Rival eVTOL air taxi developers Archer Aviation and Wisk Aero have reached a settlement in their two-year-long legal dispute over allegations of intellectual property theft. In a surprising turn of events, the two California-based competitors have agreed to collaborate on autonomous flight technology that could one day enable unpiloted, passenger-carrying air taxi operations. And Archer has raised a further $215 million through a funding round backed by Wisk's owner Boeing, as well as Stellantis, United Airlines, and ARK Investment.

It is unclear how badly damaged Vertical Aerospace's VX4 eVTOL prototype aircraft was as a result of an incident during motor failure flight testing at Cotswold Airport in the UK on August 9. The company has planned to bring a second prototype into the flight test program later this year, and this vehicle would include a higher proportion of hardware supplied by official program partners.

Chinese start-up TCab Tech has built and flown an early technology demonstrator for the five-seat E20 eVTOL aircraft it intends to certify in 2025. The aircraft, which will feature six of Safran's EngineUs electric motors that drive five-bladed, low-speed tilting propellers and a pair of fixed lift rotors, is expected to have a range of up to 200 kilometers.

The U.S. Air Force has awarded the California start-up a $235 million contract to work with Northrop Grumman and its Scaled Composites unit to build and fly a technology demonstrator of its blended wing body aircraft by the first quarter of 2027. JetZero says that the blended-wing body design will deliver a quantum leap in aerodynamic efficiency, allowing it to achieve a 50 percent cut in fuel burn with Pratt & Whitney's Geared Turbofan engines.

The U.S. business aviation services group is the first company to join the new customer advisory board to provide input on the design and development of the four-passenger eVTOL vehicle. FlyExclusive’s feedback will help Textron eAviation complete design work for the Nexus aircraft, a prototype of which is under construction. The collaboration agreement does not yet include a commitment to add the hybrid-electric vehicle to FlyExclusive’s fleet of business jets.

Sino Jet operates business jets under management contracts and for charter from its bases in Beijing and Hong Kong. The company has agreed to purchase 100 of the AE200 tiltrotor eVTOL aircraft, which are expected to have five or six seats and fly up to around 300 kilometers.

ZeroAvia says its new compressor is a breakthrough in resolving how to maintain the high levels of oxygen flow required by the chemical reaction through which its hydrogen fuel cells create enough electricity to power aircraft. The company plans to start certification testing with the compressors first on the ZA600 powertrain it intends to deploy to convert existing regional airliners carrying up to 19 passengers.

Hyundai-based Supernal is setting up an office in Washington, D.C., to support its efforts to bring the SA-1 eVTOL aircraft to market. Plus Eve and DHL are working on improving supply chains; the AAM Institute wants to honor female innovators; Clermont Group, AIR, Heart, and Aura Network Systems have announced new leadership appointments; GKN, Parker and Marshall are collaborating on hydrogen propulsion; and Ryse is crowdfunding for its Part 103 Recon eVTOL vehicle.

Shanghai-based TCab Tech is making progress in the development of its planned five-seat E20 eVTOL aircraft, after conducting tethered and untethered flight tests with a skeleton technology demonstrator. This should support efforts to complete the design and construction of a full-scale prototype that will be powered by Safran's EngineUs 100 electric motors.