American Made Advocacy: Where’s the Budget for a Modern Military Run on Microelectronics?
Defense Speak Interpreted: JADC2—Why It’s More Relevant Than Ever in Drone Warfare
Beyond the Board: Orbital High Ground—Why Space Superiority Is Slipping Away
New Frontier Aerospace and Air Force Institute of Technology Sign CRADA to Advance Hypersonic VTOL Aircraft
August 5, 2025 | PR NewswireEstimated reading time: 1 minute
New Frontier Aerospace (NFA) is excited to announce a Collaborative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) aimed at advancing an innovative rocket-powered hypersonic Vertical Takeoff and Landing (VTOL) aircraft. This partnership will leverage advanced aerodynamics and flight control techniques to revolutionize high-speed transportation of cargo and passengers for both commercial and military missions.
The collaboration focuses on creating a comprehensive aerodynamic database to optimize the structural design, aerothermal performance, and control systems of NFA's Pathfinder hypersonic VTOL aircraft. Pathfinder is designed to fly missions powered by NFA's Mjölnir rocket engines, which recently completed a series of hot-fire tests.
This CRADA will enable AFIT to conduct computational fluid dynamics and flight dynamics analyses essential for refining the aircraft's design.
"This collaboration represents a significant step forward in our mission to deliver affordable hypersonic transportation to our customers," said Bill Bruner, CEO of New Frontier Aerospace. "By combining our team's decades of expertise with the cutting-edge research capabilities of AFIT, we will accelerate our progress towards our first high speed flight."
The partnership is expected to yield advancements that will greatly benefit both military and commercial aviation sectors, paving the way for the next generation of aviation transportation solutions.
Share on:
Testimonial
"Our marketing partnership with I-Connect007 is already delivering. Just a day after our press release went live, we received a direct inquiry about our updated products!"
Rachael Temple - AlltematedSuggested Items
New York State Selects L3Harris to Modernize Thruway Communications Network
01/20/2025 | L3Harris TechnologiesL3Harris Technologies has received a contract award to upgrade the New York State Thruway Authority’s critical communications infrastructure, including voice and data connectivity, throughout its 570-mile jurisdiction.
Airbus Ventures Invests in Impulse Space’s $150M Series B Funding Round
10/02/2024 | BUSINESS WIREAirbus Ventures today announced its follow-on investment in Impulse Space, a leader in the development of in-space transportation services, which has just raised a $150 million Series B funding round.
May Mobility Selects Aeva as Exclusive Production Supplier of Long-Range LiDAR
11/08/2023 | BUSINESS WIREAeva, a leader in next-generation sensing and perception systems, announced that May Mobility, a leader in the development and deployment of autonomous vehicle (AV) technology, has selected Aeva to be the exclusive supplier of long-range LiDAR sensors for May Mobility’s autonomous vehicles globally.
Momentus to Fly JINJUSat-1 for CONTEC Co.
12/05/2022 | Business WireMomentus Inc., a U.S. commercial space company that offers transportation and other in-space infrastructure services, has signed a contract with CONTEC Co. of the Republic of Korea to provide space transportation services for the JINJUSat-1 CubeSat.
C-V2X Technology to Transform Intelligent Transportation: Qualcomm Report
09/20/2022 | Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.The connected vehicle technology known as cellular-vehicle-to-everything technology (C-V2X) holds the potential to deliver transformational benefits in road safety, enhance environmental sustainability, and create new jobs in the U.S., Qualcomm Incorporated asserted in a new white paper, C-V2X: A New Era of Smart Transportation in the United States.