ERC System has unveiled the first full-size example of its Victor U250 hybrid-electric cargo drone. Revealing the design at the ILA 2026 airshow in Berlin on Wednesday, the German start-up said it aims to be ready to start delivering the 250-kilogram-payload model in 2028, with military resupply and commercial logistics deliveries expected to be the main applications.

Airbus Helicopters unveiled the U145, an uncrewed version of the H145 light twin, this week at the ILA Berlin airshow. The U145 full-scale mockup at ILA highlights the rotorcraft’s cargo-carrying capabilities, eliminating the cockpit and incorporating an integrated nose door, a foldable loading table, and a dedicated cargo floor. Plans call for a first flight with a safety pilot on board at the end of 2026 and entry into service early in the 2030s.

Merlin has completed the critical design review (CDR) for its C-130J autonomy program with U.S. Special Operations Command, moving the program out of design development and into aircraft integration, the company announced on June 4. Completion of the CDR confirms the system’s design is ready for the next phase of development. The program will first advance through hardware-in-the-loop simulation before moving to aircraft integration and ground testing, with flight demonstrations to follow, a Merlin spokeswoman told AIN.

Sarasota, Florida-based Helios Horizon has flown what it says is the first piloted electric airplane powered by solid-state batteries. The nonprofit organization’s founder and chief test pilot Miguel Iturmendi completed a series of short test flights on June 5 at Zephyrhills Municipal Airport (KZPH) in central Florida, flying a modified Pipistrel Taurus motor glider that the team reconfigured to run its single motor on solid-state batteries.

Electra has unveiled a turbo-electric airliner concept that the company projects could fly up to 17% more efficiently than the advanced aircraft otherwise expected by mid-century. The Virginia-based aircraft manufacturer, which is working to certify a hybrid-electric nine-seat model called the EL9 Ultra Short, designed the 100-seat regional airplane for NASA’s Advanced Aircraft Concepts for Environmental Sustainability 2050 program.

GE Aerospace has completed ground testing of a megawatt-class hybrid-electric propulsion system developed as part of NASA’s Electrified Powertrain Flight Demonstration project. The engine maker announced the milestone on June 2 and said it is now preparing for flight tests that will involve a converted Saab 340 twin-turboprop regional airliner.

NASA’s X-59 experimental aircraft reached supersonic speeds for the first time on Friday. Piloted by NASA test pilot Jim “Clue” Less, the aircraft departed at 11:08 a.m. PDT from Edwards Air Force Base in California for an 81-minute flight that reached about Mach 1.1 and an altitude of 43,400 feet. Plans call for stretching performance to Mach 1.4 and 55,000 feet in the coming days.