaccination certifications a step closer to reality. Next governments need to provide a digital COVID-19 test/vaccination certificate when people are tested or vaccinated so they have a verifiable document on their mobile device. This will ensure equivalence, mutual recognition, and acceptance of COVID-19 certifications for passengers when they travel around the world. https://www.aviationpros.com/airlines/press-release/21214855/international-air-transport-association-iata-iata-travel-pass-successfully-trialed-on-first-international-flight Updated Il-103 light single to be licence-built in Hungary Russia’s United Aircraft has reached an agreement to licence production of a modernised version of the Ilyushin Il-103 single-engined light aircraft at a facility in Hungary. The pact was sealed with Hungarian firm Aviation Engineering. United Aircraft says the two sides will co-operate to develop and manufacture an “improved version” of the four-seat Il-103 at a facility in Pecs. The Il-103 first flew in May 1994 and was originally certified in Russia in early 1996. “It combines effective aerodynamic characteristics, a comfortable spacious cabin, a reliable engine, and modern avionics,” states United Aircraft, adding that the type can operate from short and unpaved runways. “As part of the contract, it is planned to convert all existing design documentation to digital format and modernise the aircraft to make it suitable for successful entry into the general aviation market.” The project will serve as a demonstration of Russian aviation technology export to Europe. United Aircraft says the updated Il-103 will be adaptable to various roles including training, private flying, medical transportation, patrol and agriculture. https://www.flightglobal.com/aerospace/updated-il-103-light-single-to-be-licence-built-in-hungary/142950.article SE Aeronautics To Manufacture "Greenest" Widebody Aircraft BIRMINGHAM, Ala., March 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- SE Aeronautics, the leaders in sustainable air travel technology, today announced the launch of their new widebody airliner concept, a 100% monocoque molded wide-body airliner that is a new generation of aircraft. The company's technological improvements turn the corner on efficiency, sustainability, safety, comfort and operating cost. Aircraft manufacturers have been using the same aircraft design for the past 60 years, with few exceptions. "Our innovative technology and new aircraft design will lower fuel consumption by 70% and lower CO2 emissions by 80% as measured by per seat kilometer. The innovative design is a more efficient, light-tri wing configuration that greatly improves lift over drag, resulting in short take-off and landing (STOL) capabilities and extremely long flights. The construction is all composite, molded in one tough, safer piece. We also incorporated super thin, long wings and complete streamlining from the nose to the tail. We did it all," says Lloyd Weaver, Chief Engineer, SE Aeronautics. We live in the era where Covid-19 and other airborne disease safety must be at the forefront of any manufacturer's design process. Which is why SE Aeronautics developed a new "once-through" air feed ventilation system that never recirculates air in the cabin, dramatically reducing the risk of exposure from other infected passengers. This, coupled with their new "tilting" seat design, creates a comfort experience that economy passengers have yet to experience. This disruptive new design is also expected to double the lifespan of an aircraft, while reducing overall block hour cost by half when compared to other aircraft its size. With an emphasis on safety, the design is made of one solid-molded piece of fuselage that is many times stronger than existing aircraft. The fuel is not stored in the wings but in self sealing bladders on top of the fuselage and in the event of emergency landing over water, the aircraft floats. SE Aeronautics patent-pending technology has culminated into the SE200, a mid-market widebody aircraft that will carry up to 264 passengers, function as a light-weight regional or long range airliner with a non-stop range of 10,560 miles. "This aircraft will be the most practical, profitable and permanent solution to the grossly underperforming airliner technology of today. Our manufacturing efficiency will allow us to produce our aircraft in significantly less time than the current traditional method. But the jewel in the crown is really our ability to get that fuel consumption rate down by 70%. We are going to revolutionize the industry," says Tyler Mathews, CEO, SE Aeronautics. The future of aviation in America will change dramatically due to their new design components. With more fuel-efficient planes and a design focused on efficiency, sustainability and safety. SE Aeronautics is at the forefront of a new generation of aircraft and a revolution for an industry that has seen little change over the past 60 years. