Elfly is working to develop an all-electric seaplane called Noemi (standing for "no emissions") that will carry between six and 13 passengers on flights of up to around 200 kilometers and that could connect communities along Norway's long and rugged coastline. The company aims to start test flights with a full-scale prototype in 2025, and a cargo-carrying version could be ready to enter service in 2028. Elfly intends to be the launch operator for the new-generation amphibious aircraft.

Following extensive ground tests, Electra is preparing to start flight tests with a two-seat technology demonstrator for its planned nine-passenger, hybrid-electric eSTOL aircraft. The company believes that the aircraft will transform regional air services, mainly through its ability to operate from landing surfaces as small as about 300 feet. By 2025, it expects to start flight testing a full-scale prototype en route to type certification in 2028.

After a three-year development program, Italian airframer Tecnam and aircraft engine maker Rolls-Royce have determined that current battery technology is insufficient to support commercially viable operations with an all-electric aircraft. The partners indicated that the limitations of battery life and operating costs associated with these were the main reasons they stopped working on the nine-passenger P-Volt aircraft.

Whisper Aero has lifted the curtains on a new aircraft concept known as the Whisper Jet, which utilizes a next-generation, ultraquiet propulsion system that the Tennessee-based start-up has been developing in secrecy for the past two years. Having recently revealed that its propulsion system uses a special type of electric ducted fan, Whisper is now finally sharing the details of its invention, which it says will be quieter and more efficient than any other propulsion system on the market.

United Airlines, which holds provisional orders for up to 200 of Eve Air Mobility's four-passenger eVTOL aircraft, is working with the manufacturer to launch air taxi services in the San Francisco Bay Area. That's close to where rival eVTOL air taxi developer Archer is based, and United is also a prospective customer for its aircraft with plans to operate in New York and Chicago.

VoltAero is receiving a grant worth around $6 million under the French government's France 2030 regeneration investment fund, which was set up partly in response to the Covid crisis. The French start-up is gathering provisional sales commitments for its Cassio family of hybrid-electric aircraft as it prepares to exhibit at the Paris Air Show next week.

Just over 20 years since the AW609 tiltrotor aircraft flew for the first time in March 2003, the FAA is issuing proposals for completing a protracted type certification process that Leonardo began back in 2012. The proposed certification criteria are based on FAR 21.17 (b) rules that the U.S. regulator intends to apply for new powered-lift aircraft such as the multiple eVTOL vehicles now in development. The consultation process will run through July 10.

Boeing's Transonic Truss-braced Wing Concept is to be further advanced as NASA's X-66A project as part of the U.S. Aviation Climate Action Plan. The work has $425 million in backing from NASA under the Sustainable Flight Demonstrator project, with Boeing and partners contributing a further $725 million. They will fly a demonstrator aircraft featuring extra-long, thin wings attached to the fuselage with diagonal struts referred to as the transonic truss-braced wing concept.

At least 10 eVTOL aircraft developers are due to appear at next week's 2023 Paris Air Show, where Avidyne will reveal its new Quantum avionics platform. Plus, Archer has recruited a former FAA Administrator to be its chief safety officer, the Aircraft Company unveils a hybrid-electric model, Urban V and SITA team for Rome vertiport planning, Cirrus is heading for an IPO, Aviation Industries of China may have eVTOL ambitions, and Australia has a new hydrogen alliance.

Vertical Aerospace is getting help from Italian aerospace group Leonardo to build the second prototype of its VX4 eVTOL aircraft. This is expected to start test flights later this year, supporting the work being done with the company's first flight vehicle, which started hover flights in September 2022. The UK company has pushed back the projected target for type certification and service entry for the four-passenger, all-electric vehicle to 2026.