Skyryse FlightOS and the universal fly-by-wire system that wants to make any aircraft flyable by anyone
Skyryse's FlightOS retrofits fly-by-wire controls into existing helicopters, aiming to reduce fatal accidents caused by loss of control.
VectorRadio Hangar pillar
Aviation Technology
Faster, smarter, more capable. The technology rewriting the aircraft of the next decade.
Some of the most consequential aircraft engineering of the next decade isn’t electric.
Supersonic commercial flight is back on the engineering roadmap. Autonomous systems are working their way into general aviation cockpits, not just airline ones. Composite manufacturing has gotten cheap enough to retrofit airframes that used to be all aluminum. Universal fly-by-wire is being pitched as a way to make any airplane flyable by any pilot.
This is Vector’s room when the conversation isn’t about avionics or electric propulsion specifically. The category is wide on purpose - aviation technology is the catch for the bleeding-edge work that doesn’t fit anywhere else and matters anyway.
When NASA’s X-59 makes its first community overflight, we cover what the data says about the sonic boom problem. When Boom Overture moves into flight test, we read the technical fact sheet, not the press release. When Skyryse claims their system can land any airplane, we look at the certification path.
Engineering, sourced. Vendor claims, footnoted. Hype, rejected.
Start here
NASA's X fifty-nine Quesst and the return of supersonic commercial flight
NASA's X-59 Quesst aims to reshape sonic booms into quiet thumps, potentially ending the 50-year ban on overland supersonic flight.
VectorSix active fighter jets still breaking Mach two in twenty twenty-six
Six operational fighter jets can still exceed Mach 2 in 2026, even as newer stealth designs trade speed for survivability.
TowerMore in this pillar
Reliable Robotics and the autonomous Cessna Caravan flying cargo with an empty cockpit
Reliable Robotics is flying autonomous Cessna Caravans with empty cockpits, targeting the cargo pilot shortage crisis.
VectorThe Beechcraft Denali and the GE Catalyst turboprop that was designed by software and printed by machines
The Beechcraft Denali pairs a clean-sheet airframe with the GE Catalyst, the first new turboprop engine designed in over 30 years.
VectorJetZero and the blended wing body that could retire the tube-and-wing airplane after seventy years
JetZero is building a full-scale blended wing body demonstrator funded by the U.S. Air Force that could cut fuel burn by 30%.
VectorHermeus and the Mach five startup building a hypersonic airplane in Atlanta
Hermeus is building a Mach 5 aircraft using a turbine-based combined cycle engine that transitions from jet to ramjet in a single flowpath.
VectorBoom Supersonic's Overture and why the next supersonic airliner looks nothing like Concorde
Boom Supersonic's Overture differs from Concorde in speed, materials, engines, and wing design thanks to 30 years of technological advancement.
TowerSkyryse FlightOS and the software layer that wants to make any aircraft as easy to fly as a car
Skyryse FlightOS is a retrofit fly-by-wire system that prevents loss-of-control accidents by keeping pilots inside the flight envelope.
VectorBoom Supersonic and the XB-1 demonstrator that just proved a startup can break the sound barrier
Boom Supersonic's XB-1 demonstrator proved a startup can build and fly a supersonic jet—now the real challenge begins with Overture.
VectorThe NASA X-fifty-nine Quesst and the quiet sonic boom that could reopen supersonic flight over land
NASA's X-59 Quesst aircraft aims to replace the sonic boom with a quiet 'thump,' potentially ending the 53-year ban on supersonic flight over land.
VectorMerlin Labs and the autonomous flight software retrofitting into aircraft that already exist
Merlin Labs is retrofitting existing aircraft with autonomous flight software instead of building new airframes from scratch.
VectorThe North American F-hundred Super Sabre and the first production fighter to go supersonic in level flight on May twenty-fifth, nineteen fifty-three
The F-100 Super Sabre became the first production fighter to exceed Mach 1 in level flight on May 25, 1953, changing military aviation forever.
TaildraggerHermeus and the Mach five hypersonic airplane that wants to make New York to London a ninety-minute commute
Hermeus is building a reusable Mach 5 aircraft using a turbine-based combined cycle engine, starting with military applications before targeting commercial travel.
VectorReliable Robotics and the autonomous Cessna Caravan hauling cargo with an empty cockpit
Reliable Robotics is retrofitting Cessna Caravans for fully autonomous cargo flights, targeting commercial operations by 2027-2028.
VectorThe CFM RISE open rotor engine and the return of the propfan that failed forty years ago
CFM's RISE open rotor engine promises 20% fuel savings over current turbofans by eliminating the nacelle entirely.
VectorSkyryse and the FlightOS system that wants to make flying a helicopter as simple as driving a car
Skyryse's FlightOS replaces conventional helicopter controls with a simplified fly-by-wire system that could reshape rotorcraft safety and accessibility.
VectorReliable Robotics and the autonomous Cessna Caravan that wants to fly cargo without a pilot on board
Reliable Robotics is pursuing FAA certification to fly Cessna Caravans autonomously for cargo, backed by FedEx investment.
VectorJetZero and the blended wing body that could cut fuel burn in half by twenty thirty-five
JetZero is building a full-scale blended wing body aircraft that could cut fuel burn by 50%, backed by $235M in Air Force funding.
VectorRussia's Checkmate and why the country that flew a sixth-gen fighter first may now be a decade behind
Russia flew a sixth-gen demonstrator first but sanctions and industrial gaps may leave it a decade behind the US, UK, Japan, and allies.
TowerDetect and avoid and the sensor fusion problem standing between autonomous aircraft and the open sky
Detect and avoid technology requires fusing radar, cameras, and ADS-B data to replace human see-and-avoid capability for autonomous aircraft.