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/se-aeronautics-to-manufacture-greenest-widebody-aircraft-301249577.html NASA Microphone Detects Turbulence Hundreds of Miles Away Using Infrasound Whether it’s in the wake vortex of airplanes taking off or in seemingly calm air, there are few issues more meddlesome to flight than turbulence. Not only can these “horizontal tornadoes” make air travel uncomfortable and possibly dangerous, but attempts to avoid them can consume large amounts of fuel. Researchers at NASA have developed technology to find these zones, and with some engineering ingenuity, they could revolutionize both flight planning and aeronautical research. Not Your Typical Microphone Everything in the atmosphere can make a sound. Volcanoes rumble, waterfalls crash, and air rushes, but there’s more to that sound than what our ears perceive. Much like how infrared light consists of frequencies that aren’t visible to the naked eye, there’s an audio analog called infrasound. Infrasound consists of pitches too low to be heard by the human ear, between 0.001 and 20 hertz. The sudden turbulence sometimes experienced when flying is called clear-air turbulence, so named because there are no visible clouds or atmospheric features to warn of the disruption. Turbulent invisible air can seemingly come out of nowhere and wreak havoc on aircraft. Though it isn’t easily detected visually, clear-air turbulence has a definite infrasound signature. Researchers Qamar Shams and Allan Zuckerwar at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, realized that if air traffic controllers or pilots could listen in on these whirling vortices before airplanes encounter them, an alternate route could be plotted. Their experiments began in 2007, but, unsurprisingly, initial tests showed that they couldn’t grab just any off-the-shelf microphone and expect it to work with infrasound. The long wave frequencies tend to get overpowered by higher-frequency sounds, which results in interference. “We found that the sensors get saturated and they don’t perform well,” Shams said. “We thought, ‘We have combined expertise in instrumentation, so why don’t we design a microphone ourselves?’” Shams and Zuckerwar began developing something that could listen to these low frequencies in high fidelity. Microphones use a moving diaphragm to pick up audio where sound waves cause the surface to vibrate. The researchers used a low-tension diaphragm with a wide radius paired with a large, sealed air chamber behind it to allow the microphone to hear these ultralow sound waves that travel great distances. The infrasonic microphones are manufactured by PCB Piezotronics of Depew, New York, under contract with Langley. With the sensor completed, testing began. When the microphones were placed in an equidistant triangular pattern around the grounds of Langley’s runway, they were able to pick up and locate atmospheric turbulence more than 300 miles away, in the skies above Pennsylvania. Into the Blue Skies By 2017, Shams and Zuckerwar’s technology had won the NASA Commercial Invention of the Year award, been tested on the ground for the Department of Defense, and been researched at Sandia National Laboratories to validate its performance, but it hadn’t flown aboard any aircraft. Interest in turbulence detection from Stratodynamics Inc. of Lewes, Delaware, would soon change that. The company founders were participants in a 2016 Space Race Challenge led by the Center for Advancing Innovation in cooperation with NASA. Space Race was a global competition offering licenses to groups who could demonstrate applications and business cases for various technologies. Stratodynamics participated in multiple categories, including an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) control system. After the company won first prize in the UAV competition, the team was invited to visit Langley and meet the researchers behind the patents. “While we were there, Shams was championing the infrasound technology,” said Nick Craine, business development lead at Stratodynamics. Stratodynamics realized the microphone system had significant potential as an in-flight turbulence detection sensor and looked for opportunities to test the technology. After licensing the patents from NASA, and with the assistance of Shams, the company began to implement the sensor on an uncrewed stratospheric glider known as the HiDRON, designed by their Canadian affiliate, Stratodynamics Aviation Inc. Stratodynamics has lifted their balloon-launched HiDRON glider to heights of more than 100,000 feet, from which it slowly makes its way back down to Earth. With the assistance of the infrasound microphone and wind probe, the UAV measures the intensity of turbulence in its path at a distance, and may possibly detect thermal columns to keep the plane sailing longer. More work is underway to design the algorithms required to understand the turbulent signature’s intensity and range. Recently, initial testing saw the microphone perform well. Even with rushing wind whipping past the UAV, the team was able to isolate the low frequencies from the ambient conditions. Stratodynamics will conduct additional flight testing to further advance the technology. The company will not only evaluate the NASA-developed microphone, but it will also serve as the flight provider for a complementary turbulence detection technology from the University of Kentucky, which received support from NASA’s Flight Opportunities program. Pending results from these tests, the infrasound microphone will become a standard technology option for Stratodynamics clients. Stratodynamics Aviation is now working on a new version of the glider in collaboration with the Canadian Space Agency and the University of Waterloo in Ontario. The HiDRON suborbital