A California-based startup pulled off two hypersonic flights of its reusable aircraft, which became the first fully autonomous drone to reach Mach 5 speeds. Stratolaunch’s Talon-A2 completed a series of test flights for the Pentagon’s Missile Defense Agency, part of a hypersonic testbed program that echoes Cold War-era efforts like the X-15, which retired in […]
Joby’s Flying Taxi Passes Biggest Test Yet as It Seeks FAA Approval
The aspiring air taxi company Joby Aviation just completed a complicated in-air maneuver that puts the company’s futuristic-looking aircraft on the path toward Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) flight testing. Joby successfully flew one of its six-rotor aircraft from vertical hover to horizontal cruise flight and back again with a pilot onboard, showcasing the aircraft’s versatility […]