Aviation technology analysis with Vector. Electric aircraft, avionics advances, eVTOL certification, satellite connectivity, and the engineering innovations shaping the future of flight.
Heart Aerospace's 2022 pivot from the ES19 to the 30-seat hybrid-electric ES30 reveals what honest engineering looks like in regional electric aviation.
Hermeus is developing a Mach 5 aircraft to carry passengers from New York to London in 90 minutes - here's whether the engineering backs the claim.
Supernal's SA-2 eVTOL aircraft backed by Hyundai's $100B manufacturing empire may be the most credible air taxi program in a field that keeps running out of money.
The North American X-15 flew 199 missions to the edge of space, set speed and altitude records that still stand, and shaped every hypersonic and space vehicle that followed.
Joby Aviation's S4 tilt-rotor eVTOL is the furthest along in FAA type certification, navigating a process the agency has never run before.
Joby Aviation's S4 is the most advanced attempt to certify a powered-lift electric air taxi, navigating an unprecedented FAA process targeting commercial operations by 2026–2027.
Reliable Robotics and Xwing are retrofitting certified Cessna Caravans with autonomous systems, pursuing a cargo-first regulatory path that may reach commercial operations before any eVTOL.
The 1999 Alaska Capstone Program proved ADS-B surveillance could work in the world's most demanding operational environment, directly shaping the FAA's 2020 nationwide mandate.
Category III ILS autoland uses triple-redundant computers that vote on every control input to land commercial jets in near-zero visibility - here's how it works.
Sierra Space's Dream Chaser is a lifting body spacecraft designed to survive orbital reentry and land on a runway - a technical challenge that bridges aircraft and spacecraft engineering.
Wisk Aero is pursuing FAA certification for a fully autonomous 4-passenger air taxi with no pilot seat - a regulatory first with no existing standard to follow.
ZeroAvia's hydrogen fuel cell powertrain delivers 10–20x more energy per kilogram than batteries, making it the most credible path to zero-emission regional aviation.
ACAS X replaces TCAS's fixed decision rules with a precomputed optimization algorithm, reducing nuisance alerts and scaling to drones, eVTOLs, and increasingly complex airspace.
Boom Supersonic's XB-1 demonstrator reached Mach 1.12 in January 2025, marking the most credible progress toward commercial supersonic flight since the Concorde retired in 2003.
GPS spoofing in the Eastern Mediterranean and Baltic Sea is generating false ADS-B position data - errors exceeding 60 miles - that controllers and pilots cannot easily detect.
Heart Aerospace's 2022 pivot from a 19-seat all-electric design to a 30-seat hybrid reveals where battery aviation actually stands today.
CFM International's RISE program is developing an open fan engine targeting over 20% better fuel efficiency than the LEAP, with target service entry in the mid-2030s.
The Daher TBM 960 pairs a single power lever with dual-channel electronic engine management, redefining what single-pilot turboprop operations demand from pilots.
NASA's X-57 Maxwell validated the aerodynamics of a radically smaller wing powered by 12 leading-edge electric motors, shaping how engineers now design the next generation of electric aircraft.
The Pegasus rocket has reached orbit more than 45 times since 1990 by launching from an L-1011 TriStar at 40,000 feet - one of aviation's most underappreciated contributions to spaceflight.