VectorHermeus and the Quarterhorse hypersonic aircraft chasing Mach five on a turbine engine
Hermeus is building Quarterhorse, an unmanned demonstrator using a turbine-based combined cycle engine to achieve Mach 5 from a conventional runway.
VectorReliable Robotics and the autonomous cargo plane that keeps the pilot on the ground
Reliable Robotics is retrofitting existing cargo planes for fully autonomous flight, with uncrewed Caravan demonstrations already completed.
VectorThe CFM RISE open fan engine and the radical architecture that could reshape every airliner wing by twenty thirty-five
CFM International's RISE open fan engine promises 20% fuel savings but demands entirely new aircraft designs by the mid-2030s.
VectorBoom Supersonic and the Overture airliner chasing Mach one point seven without the Concorde's mistakes
Boom Supersonic's Overture aims to bring back supersonic travel at Mach 1.7, but its success hinges entirely on the unproven Symphony engine.
VectorJetZero and the blended wing body aircraft that could cut airliner fuel burn in half
JetZero's blended wing body aircraft could cut airliner fuel burn by 25-50%, with a full-scale prototype funded by the Air Force expected to fly in 2027.
VectorShield AI and the Hivemind software turning drones into autonomous wingmen
Shield AI's Hivemind software turns drones into autonomous wingmen that fly without GPS or comms links, reshaping military and civilian aviation.
VectorHermeus and the Mach five aircraft that could cross the Atlantic in ninety minutes
Hermeus is building a Mach 5 aircraft to cross the Atlantic in 90 minutes, and they've already put test hardware in the air.
VectorReliable Robotics and the autonomous Cessna Caravan flying cargo without a pilot on board
Reliable Robotics is retrofitting Cessna Caravans to fly cargo without a pilot on board, using remote operators instead.
VectorSkyryse and the FlightOS software turning ordinary helicopters into fly-by-wire autonomous machines
Skyryse's FlightOS retrofits military-grade fly-by-wire automation into existing helicopters like the Robinson R66.
VectorBoom Supersonic's XB-1 demonstrator and the flight test campaign chasing Mach one
Boom Supersonic's XB-1 demonstrator is pushing toward Mach 1 at Mojave, testing the aerodynamic foundations of the Overture supersonic airliner.
VectorThe XB-70 Valkyrie mid-air collision and the photo shoot that killed two pilots at Mach three's doorstep
The 1968 XB-70 Valkyrie mid-air collision killed two pilots during a routine GE publicity photo shoot over the Mojave Desert.
TaildraggerThe NASA X-59 Quesst and the shaped sonic boom that could reopen supersonic flight over land
NASA's X-59 Quesst aircraft aims to replace the sonic boom with a quiet thump, potentially ending the 53-year ban on supersonic overland flight.
VectorHermeus and the Mach five reusable aircraft that wants to make hypersonic flight routine
Hermeus is building a Mach 5 reusable aircraft using combined-cycle propulsion, with military contracts funding the path to eventual commercial hypersonic flight.
VectorThe F-35's Automated Departure Resistance System and the spin-proof fifth-generation fighter
The F-35's Automated Departure Resistance System makes the jet essentially spin-proof, and the technology is trickling down to general aviation.
TowerSkyryse FlightOS and the universal autopilot that wants to make every helicopter crash-proof
Skyryse FlightOS aims to retrofit helicopters with full fly-by-wire controls, making loss-of-control accidents physically impossible.
VectorBoom Supersonic and the XB-1 demonstrator that has to prove supersonic flight can pay for itself
Boom Supersonic's XB-1 demonstrator is flying but the startup still faces massive engine, regulatory, and economic hurdles before Overture can enter service.
VectorThe NASA X-fifty-nine Quesst and the sonic thump that could rewrite the rules of supersonic flight
NASA's X-59 Quesst aircraft aims to replace the supersonic flight ban with a noise standard by proving sonic booms can be reduced to a quiet thump.
VectorThe GE Aerospace Catalyst turboprop and the first clean-sheet engine design general aviation has seen in half a century
The GE Aerospace Catalyst is the first clean-sheet turboprop engine for general aviation in 50 years, promising 16% better fuel efficiency.
VectorHermeus and the Mach five airplane that wants to make New York to London a ninety-minute commute
Hermeus Corporation is building a Mach 5 combined-cycle engine to make New York to London a 90-minute flight — here's where they actually stand.
VectorReliable Robotics and the autonomous cargo aircraft that just flew a Cessna Caravan with nobody on board
Reliable Robotics flew a Cessna Caravan with no pilot on board, advancing autonomous cargo aviation closer to commercial reality.
VectorMerlin Labs and the autonomous flight AI that wants to turn every airplane into a self-flying machine
Merlin Labs is building a retrofit autonomy system that has already flown King Air turboprops with zero human intervention.
VectorEthiopian Airlines firms up six more Boeing seven eighty-nine Dreamliners and what it means for African aviation
Ethiopian Airlines orders six more Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners, reinforcing its position as Africa's largest Dreamliner operator.
TowerBoom Supersonic's XB-one demonstrator and the flight test campaign chasing Mach one
Boom Supersonic's XB-1 demonstrator is deep into supersonic flight testing at Mojave, generating real data for the Overture airliner program.
VectorReliable Robotics and the race to certify autonomous cargo planes
Reliable Robotics is pursuing FAA certification to fly unmanned Cessna Caravans for cargo, using remote pilots and triple-redundant systems.
VectorHear it live. Radio Hangar streams aviation talk 24/7 at radiohangar.com.