space plane will have a larger payload capacity and will be designed specifically for optimal performance in the stratosphere. The team hopes the data provided by the infrasonic microphone will become ubiquitous in detecting and forecasting turbulence, air traffic control decision-making, and aviation route planning. By making it easier to avoid turbulence in all parts of the flight, less fuel is wasted in navigating around turbulent air, and less carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere. “As infrasonic detection continues to prove its value as a turbulence mitigation technology, its potential to forever alter the landscape of aviation grows stronger with every flight,” Craine said. NASA has a long history of transferring technology to the private sector. The agency’s Spinoff publication profiles NASA technologies that have transformed into commercial products and services, demonstrating the broader benefits of America’s investment in its space program. Spinoff is a publication of the Technology Transfer program in NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate. https://scitechdaily.com/nasa-microphone-detects-turbulence-hundreds-of-miles-away-using-infrasound/ Airlines push for standardized 'health passports' Leading airline and business groups are asking the Biden administration to develop temporary credentials that would let travelers show they have been tested and vaccinated for COVID-19, a step the airline industry believes will help revive travel. Various groups and countries are working on developing so-called vaccine passports aimed at allowing more travel. But airlines fear that a smattering of regional credentials will cause confusion and none will be widely accepted. “It is crucial to establish uniform guidance” and “the U.S. must be a leader in this development,” more than two dozen groups said in a letter last week to White House coronavirus-response coordinator Jeff Zients. However, the groups said that vaccination should not be a requirement for domestic or international travel. The groups include the main U.S. and international airline trade organizations, airline labor unions and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. The White House did not immediately comment. The World Health Organization and the United Nations’ aviation arm are working on the type of information to include in a credential. The airline industry groups are particularly interested in having the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention take a leading role, believing that would increase certainty that information in the credentials is legitimate. Despite a partial recovery, U.S. airlines are still losing $150 million a day, according to the Airlines for America trade group. In the United States, the number of people going through airports remains down nearly 60% so far this year compared to 2019, the last normal, pre-pandemic year. Most of those people are flying within the U.S. Airlines are counting on widespread vaccinations to boost travel, and for vaccine passports to give a boost to highly lucrative international flying. https://www.miamitimesonline.com/business/technology/airlines-push-for-standardized-health-passports/article_91c8931c-8673-11eb-9477-97a0669ca9fd.html Scientists Say Jet Fuel Made From Food Waste Could Slash Aviation’s Climate Impact Within a few years, food waste could be fueling our airplanes. Researchers have worked out a way to transform food scraps, used cooking oil, animal manure and wastewater sludge into jet fuel with a carbon footprint 165% lower than standard jet fuel, according to a new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The emissions savings come from diverting the food waste from landfills, as well as from avoiding using fossil fuels. This “reduction in lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions would provide a path toward net zero jet fuel,” says the report. The aviation sector has pledged to cut carbon emissions in half by 2050, but has found decarbonizing tough for the simple reason that fossil fuels have long been the cheapest and most efficient way to power planes. The U.S. uses more than 21 billion gallons of jet fuel every year, a figure that’s expected to double by 2050. Aviation may make up a relatively small fraction of total global transport emissions — around 12% — and just 2.5% of all global greenhouse gas emissions. But air travel’s climate impact is projected to grow rapidly as flights become cheaper and more accessible to the growing global middle class, with emissions projected to triple by 2050, according to the United Nations’ International Civil Aviation Organization. While the pandemic caused passenger numbers to plummet more than 60% in 2020, the industry is scrambling to get back on track as soon as possible. The Quest To Replace Fossil Fuels The idea of sustainable fuel that can be fairly easily produced from an existing (and free) waste stream has already attracted Southwest Airlines, which is participating in trials with the researchers involved in this new study. But some environmental campaigners are critical of the report’s analysis, saying that waste-to-jet-fuel technology is not a viable route to decarbonizing aviation and could be a distraction from the radical changes needed to tackle the industry’s significant emissions. Airlines have taken some steps toward