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Unmanned Systems

Pentagon to Leverage Commercial R&D in Hybrid VTOL Aircraft for Logistics

By Brian Garrett-Glaser

Tuesday, January 28th, 2020

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Pentagon to Leverage Commercial R&D in Hybrid VTOL Aircraft for Logistics

Concept art of Sabrewing's hybrid-electric VTOL aircraft, called 'Rhaegal,' slated for FAA certification in 2023. (Sabrewing)

SAN JOSE, Calif. — Officials from the Pentagon and White House emphasized their support and interest in the ongoing development of revolutionary VTOL aircraft at the Transformative Vertical Flight conference last week. The new class of aircraft, which combine elements of helicopters and airplanes and use either hybrid or fully electric propulsion, are being developed by dozens of companies for use as commercial air taxis in traffic-congested cities. The military continues to express high-level interest in these aircraft, often referred…

Congress

House Republicans’ Blueprint For Reconciliation 3.0 Includes $60 Billion For Defense

House Republicans on Wednesday unveiled a blueprint for a third reconciliation bill that includes $60 billion for defense, a figure slightly below the Trump administration’s request to cover Iran war […]

Congress

Senate Dems Block Consideration Of FY ‘27 NDAA Over Iran War Concerns

Senate Democrats on Tuesday blocked a vote to advance consideration of the chamber’s $1.14 trillion fiscal year 2027 National Defense Authorization (NDAA). The procedural vote was 46-50, failing to reach […]

Congress

Concerns Raised At SASC Hearing On Unobligated Reconciliation Funds And Lack Of Updates On Iran War Cost

Members of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) raised concerns at a hearing on Tuesday about the majority of funds in the $153 billion first reconciliation bill being unobligated thus […]

Unmanned Systems

CBO Says Upfront Costs To Protect Military Installations From Drones Between $1 Million And $74 Million

The initial costs to acquire and deploy counter-small unmanned aircraft system (C-sUAS) defenses at individual Defense Department installations are estimated at between $1.2 million and $73.6 million depending on the […]