Hermeus, a company that is attempting to build hypersonic aircraft with jet engines that would allow them to take off from runways like traditional planes, has unveiled a flying prototype to demonstrate high-speed takeoff and landing. The Mk 1 is an uncrewed, remotely piloted plane that will allow Hermeus to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the aircraft's performance and examine the effectiveness of the company's test procedures, safety culture, and interdisciplinary team collaboration. The company's next prototype is expected to demonstrate supersonic flight in 2025. A video featuring the Mk 1 is available in the article.

There are many natural and man-made threats that could knock out Earth's global navigation satellite systems (GNSS). There were numerous aviation-related incidents from the Baltic to the Atlantic to the Mediterranean Sea in 2024. The US Air Force has a novel backup system that uses cellphone towers to calculate a plane's position. The system is able to track planes for horizontal distances of more than a hundred kilometers at altitudes up to 23,000 feet with precision in single-digit meters.