decarbonization. Lighter planes and better engines have increased fuel efficiency. Many airlines have also implemented voluntary carbon offset programs like reforestation and peatland restoration, although these programs are often criticized for providing tenuous climate benefits while allowing polluters to keep polluting. To make the kind of deep emissions cuts needed to hit their climate pledges, many airlines are pinning their hopes on finding sustainable fuel alternatives. Electric planes aren’t an option, at least in the short term. Solar-powered commercial planes exist, but the batteries required for long-haul flights using current technology would be far too heavy and take up too much space. And while biofuels made from crops like sugarcane and palm oil have been touted as another sustainable alternative, these can end up being environmentally damaging as farmers clear land to cultivate them. By using food waste, the study’s researchers say, you have the double benefit of solving a waste management problem and creating a more sustainable fuel. Food waste often ends up in landfills, where it emits methane, a greenhouse gas 84 times more potent than carbon dioxide in the first two decades after it’s released. The paper sets out a method of producing fuel with this waste in a way that avoids methane emissions and instead transforms it into “volatile fatty acids,” which can then be made into jet fuel. “The ability to decarbonize aviation still needs very energy dense liquid fuels, and we wanted to present a technology where you didn’t have to reinvent a plane,” said Derek Vardon, one of the study’s authors and a senior research engineer at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. The fuel can just be used in planes’ engines without modification, according to the study, and it’s compatible with existing energy infrastructure. “You’re able to drop it into the infrastructure already so you wouldn’t have to create a whole new refinery,” said Nabila Huq, a researcher at NREL and a lead author on the study. It could also reduce the amount of soot that planes produce by 34% compared to standard jet fuel, according to the report. Planes’ contrails form when water vapor condenses around soot to make cirrus clouds, thin clouds which can trap heat in a process that research suggests could have a greater climate change impact than planes’ carbon emissions. The researchers plan to produce 300 gallons of the fuel for a flight demonstration with Southwest Airlines to show the technology can scale and to provide a blueprint of how quickly it can be implemented. Vardon predicts that it could be possible to produce significant volumes of this fuel in three to four years. “I’m a big proponent of multiple solutions to decarbonize aviation,” including electrification and other technologies, he said. But, he added, “a lot of those are beyond a 10-year time frame. I personally feel like climate change is a much more near-term problem.” The researchers are not suggesting this fuel is a silver bullet, Vardon said. “I don’t think our goal is to say this solution is the magic solution, but it can show what science and technology can do as we’re trying to tackle these questions.” We Need Radical Changes Even with this caveat, not everyone is convinced. “On the surface, it makes complete sense,” said Cait Hewitt, deputy director of the U.K. nonprofit the Aviation Environment Federation. But, she added, “this kind of fuel is effectively another type of offset... What it does is to reduce emissions from landfill.” There is so little the aviation industry can do to decarbonize in the near term, said Hewitt, that it’s desperate to jump on solutions that look good on paper. But it’s a risky move, she said: “We’ve got such a short time now between now... and when we need to have the whole economy at net zero emissions. And the aviation industry is so far from achieving that, that anything that sort of looks like a solution — and really isn’t in the long term — is a really dangerous thing to pursue.” She’s concerned that people will be lulled into a false sense that the aviation industry has the answers, that “there’s this thing just around the corner that’s going to make flying fine.” It could also distract from an honest debate about the really radical changes that need to be made, she said. These include the development of synthetic fuels, which take carbon from the atmosphere and turn it into a liquid fuel, and carbon capture and storage — technologies that promise large-scale emissions reductions but remain a long way off. Ultimately, said Hewitt, “you can’t get away from the fact that at the moment, easily the best way to cut aviation emissions is to fly less.” https://www.huffpost.com/entry/jet-fuel-food-waste-aviation-climate-emissions_n_60524fc4c5b6ce1016440330 eVTOL developer backs hybrid propulsion technology for extra range The CEO of a Canadian-company developing a hybrid-electric eVTOL has said that the battery technology being used by some of his competitor companies make it “impossible” for the new type of aircraft to be economically viable. Brandon Robinson, CEO and co-Founder of Ontario-based Horizon Aircraft said, “eVTOLs need to be safe, affordable, and have an operational cost structure that makes them economically viable. The batteries used by some eVTOL aircraft will make this impossible to achieve. “The type