Given the huge number of lithium-ion batteries being shipped by air, some will eventually short-circuit and go into thermal runaway. Industry and regulators are considering some box-level solutions.

Shape-adaptive morphing structures could follow the adoption path that have made winglets the rule, rather than the exception, on new aircraft

The small lithium-metal and lithium-ion batteries we use everyday can pose big safety problems on aircraft, especially when carried as bulk cargo. This video shows the intensity of those fires when just a few batteries enter a state known as thermal runaway. FAA engineers at the William J. Hughes Technical Center have quantified the risks and are now testing methods to potentially mitigate them.

Pratt & Whitney is poised to realize its decades-long goal of introducing the geared turbofan into commercial service, with certification of the PW1100G-powered Airbus A320neo achieved on November 24, and the PW1500G-powered Bombardier CSeries expected to follow within weeks.

Speed has driven the history of aerospace. It’s never been easy, and it hasn’t always been safe.

Complex or risky tasks in flight testing or training can be simulated in the aircraft using a virtual display in the cockpit.

More engine types, more demonstrators planned under Europe’s second, larger public-private research initiative, Clean Sky 2.

Lightweight textile-based approach to blastproofing baggage containers could lead to wider market acceptance of device to protect airliners from terrorist bombs.