A joint venture between KBR and Elbit Systems has pitched an eco-friendly flight concept to the U.K. defense ministry and initiated a program to demonstrate the proposed sustainable option for military aviation.
The Affinity Capital Works JV is using a two-seater Velis Electro trainer aircraft for the trials aimed at helping the British air force assess electronic-powered airplane technology, KBR said Monday.
Up to 20 airmen at the Royal Air Force Cranwell station in England will fly the vehicle in the coming months as part of Affinity’s test series.
RAF plans to examine the potential impacts of electric technology on flight and ground operations, infrastructure and logistics activity.
Affinity worked with the U.K. civil aviation authority last year to develop flight and safety assurance procedures to be used in the demonstration.
Related Articles
Team Atlanta has claimed the top spot in the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s AI Cyber Challenge, or AIxCC, securing $4 million in prize money for its artificial intelligence-driven cyber reasoning system. The team, including experts from Georgia Tech, Samsung Research and the Korea Advanced Institute of Science & Technology, outperformed six other finalists in the two-year competition aimed at creating AI systems capable of autonomously detecting and patching vulnerabilities of open-source software, particularly those used in critical infrastructure, including financial systems, public utilities and the health care ecosystem, DARPA said. The agency partnered with AI industry leaders Anthropic, Google,
The Federal Communications Commission has appointed Andy Hendrickson as the chief of its Office of Engineering and Technology. Hendrickson is transitioning from his former post of chief technology officer at the FCC’s Enforcement Bureau, the commission said Thursday. As OET head, Hendrickson will serve as FCC’s principal technical adviser on spectrum policy, equipment authorization and keeping regulatory standards apace with the rapid changes in the communications sector, FCC noted. According to his LinkedIn profile, Hendrickson joined the FCC Enforcement Bureau as CTO in October 2024, taking the task of guiding field operations. In his previous role, he also provided the
President Donald Trump has issued an executive order aimed at overhauling the federal government’s grantmaking process. New EO to Prevent Tax Dollars Wastage According to the president Thursday, the new EO aims to end “offensive waste of tax dollars” by establishing a new review process to determine whether grants prioritize national interest. Under the presidential directive, each federal agency will have a senior political appointee tasked with evaluating every funding opportunity announcement and grant award to ensure it will benefit Americans and align with agency priorities. The EO permits the termination of grants that are not consistent with agency priorities, national