of batteries used by eVTOL aircraft will also impact what vertiports they can use. One of the biggest operational barriers to deploying a VTOL fleet in cities is finding sufficient locations to place landing pads, and the facilities needed to recharge and service aircraft. “eVTOL aircraft with heavy batteries or ones that take too long to recharge will have access to fewer vertiports. According to Horizon, some of the batteries being used are too heavy for long-range commutes with charging times that are too slow to support the number of flights required and too short a lifecycle. Many prototypes currently under development use advanced, high energy density variants. But the company argues that these lighter batteries can be damaged easily, increasing the rate at which they need to be replaced, which will increase costs. Horizon Aircraft, which was founded in 2008, is developing the hybrid-electric Cavorite X5 to have an estimated top speed of 450 km/h (280mph) with a 500km (310 miles) range and a five passenger capacity. The Cavorite X5 uses a patented fan-in-wing technology that allows it to fly horizontally like a normal aircraft. According to reports, engineers at Horizon are working on a 1:6 scale prototype of the X5 and will then develop a half-scale version during the next year. The X5 builds on technology developed for two previous aircraft by Horizon, a Seabee seaplane converted with a V8 GM Corvette LS-series engine and its successor X3 aircraft. The Cavorite X5 is intended to fly most of its mission exactly like a normal aircraft and uses batteries that weigh 200kg as part of a hybrid-electric propulsion system. Some high-profile eVTOL developers, such as Joby Aviation, are using batteries that will weigh up to 600kg, and have a range of between 100km and 200 km, says Horizon. Horizon Aircraft was bought by USA-based autonomous aircraft developer Astro Aerospace last month, with the acquisition expected to close by July this year. The Canadian company is not the only aerospace firm that is backing hybrid propulsion technology for regional aircraft as a way to bridge the gap before battery technology advances further. Former-Airbus CTO Jean Botti’s French company Volt-Aero is amongst the most-advanced hybrid-electric aircraft development projects with its Cassio aircraft – read a Q&A discussing the technology and Cassio or listen to the podcast here. https://www.aerospacetestinginternational.com/news/electric-hybrid/evtol-developer-backs-hybrid-propulsion-technology-for-extra-range.html Aviation leaders launch 100% SAF emissions study on passenger jet A team of aerospace specialists has launched the world’s first in-flight emissions study using 100% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) on a wide-body commercial passenger aircraft. Airbus, German research centre DLR, Rolls-Royce and SAF producer Neste have teamed up to start the pioneering ‘Emission and Climate Impact of Alternative Fuels’ (ECLIF3) project looking into the effects of 100% SAF on aircraft emissions and performance. Findings from the study – to be carried out on the ground and in the air using an Airbus A350-900 aircraft powered by Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engines – will support efforts currently under way at Airbus and Rolls-Royce to ensure the aviation sector is ready for the large-scale use of SAF as part of the wider initiative to decarbonise the industry. Fuel-clearance engine tests, including a first flight to check operational compatibility of using 100% SAF with the aircraft’s systems, started at Airbus’ facilities in Toulouse, France. These will be followed by the ground-breaking flight-emissions tests due to start in April and resuming in the autumn, using DLR’s Falcon 20-E ‘chase plane’ to carry out measurements to investigate the emissions impact of using SAF. Both the flight and the ground tests will compare emissions from the use of 100% SAF produced with HEFA (hydroprocessed esters and fatty acids) technology against those from fossil kerosene and low-sulphur fossil kerosene. The SAF will be provided by Neste, a leading worldwide supplier of sustainable aviation fuel. “SAF is a vital part of Airbus' ambition to decarbonise the aviation industry and we are working closely with a number of partners to ensure a sustainable future for air travel,” said Steven Le Moing, new energy programme manager, Airbus. Dr Patrick Le Clercq, ECLIF project manager at DLR, said: “By investigating 100% SAF, we are taking our research on fuel design and aviation climate impact to a new level. In previous research campaigns, we were already able to demonstrate the soot-reduction potential of between 30 and 50% blends of alternative fuels, and we hope this new campaign will show that this potential is now even greater.” Jonathan Wood, Neste’s vice president Europe, Renewable Aviation, added: “We’re delighted to contribute to this project to measure the extensive benefits of SAF compared with fossil jet fuel and provide the data to support the use of SAF at higher concentrations than 50%. “Independently verified analysis has shown 100% Neste MY Sustainable Aviation Fuel delivering up to 80% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions compared to fossil jet fuel use when all life-cycle emissions are taken into account; this study will clarify the additional benefits from the use of SAF." https://biofuels-news.com/news/aviation-leaders-launch-100-saf-emissions-study-on-passenger-jet/ U.S. military to test whether jetpacks are ready for the battlefield Soldiers using jetpacks to buzz above battlefields and slip behind enemy lines may soon be a reality. The military’s research and development arm has asked companies to submit ideas for a “portable personal air mobility system” that could be used in military missions, urban combat, maritime operations, search and rescue, and special operations. