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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.

The company has received a supplemental type certificate (STC) for its fully coupled GRC 4000 four-axis rotorcraft autopilot for the UH-60A and UH-60A+ Black Hawk helicopters. The GRC 4000 has been added to the existing IFR operations–approved Moog Avionics STC.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) determined the probable cause of this accident to be the pilot’s low-speed, high-power maneuvering in high-density altitude near maximum
gross weight, which resulted in an uncommanded right yaw due to a loss of tail-rotor effectiveness and a subsequent hard landing.

The Canadian special-mission avionics manufacturer welcomes Sachin Suramwar as sales and business development representative to better support AEM’s customers and help increase adoption of its mission-critical solutions in the region.

Enstrom Helicopter Corp. has chosen Helicopter Services Inc. (HSI), a longtime aircraft sales, completion, and maintenance, repair, and overhaul provider based in Spring, Texas, as its newest dealer. As an authorized Enstrom sales and service center, HSI will support the OEM’s customers from aircraft acquisition through every stage of ownership.

VAI is still accepting nominations for our annual awards program honoring excellence in the vertical flight industry. You don’t need to be a VAI member to nominate your peers, mentors, and others for exceptional service to the vertical aviation community. The deadline for submissions is Aug. 31, 2026.

(Breaking Defense) – Defense firm Anduril and aviation manufacturer Archer on Jul. 20 unveiled a new Group 5 drone dubbed Thunder, designed to be a “loyal wingman” flying beside helicopters such as the Apache and future Cheyenne fleet. In development for about three years, the aircraft is a fully autonomous, armed reconnaissance tiltrotor engineered from lessons learned from Anduril’s fixed-wing Fury aircraft.

If you missed the 2026 VAI Southeast Asia Aviation Safety Conference, held in Bali, Indonesia, this past May, you can still learn key takeaways from the event by viewing many of the presentations given at the conference. Click on the headline above to read more!

Visit VAI at Booth #363 during the annual Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) event this week in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and discover all the association is doing to support the vertical flight industry!

The 2027 VAI scholarship program will be opening next month, so stay tuned to VAI Weekly for updates on how to apply! In the meantime, read how past winner Braydon Wise turned opportunity into achievement—and how you can do the same.