Rotorcraft

SEOUL - Archer Aviation and Korean Air are teaming up to convert Archer's Midnight electric vertical take-off and landing, or eVTOL, aircraft for military use, the South Korean carrier has confirmed. Korean Air said the two companies are still working out the specifics of their roles and technical cooperation, but the broad division of labor has been set: Korean Air will lead the military conversion and systems integration work, while Archer will provide technical cooperation and support certification efforts. The tie-up builds on an existing relationship between the pair, after Korean Air struck a deal in October 2025 to acquire up to 100 Midnight aircraft as part of a broader push to commercialize the type in South Korea. Looking further ahead, the companies plan to pursue what Korean Air describes as "step-by-step localization of modification technologies and potential market expansion."

Midnight, which is still undergoing Federal Aviation Administration certification in the U.S., is a winged eVTOL design built for long-range cruise. It's powered by 12 rotors split evenly between the leading and trailing edges of its wings. The six leading-edge rotors tilt forward after vertical takeoff to provide forward propulsion. Archer has been broadening its defense footprint elsewhere, too, contributing to Anduril's Thunder hybrid-electric armed tiltrotor unveiled at the Farnborough International Airshow, and pitching its own uncrewed tiltrotor concept, Halo, for commercial cargo and parapublic roles.

Source: Flightglobal
Associated URL: https://www.flightglobal.com/archive/2026/08/archer-korean-air-to-work-on-militarised-midnight-evtol/
Author: Greg Waldron 

BORDES, France - The Safran Arriel 2K engine that powers Leonardo's AW09 helicopter has received its type certificate from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). This marks an important milestone toward the entry into service of the AW09, Leonardo's new single-engine helicopter.

The Arriel 2K underwent its first bench tests in 2022 and made its maiden flight on the AW09 in March 2023. Since then, it has accumulated more than 4,100 hours of testing, including over 600 hours in flight. Ground tests were carried out at the Safran Helicopter Engines site in Bordes, as well as at the DGA testing center in Saclay, near Paris, which included icing and endurance tests.

The Arriel 2K is a new member of the 1,000-shaft-horsepower (shp) power class within the Arriel 2 family of engines. It features an engine interface optimized for the AW09 and has been designed around a proven and robust gas generator featuring a two-stage compressor (one axial stage and one centrifugal stage) that delivers high compressor efficiency in a particularly compact package, combined with an annular combustion chamber. It is also equipped with a dual-channel FADEC (Full Authority Digital Engine Control) and an EACB (Engine Auxiliary Control Box), which reduces the pilot's workload.

Source: Safran
Associated URL: https://www.safran-group.com/pressroom/arriel-2k-engine-powering-leonardo-aw09-helicopter-has-received-its-easa-certification-2026-07-30

BRISTOL - The United Kingdom-based eVTOL startup Sora Aviation has penned a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with multinational supplier Toray Advanced Composites for the provision of manufacturing materials and production assistance for its flagship Sora S-1 eVTOL concept. The S-1 design concept is amongst the largest currently envisioned for the segment, with the company eventually aiming to introduce a 30-passenger aircraft onto the commercial market. Sora began conducting flight tests of a subscale demonstrator in early 2026, but the MOU with Toray takes the company one step closer to development and realization of a full-scale prototype. Sora has articulated a target of 2028 for the initiation of full-scale demonstrator testing, with the platform's commercial introduction planned for 2031. Under the new MOU, Toray will provide materials for both primary and secondary structures as Sora works to bring its concept into reality.

Source: Aviation International News
Associated URL: https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/futureflight/2026-07-28/sora-hip-hip-tooray-composite-collaboration