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.
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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
The Supersonic Modernization Act and the Senate's Move to Retire America's Fifty-Year Ban on Civil Supersonic Flight
The Senate Commerce Committee advanced S.1759 to end the 1973 ban on overland civil supersonic flight, tied to a no-boom standard.
TowerThe First Polish F Thirty-Five Flies at Cameri and What Europe's Second Lightning Line Really Means
Poland's first F-35, built in Italy at the Cameri FACO, completed its first flight - signaling Europe's growing role in fighter production and sustainment.
TowerThe X Fifty-Nine and NASA's Quest to Turn the Sonic Boom Into a Thump
NASA's X-59 aims to replace the sonic boom with a quiet 'thump,' reopening overland supersonic flight banned since 1973.
VectorStratolaunch, the Roc, and the Return of Air-Launch as America Chases Reusable Hypersonic Flight
How Stratolaunch's giant Roc aircraft and reusable Talon-A vehicle revived air-launch to close America's hypersonic testing gap.
VectorJetZero and the Blended Wing Body Bet to Rewrite the Shape of the Airliner
JetZero's blended wing body aims to cut airliner fuel burn by up to 50%, backed by a $235M Air Force contract - here's the promise and the hurdles.
VectorAirbus DragonFly and the A Three Fifty That Can Land Itself When Both Pilots Go Quiet
Airbus DragonFly is an A350 demonstrator that can divert and land itself if both pilots are incapacitated - here's how it works and what's next.
VectorThe Boom Overture and the Case for Commercial Supersonic's Second Act
Boom Supersonic is closer than any company since Concorde to reviving commercial supersonic travel, but financing gaps and an aggressive 2029 timeline warrant careful scrutiny.
VectorBoom Supersonic's XB-1 and the Case for Commercial Supersonic's Second Chance
Boom Supersonic's XB-1 broke Mach 1 on private funding in early 2024, reigniting the case for commercial supersonic travel after the Concorde's 2003 retirement.
VectorThe NASA X-59 QueSST: The Quiet Supersonic Aircraft and the Fifty-Year Ban It Was Built to Break
NASA's X-59 QueSST flew for the first time in January 2024, built specifically to generate the acoustic data needed to challenge the FAA's 50-year ban on overland supersonic flight.
VectorFlying the RNAV GPS RWY Eighteen Approach at KGPT: An LPV Walkthrough
A complete walkthrough of the RNAV GPS Runway 18 LPV approach at KGPT, covering avionics requirements, glidepath technique, and decision altitude discipline.
TowerClimb Via vs. Climb And Maintain: The SID Clearance That Trips Up Instrument Pilots
'Climb via' and 'climb and maintain' are not interchangeable SID clearances - one hands you the full procedure, the other replaces your altitude profile but leaves speed restrictions intact.
TowerNormal Law: The Airbus Fly-By-Wire Philosophy and the Question of Who Actually Flies the Airplane
Under Airbus Normal Law, the flight computer prevents pilots from commanding a stall or exceeding structural limits - here is what that means for safety, authority, and pilot skill.
VectorHermeus and the Chimera Engine: The Atlanta Startup Aiming for Mach Five Commercial Flight
Atlanta startup Hermeus is developing the Chimera combined-cycle engine targeting Mach 5 commercial flight, which would cut New York-to-London transit time to roughly 90 minutes.
VectorGCAP and Edgewing: Three Nations, Four Point Six Billion Pounds, and the Sixth-Generation Fighter Taking Shape
The UK, Italy, and Japan awarded a £4.6 billion contract to Edgewing on July 3, 2026, moving GCAP from concept to engineering reality.
TowerThe Reaction Engines SABRE and the Precooled Engine That Could Fly to Orbit
Reaction Engines' SABRE engine solved the core thermodynamic barrier to air-breathing orbital flight - and the proof survived the company that built it.
VectorBoom Supersonic's Overture and the four cost walls that killed Concorde
Boom Supersonic's Overture must clear four financial hurdles that grounded Concorde - here's an honest accounting of where each one stands.
TowerBoom Overture - The Case for Commercial Supersonic and the Open Questions That Still Remain
Boom Supersonic's Overture airliner targets Mach 1.7 cruise and a 2030 entry into service - the most credible commercial supersonic program since Concorde retired in 2003.
VectorBoeing's F-47 - What the Tailless Canard Design Reveals About the Next Era of Air Combat
Boeing's F-47 NGAD fighter has been spotted over Nevada with a reported tailless canard design that signals a fundamental shift in American fighter aerodynamics.
TowerHow a Workshare Dispute Between Dassault and Airbus Killed Europe's 116 Billion Dollar Sixth-Generation Fighter
Europe's €116 billion FCAS sixth-generation fighter program collapsed after nine years - not from technical failure, but from an unresolved workshare dispute between Dassault and Airbus.
TowerHermeus and the Chimera - The Engine That Has to Change What It Is at Mach Three
Hermeus is developing the Chimera turbine-based combined cycle engine to power a Mach 5 passenger aircraft by solving the hardest propulsion problem in modern aerospace.
VectorThe Aeroflex Eviction and the New Jersey Pilots Fighting to Stay
Pilots at Aeroflex-Andover Airport in New Jersey are fighting eviction notices from the state Forest Fire Service, with AOPA citing federal grant assurance protections.
TowerThe X-65 and the Aircraft That Flies Without Moving Its Wings
DARPA's X-65 reached a key assembly milestone in June 2026 as its fuselage was mated to wings that carry no ailerons, rudder, or elevators - only pressurized air.
TowerThe Stratolaunch Roc and the Talon-A - The World's Largest Airplane as a Hypersonic Test Platform
The Stratolaunch Roc - the world's largest operational aircraft - serves as a reusable launch platform for hypersonic test vehicles, accelerating U.S. defense research at lower cost per flight.
VectorRobinson and Skyryse Team Up on an Uncrewed R Sixty-Six - The Trainer That Flew You to Solo Is Going to War
Robinson Helicopter and Skyryse announced an autonomous uncrewed R66 for the defense market on June 24, 2026 - a milestone for the rotorcraft industry.
TowerBoom Supersonic, the XB-1 demonstrator, and the bet that you can build a Concorde without a country behind you
How Boom Supersonic's XB-1 became the first American civil jet to break the sound barrier - and why the real test is the engine.
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.
TowerBoom 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 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.
TaildraggerRussia'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.
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.
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.
TaildraggerHermeus 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.
TowerBoom 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.
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.
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.
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.
VectorBoom 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.
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.
TowerReliable 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.