Business
MightyFly, an autonomous air cargo carrier, announced that it has closed $5.1 million in seed funding. The round includes investments from 500 Startups, At One Ventures, Global Founders Capital, Graph Ventures, and Halogen Ventures. The funding will be used to expand hiring, scale-up MightyFly's fleet, and
Business
AeroVironment, Inc. announced that the U.S. Army has exercised an option on its Lethal Miniature Aerial Missile Systems (LMAMS) contract for additional Switchblade 300 tactical missile systems for the Army and for export to an allied nation. The $44,961,751 contract option increases the total value of the
Business
Morocco’s Royal Armed Forces (FAR) signed an acquisition contract of 13 Bayraktar TB2 unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAV) with Turkey to the tune of MAD 626 million ($70 million). Under the agreement, Morocco will receive four driving ground stations, a configurable simulation system for driving drones, and a digital
Transport
SF Express, China’s leading integrated logistics provider, intends to expand its delivery network fleet through the deployment of large cargo unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) with vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) capability. Together with its Munich based subsidiary, Amazilia Aerospace, SF Express has partnered with Pipistrel, a Slovenian aerospace
Business
The French Minister of Armed Forces, Florence Parly, has announced that the Armament General Directorate (DGA) has signed an order to purchase eight additional H225Ms and a second VSR700 prototype from Airbus.The VSR700 is an unmanned aerial system being developed for the French Navy in partnership with Naval Group.
Business
Lilium GmbH has entered into a definitive business combination agreement with Qell Acquisition Corp., a publicly listed special purpose acquisition company. Qell, led by Barry Engle, a former president of General Motors North America, is focused on developing next-generation, sustainable mobility. Upon closing of the transaction, the company will
Propulsion
General Atomics, San Diego, California, has been awarded a $22,164,736 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for the Demonstration Rocket for Agile Cislunar Operations (DRACO) - Track A program. Work will be performed in San Diego, California (71%); Louisville, Colorado (19%); Rockville, Maryland (3%); Seattle, Washington (4%); and Cullman, Alabama
Business
Through its UPS Flight Forward subsidiary the company plans to purchase electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft from Beta Technologies (BETA) as part of its innovation-driven strategy to identify new ways to help small businesses with sustainable solutions. “This is all about innovation with a focus on returns
UAM/UTM
Altitude Angel, a global leading UTM (Unified Traffic Management) technology provider, has been selected by Dutch drone enterprise solutions innovator AirHub to power its operations management software platform. The AirHub platform offers drone operators one, easy-to-use, workflow to plan, execute and manage missions legally and efficiently. It provides
Military
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc., Poway, California, is awarded a $13,068,808 modification (P00001) to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract (N0001920C0031). This modification adds scope to procure mission kits, ground support equipment, spares, element communications gear, and additional required equipment in support of the MQ-9A Reaper
Business
Velodyne Lidar, Inc. has announced a multi-year agreement with AGM Systems LLC, which provides state-of-the-art hardware and software technology for the collection, processing and analysis of air and mobile mapping data. AGM Systems will utilize Velodyne’s Ultra Puck lidar sensor in their new AGM-MS3
Agriculture
XAG Co. Ltd., a Chinese manufacturer of agricultural drones and robots, is planning an initial public offering on its home market shortly after securing 300 million yuan ($46 million) of funding. Guangzhou-based XAG filed with local securities regulators for the flotation and hired Shenwan Hongyuan Securities for pre-listing