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA, said it’s “interested in understanding the feasibility” of the technology and, as of Tuesday, is accepting proposals for a six-month trial. Jetpacks, which have played a starring role in science fiction for decades, aren’t the only thing the agency is interested in testing. Its bid also lists “powered gliders, powered wingsuits, and powered parafoils,” either reusable versions or for one-time use. “Systems may be air deployed to allow for [infiltration] to hostile territory, or ground deployed to allow for greater off-road mobility,” DARPA wrote in introducing the proposal on the federal government’s business contracting website. The military has long been interested in jetpacks. But its past attempts have crashed and burned. As early as 1959, the military tapped aviation companies to create a personal air mobility system using rocket packs. Other efforts followed in the 1960s, including a version called the “Jet Belt.” But the prototypes—expensive, clunky, and able to fly for only a few minutes—ended up being limited by the era’s technology. Efforts in subsequent decades didn’t do much better, even while popular culture kept the dream alive. More recently, however, with advancements in 3-D printing and smaller, computer-controlled gas turbines, jetpacks and its close cousins are now more feasible. And the handful of startups focused on the technology have gained considerable momentum. Gravity Industries, for example, has created a device called the Jet Suit, which has one large turbine worn like a backpack and two additional ones located near each of the pilot’s hands. The device can fly someone up to 85 miles per hour for up to five minutes. The company has already used the Jet Suit, which costs $440,000, in a trial to shuttle paramedics up a mountain for emergencies and to taxi people onto an aircraft carrier. Meanwhile, the U.S. Special Operations Command is evaluating the Jet Suit as is the British Royal Navy. Richard Browning, the founder and chief test pilot of Gravity Industries, said his company is interested in submitting a proposal to DARPA. But because the company is U.K.-based, it’s checking whether it meets the requirement that applicants have a certain amount of U.S. business (Gravity has a U.S. presence). While weapons could be added to a Jet Suit, it doesn’t have to be "like something out of a Marvel comic," according to Browning. Rather, the suit could be used to help save lives and create new ways of getting around. “It is really easy,” Browning said. “People can learn to do this in half an hour, like a bicycle." There is no guarantee that soldiers will be using jetpacks in combat anytime soon. DARPA funds many technologies that are never widely deployed or that morph into something else. Its request for proposals specifically calls out that possibility, saying that “a wide variety of less critical use cases may emerge for commercialization including urban mobility or recreation.” DARPA said any technology submitted must be able to fly a single operator at least 3.1 miles at low-to-medium altitudes. Additionally, its setup should take[1] no more than 10 minutes, with only minimal tools. Any proposal that is quiet and doesn’t heat up too much is also of “particular interest,” presumably to better evade detection by enemies. It also must be simple enough to operate with “relatively little training,” DARPA said. The agency is flexible when it comes to how the device is powered. The bid says that it could use “emerging electric propulsion technologies, hydrogen fuel cells or conventional heavy fuel propulsion systems,” as long as it can take off from anywhere without the help of wind or elevation. The window for proposals closes April 20. Any winner will be paid $225,00 for the six-month trial, which could be extended to a second phase that pays $1.5 million. https://fortune.com/2021/03/17/military-jetpacks-wingsuits-parafoils-gliders-darpa-soldiers-battlefield/ Ukraine blocks Chinese takeover of jet engine maker on US urging MOSCOW -- Ukraine will halt the takeover of an aircraft engine maker by a Chinese company, responding to U.S. objections over the prospect of important military technology falling into Beijing's hands. Kyiv plans to return Motor Sich to Ukrainian control, ending efforts by Beijing Skyrizon Aviation to take management of the company, following a yearslong battle over the manufacturer's fate. "The Motor Sich enterprise will be returned to the Ukrainian people," Oleksiy Danilov, head of Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council, said after a March 11 meeting. "It will be returned to the ownership of the Ukrainian state in a legal, constitutional way in the near future." The decision angered China, which has grown increasingly important economically to Ukraine since Kyiv's relationship with Moscow broke