Kevin Neal

The world's biggest airport set to open in 2030 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. King Salman International Airport will have six massive runways spanning over 57 square kilometers. The airport will include an impressive 12 square kilometers dedicated to retail outlets, allowing travelers to shop while waiting for their flights. KSIA will integrate the existing terminals of King Khalid International Airport, which has been in operation since 1983. The new airport is projected to handle 120 million passengers annually, with expectations to increase capacity to 185 million by 2050. This ambitious project aligns with Saudi Arabia’s vision to boost tourism and transform Riyadh into one of the top ten city economies globally. The goal is to support the growth of Riyadh’s population to 15–20 million people by 2030. With Saudi Arabia set to host the World Expo 2030 and as a frontrunner to host the 2034 FIFA World Cup, the country is also banking on a new metro megaproject to help transform its economy and improve its reputation.

Electric Monday and Anduril Industries and Archer have formed a partnership to jointly develop a hybrid propulsion vertical-take-off-and landing (VTOL) aircraft for critical defense applications targeting a potential program of record from the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD). With Archer’s advanced VTOL aircraft using existing commercial parts and supply chains and Anduril's expertise in artificial intelligence and systems integration, the partnership hopes to speed to market critical hybrid VTOL capabilities. Archer’s efforts on this project will be part of its new Archer Defense program. To support this initiative Archer raised $430 million in additional equity capital, with participation from Stellantis, United Airlines. Archer will build the aircraft at its Georgia plant, where it’s currently working with Stellantis to start building its Midnight aircraft at scale.

The Dommsday plane moves. Sierra Nevada Corp. (SNC) has transferred the “Doomsday” plane meant to protect key national leaders in the event of war or an emergency. SNC recently said it transferred a Boeing 747-8i aircraft from SNC’s Aviation Innovation and Technology Center in Dayton to Wichita State University’s National Institute of Aviation Research in Wichita, Kansas. “Delivery of the aircraft signifies the next phase of SAOC (’Survivable Airborne Operations Center’) engineering and manufacturing development since the contract award in April 2024,” the company said. Under a contract from the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center (which is headquartered at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base), SNC will modernize planes to replace the Air Force’s aging fleet of E-4B “Nightwatch” aircraft, which first entered service in the mid-1970s. It was that $13 billion contract that made possible two new SNC maintenance and repair operations hangars near Dayton International Airport. This highly modified aircraft are meant to serve as airborne command centers for the president, secretary of defense and chairs of the joint chiefs of staff to ensure continued command, control and communication during national emergencies.

Another milestone for Gulfstream. The company recently announced its 300th customer delivery of the Gulfstream G500 and Gulfstream G600. These aircraft were purposefully designed to increase manufacturing efficiencies by establishing commonalities throughout Gulfstream’s next-generation fleet, advances which led to incorporating the same award-winning flight deck on the Gulfstream G700, Gulfstream G800 and Gulfstream G400. This announcement follows other recent accomplishments for the G500 and G600 fleet. In June, the G500 and G600 each surpassed 100,000 flight hours, a reflection of strong customer demand. Also, within the past year, both aircraft received FAA certification for steep-approach operations, opening access to even more airports, including some of the world’s most challenging. The G500 can fly 5,300 nautical miles at Mach 0.85 or 4,500 nm at Mach 0.90 and the G600 can fly 6,600 nm at Mach 0.85 or 5,600 nm at Mach 0.90. Both aircraft feature a maximum operating speed of Mach 0.925.

Electric Monday and will the largest electric aircraft fly in 2025? When Swedish manufacturer Heart Aerospace’s Heart X1 demonstrator lifts off on its maiden voyage from Plattsburgh International Airport in New York in early 2025, it will become the largest fully electric aircraft to ever fly. The demonstrator is a precursor to Heart’s ES-30—a 30-seat, hybrid-electric regional airliner set to hit the market before the end of the decade. According to the company, Plattsburgh International’s location in upstate New York’s Champlain Valley offers plenty of airfield infrastructure and airspace, as well as “strong community support for transportation technology initiatives.” Heart said its X1 demonstrator is undergoing extensive testing ahead of the experimental test flight. The goal of the campaign is to validate the core electric propulsion system that will also be present on the ES-30. The company estimates its flagship production model will have a range of 124 sm (108 nm) at full capacity when flying solely on electric power, doubling when hybrid propulsion kicks in. With a smaller load of 25 passengers, the range stretches to about 497 sm (432 nm). The model is designed for short-haul regional routes and will incorporate Honeywell’s fly-by-wire flight control system, with four electric motors powered by batteries. Heart is backed by Bill Gates’ Breakthrough Energy Ventures group, which also includes billionaire business moguls Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, Richard Branson, and Mark Benioff, among others. The company last year said it had received 250 firm ES-30 orders with options and purchase rights awarded for 120 more, including large orders from United Airlines, Mesa Airlines, and Air Canada.