Aviation

Meet Project Zero, the World’s First Electric Tilt-Rotor Aircraft ..!

EUROPEAN HELICOPTER MAKER AgustaWestland has unveiled the world’s first electric tilt-rotor aircraft and says it has already made several flights.

Like the more famous Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey, the new electric aircraft can take off and land like a helicopter, but fly like an airplane. It’s called Project Zero, and it follows AgustaWestland’s belief that tilt rotor technology is the best layout for the future of fast vertical

AgustaWestland is no stranger to tilt rotor aircraft, having taken over the AW609, which was formerly known as the Bell Agusta 609 civilian tilt rotor aircraft. The AW609 resembles the V-22 Osprey but is smaller and has a pressurized cabin. Unlike the Osprey or AW609, which mount their engines and propellers at the end of each small wing, Project Zero has two integrated rotors within the wingspan of the aircraft. The rotors are entirely electric powered and can be rotated more than 90 degrees.

Its first flight was made in Italy in 2011, and was unmanned completed while the aircraft was tethered to the ground. Additional untethered test flights have been made since then. The rotors are horizontal during take off and landing, providing lift via the thrust produced. During cruise flight, the rotors turn and act like propellers on an airplane, and most of the lift will be produced by the horizontal wing. The wing tips are detachable for missions when the aircraft’s primary use will be as a helicopter.

AgustaWestland didn’t provide any specs on the aircraft. Although Project Zero is a technology demonstrator, a hybrid version is under consideration. A diesel engine would drive a generator to keep the electrons flowing. When the aircraft is on the ground, it can be pointed into the breeze, allowing the windmilling blades to supplement the recharging batteries

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Aviation

No More Jet Airways. Supreme Court Says “No Choice”, Orders Liquidation

Jet Airways was once one of India’s leading airlines, known for its service and extensive network. Founded in 1993, it served millions of passengers, connecting cities across India and international destinations.

However, since grounding its flights in April 2019, Jet Airways has struggled to navigate financial turbulence, leading to years of efforts to revive the airline and return it to the skies.

On Thursday, the Supreme Court ordered the liquidation of Jet Airways, citing “no choice” but to take this decisive step after the resolution plan failed to meet creditor obligations. The court invoked its extraordinary powers under Article 142, which allows it to make orders for “complete justice” in any case, overriding previous tribunal rulings.

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The Jalan-Kalrock Consortium (JKC), which had won the bid to revive Jet, faced criticism for not fulfilling payment commitments to creditors, which included major banks like the State Bank of India and Punjab National Bank.

The Supreme Court’s ruling pointed to “peculiar and alarming” issues surrounding the resolution plan’s implementation, leading to its conclusion that liquidation was the only feasible outcome.

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Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, alongside Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, emphasized that while liquidation should be a last resort, it was necessary as the resolution plan was “no longer capable of implementation.”

In line with this decision, the court ordered that the ₹200 crore already infused by JKC be forfeited and directed the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) in Mumbai to appoint a liquidator to oversee the process.

JKC, a partnership between Murari Jalan, a UAE-based Indian entrepreneur, and Florian Fritsch, a Jet shareholder through Kalrock Capital Partners Limited, had taken ownership of Jet Airways two years after it was grounded. The consortium’s inability to fulfill its financial obligations has now led to this final verdict, marking the end of an era for Jet Airways in India.