down following Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea. But when tensions between Beijing and Washington forced a choice between the two, Kyiv prioritized its relationship with a crucial security partner. "Ukraine, being in a state of war, cannot afford to hand over the enterprise, on which the Ukrainian defense capability depends, into the wrong hands," Danilov said in a television appearance the following day, according to local media. Russia, which bought military aircraft engines from Motor Sich, was the company's biggest customer before the Crimea annexation. The loss of this business left Motor Sich struggling, opening the door for Skyrizon. The aviation company has sought control of Motor Sich for the past few years. The battle escalated when Skyrizon's move to take a majority stake a few years ago was stymied by regulators. Washington sees Beijing gaining access to technology for developing military aircraft engines as a security threat to China's neighbors, including U.S. ally Japan. The U.S. in 2019 sent then-national security adviser John Bolton to Kyiv to push for the government to block the acquisition. A fierce tug of war has ensued. Skyrizon -- which is Motor Sich's majority shareholder, though its stake is disputed -- tried to force a shareholders meeting in January. Ukraine and the U.S. Commerce Department both imposed sanctions on the Chinese company that month, moves criticized by China's Foreign Ministry. Skyrizon has brought an international arbitration case about the matter. Kyiv intends to put majority control in the hands of Motor Sich's Ukrainian management team, Danilov said, rather than nationalize the company. Ukraine's ruling party is expected to draft legislation to enforce the move within two or three weeks. Kyiv's decision to fight the takeover ties into the conflict with Russia. China has made inroads in Ukraine through its Belt and Road infrastructure initiative, and Beijing became the country's top trading partner in recent years as Kyiv slashes business dealings with Russia. But as China and Russia develop closer military ties amid mounting Sino-U.S. tensions, suspicions arose that Moscow has a hand in Skyrizon's pursuit of Motor Sich. Clashes between Ukrainian and Russian-backed forces have continued in eastern Ukraine since 2014, and a cease-fire enacted in July has been violated on numerous occasions this year. Kyiv seeks to proceed on talks with Moscow, with Washington's backing. While Germany and France have mediated previous peace talks between the two sides, no such meetings are on the horizon. Frustrated by the deadlock, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky recently went on the political offensive. Kyiv last month banned three opposition television broadcasters accused of receiving funding from Moscow and froze the assets of an opposition party leader aligned with the Kremlin. Russia objected to these moves, while escalating tensions further by suggesting that Ukraine could take military action backed by the U.S. Washington strongly supports Kyiv. President Joe Biden said in a statement last month that the U.S. "will stand with Ukraine against Russia's aggressive acts." The Defense Department on March 1 announced $125 million in military support to Ukraine, with an additional $150 million to be provided if the country makes progress on defense reforms. News emerged Sunday -- days before the seventh anniversary of the annexation of Crimea on Thursday -- that a delegation of representatives from Chinese companies had visited the peninsula to discuss investment. https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Business-deals/Ukraine-blocks-Chinese-takeover-of-jet-engine-maker-on-US-urging UPDATE ON STARSHIP SN11 AS SPACEX MARCHES TOWARD A STATIC FIRE SpaceX Starship production continues right along with SN11 now undergoing the Raptor engine static fire phase of testing. The company continues its rapid-fire production cadence and testing flow as Starship SN11 was rolled to the launch pad March 7, 2021, at SpaceX’s Boca Chica, Texas, facility. This came just days after SN10’s hard but successful landing (and subsequent explosion about 10 minutes later). Remains from the aftermath of that flight were still on the landing pad as SN11 arrived at Pad B and completed ambient and cryogenic proof testing in the following days. After taking the usual weekend break a first static fire attempt was made Monday, March 15, but there appeared to be an abort after ignition with a long howl from the engines and a quick depress indicating an off-nominal test. Another attempt is possible in the coming days pending an associated road closure. The results of the static fire could pave the way for a flight as early as Friday or Saturday as indicated by the temporary flight restrictions currently in place for those days as of this writing. These dates are highly subject to change, however, as is usual with the fledgling Starship program. Federal Aviation Administration approval has also been granted for the flight already and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk himself recently posted on Twitter that Starship SN11 will be ready to fly soon. All eyes are now on the next static fire. https://www.spaceflightinsider.com/organizations/space-exploration-technologies/update-on-starship-sn11-as-spacex-marches-toward-a-static-fire/ Curt Lewis