Resource Hub

Global air logistics platform e-Smart Group has signed an agreement with aerospace asset finance specialist SLI to lease up to 20 BETA Technologies all-electric aircraft for e-Smart’s air cargo operations, initially in Europe. The agreement covers a combination of BETA Alia CX300 electric conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL) aircraft and BETA Alia A250 electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft.

VAI applauds Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) for introducing the McCarty and Heideman Air Safety Enhancement Act, which strengthens aviation safety by requiring the FAA to review and update policies related to low-altitude airspace hazards. The bill follows the Jan. 2, 2026, accident near Superior, Arizona, in which a helicopter struck a slackline, killing four people. Following the accident, VAI led a coalition of 37 aviation associations urging the FAA to review the risks posed by slacklines and similar suspended hazards.

The FAA is adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain Bell Textron Canada Model 407 helicopters. The AD was prompted by a report of a fractured pilot cyclic stick tube and subsequent findings of other such tubes with fatigue cracking. The AD, effective Aug. 21, requires repetitively inspecting the pilot cyclic stick tube assembly for a crack and, depending on the results, repairing or replacing the assembly.

In its latest Fly Safe Campaign, the National Agricultural Aviation Association cautions aerial application pilots to safely plan missions that require working close to certain obstacles, citing recent accidents and incidents involving a spray boom collision with a truck on the ground and an aircraft collision with a parked excavator.

The aviation technology and wireless communications company’s service combines LTE, 4G, and 5G cellular connectivity with Starlink satellite connectivity through a bonded communications architecture that intelligently leverages available networks to maximize reliability, throughput, and operational coverage.

The order increases the United Kingdom (UK) National Police Air Service’s total fleet renewal program to nine H135s. The aircraft have been extensively customized for law enforcement use.

(AIN) – Visitors to this year’s Farnborough International Airshow can skip the motorway and fly in from London aboard Blade helicopters. The service comes courtesy of Joby Aviation, the California-based electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft developer that acquired Blade’s passenger business last August. The show takes place this week, Jul. 20–24, at the Farnborough International Exhibition and Conference Centre in Farnborough, Hampshire, England.

Airbus Helicopters and The Helicopter Company (THC), a Saudi Arabia–based commercial helicopter operator, have announced a firm order for eight additional Airbus H145 helicopters at the Farnborough International Airshow, which takes place Jul. 20–24. The aircraft are scheduled for delivery between 2027 and 2028.

Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company, announced Jul. 20 it will integrate its Matrix autonomy suite into BETA Technologies’ Alia MV250 hybrid-vertical takeoff and landing aircraft. Matrix is designed to enable advanced autonomous modes for rotary- and fixed-wing aircraft in challenging civil or military environments.

Bell Textron announced Jul. 20 during the Farnborough International Airshow that it has delivered its 700th Bell 505 to a private VIP operator, highlighting the platform’s popularity in the corporate aircraft segment.