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We hope you've been enjoying the content and activities we provide through ASTG. A reminder that ASTG membership renewal is open until January 31st. After that date, access to the user forum, newsletter, webinars, and upcoming events will lapse. At just $6 per year, ASTG membership remains an excellent value for the resources and community engagement it offers.
It's also a great moment to renew your HFES Society membership. Use promo code 20-OFF-2026 at checkout to receive a $20 discount-applicable to renewing Full, Affiliate, and Associate members only.
You can renew directly through the HFES portal: my.hfes.org/become-a-member
Please note that ASTG and HFES memberships are independent. You may be an ASTG member without being an HFES member, and vice versa.
In the news
By Philippe D-P and Srishti Rawal, from Polytechnique Montreal
Air traffic management
A new bill proposes to keep funding air traffic controllers during government shutdowns. The legislation, sponsored by members of both parties, would make available to the FAA a $2.6 billion fund to keep paying ATC employees in case of a government shutdown. The money is coming from the Aviation Funding Insolvency Act that was put in place after 9/11 to cover airline expenses for aircraft commandeered during wartime or military operations. Being unused, this program was terminated in 2014, but interest accumulation has increased to make it a sizable fund. In the last week of this past shutdown, the FAA restricted flights from 40 airports to the country due to controller absences.
An AI assistant for air traffic management. FAA's air traffic managers are tasked with overseeing the overall flow of traffic across the country - and ensuring any small delays don't cascade into a widespread outage. The University of Michigan is developing large language models to make this task easier. They could also be used to train managers on unusual scenarios.
Autonomy
Aurora Flight Sciences Develops Adaptive Human-Machine Interface for UAS Operations. Aurora Flight Sciences is building FARSIGHT, an adaptive human-machine interface that uses cognitive sensing and autonomous algorithms to tailor information delivery and to support pilots in managing multiple drones.
Aviation
Bombardier Global 8000 Gets Type Certification from Transport Canada - The newest business jet of the Canadian aircraft manufacturer just got its type certification from Transport Canada, while the company is working to obtain similar approvals from the FAA and EASA. The Global 8000 is an ultra-long-range model and has a maximum range of - you guessed it! - 8,000 nm. Bombardier also announced a reduced cabin altitude of 2,691 feet at FL410, making it the lowest of any in-production aircraft. For memory, the Global 7500 obtained its type certification seven years before, in Fall of 2018.
Gogo Commercial Aviation has begun flight trials of its 5G air-to-ground connectivity system on a Pilatus PC-24, targeting speeds up to 80 Mbps, an impressive leap for in-flight internet. The 40–50 hour test campaign spans multiple regions across the U.S. and includes real-world use cases like streaming and video calls. Once validated, Gogo plans to seek FAA approval for its Avance LX5 and X3 systems, aiming for a commercial rollout by year-end.
ZeroAvia and Hybrid Air Vehicles are partnering to bring the ZA600 hydrogen-electric propulsion system to the Airlander 10, marking its first application on a non-fixed-wing platform. The Airlander's large hull offers enough volume for practical hydrogen storage, making it a useful test case for future zero-emission operations. With ZA600 already advancing toward certification on the Dornier 228 and targeting the Caravan next, this collaboration gives a clearer picture of how early hydrogen technologies might scale across very different aircraft types.
Electric
Joby Hybrid VTOL aircraft completed its first flight. Joby has carried out the inaugural flight of its new hybrid-powered autonomous aircraft, advancing preparations for operational trials with potential users such as U.S. government agencies next year. Derived from the S4 eVTOL but refitted with a gas-turbine hybrid system and equipped with Joby's SuperPilot autonomy suite, the aircraft will be built by Joby and adapted by L3Harris for defense missions ranging from contested resupply to autonomous wingman support.
Defence
In-flight Training using Augmented Reality (AR) for Apache Pilots. For the first time, military pilots will be able to train in-flight simulated combat missions using AR. Red 6 completed integrating their AR systems on Boeing AH64E Apache. The pilot sees the AR through a special lens on the pilot's helmet visor, and the information is visible even on a sunny day. The software can simulate one-on-one fighter jet combat and larger engagements, as well as logistics missions for tanker training. Scenarios can be preprogrammed, instructor-led or generated by artificial intelligence.
The Global Combat Air Program (GCAP) is a joint initiative between Italy, Japan, and the UK to develop a sixth-generation fighter for the future needs of the three partner nations and attract export orders. It finds its root in the Mitsubishi F-X program to develop its own stealth fighter jet afterJapan failed to acquire the F-22 due to U.S. trade restrictions. GCAP targets an entry into service around 2035. The program will have to be on its feet quickly, as Boeing has already started flight testing the F-47, its 6th-gen fighter.
Embraer adds counter-drone missions to A-29 Super Tucano. The turboprop light-attack aircraft is being transformed into a dedicated counter-drone platform, using electro-optical or IR sensors to provide identification, tracking, and laser designation of UAS targets. The aircraft can then engage drones using laser-guided rockets or its machine guns. For once, the low speed of the turboprop is an advantage to engage with equally slow UAS, when compared to fighter jets that tend to be too fast and use too expensive rockets to counter expandable drones.
Space
Reflect Orbital plans to launch thousands of satellites with mirrors to redirect sunlight to solar farms at night. In a scenario that seems coming straight out of HBO Silicon Valley, the California startup Reflect Orbital applied to the FCC to launch a first satellite in 2026 with a 59-ft wide reflector that will beam the sunlight back to Earth at nighttime, illuminating a surface of 3 miles in diameter. This "technology demonstrator" is used to collect data and validate the concept of operations. If successful, the company plans to launch a constellation of about 4,000 satellites by 2030 that would be able to direct sunlight back to Earth to its paying customers, whenever, wherever. One would add that it gives a new sense to SAAS (Sun as a Service). The startup received $20 M in venture capital backed by Lux Capital and Sequoia Capital, so it seems serious in its ambition. Astronomers question the usefulness of such a project and worry about its impacts on telescope observations.
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Philippe Doyon-Poulin, for the ASTG leadership
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