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BETA Technologies uses Near Earth to accelerate the development of autonomous aircraft
BETA Technologies, a maker of electric aircraft, announced on Thursday that it has partnered with Near Earth Autonomy in order to develop unmanned aircraft for the military. Flight testing is expected to start during the first half 2026. BETA CEO Kyle Clark said that the development and full demonstration could take up to one year, and it would be possible to deploy in 18 to 36 month. He said that the process of defense procurement could alter this. BETA, a company that designs and manufactures electric airplanes and propulsion systems said Near Earth brings expertise and experience in autonomous systems. Near Earth has developed these systems for the U.S. Military and major aerospace companies. Companies in the industry are exploring defense and logistic markets to diversify their revenue streams. This is pushing developers to improve autonomous capabilities to gain a competitive edge. Clark stated that there is a demand for "hundreds" of aircrafts per year, but only at the lower end. Clark said that the ongoing Russian war in Ukraine shows how important aerial logistics is. Vermont-based company, Near Earth, plans to use the work it has done with military users and commercial carriers such as its current partners UPS and Bristow to expand their products. The company has been developing its own autonomy systems since several years, and raised $1 billion through an IPO at the New York Stock Exchange in early October. Shawn Hall said that recent signals from U.S. Defense and Transportation agencies indicate a faster deployment of autonomous aircraft. BETA's collaboration with Near Earth complements the work it has done with GE Aerospace on a turbo-generator, as well as its own expertise in developing electric aircraft. Clark stated that its propulsion work with GE would give it vehicles a greater range, payload and speed. "And then you add the autonomy to that, you get an aircraft which further increases its capabilities, removes the weight of the system and the pilot, so that the payload goes higher," and can operate in contested space, reducing the risk for people. He said, "We have all the pieces to meet a very important need of the United States Military." Reporting by Shivansh Tiwary and Dan Catchpole, Seattle; editing by Vijay Kishore
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A probe has shown that in October, United pilots were pelted with glass after a weather balloon strike.
National Transportation Safety Board reported on Thursday that the pilots of a United Airlines aircraft, which was struck by a weather balloon on an October 16 flight near Moab in Utah, were pelted with glass before landing on an emergency basis. WindBorne Systems said last month that it believed one of its weather balloons had cracked the windshield on United Flight 1093. This Boeing 737 MAX. The NTSB stated that the radar trace of the balloon was in line with the United aircraft that was hit. The NTSB stated that "both pilots were showered with glass pieces as a result of the impact." The captain suffered multiple superficial lacerations on his right arm, and the first officer did not suffer any injuries. The NTSB stated that the radar track of the WindBorne high-altitude long-duration weather balloon was in line with the flight path of the United jet. The balloon left Spokane in Washington, then flew through Oregon and Nevada to Utah. The captain noticed an object far away on the horizon, but before he was able to mention it to the first officer, he heard a loud and significant bang. Jennifer Homendy, Chair of the NTSB, said last month that "the wrong situation could have really been devastating for the aircraft as well as those on board." The incident raised concern that damage may have been caused by debris from space. Previous government studies suggested that the risk of debris hitting jets while in flight was very low. The multi-layered structure of the aircraft windshields prevents cabin pressure loss in case it is damaged during flight. NTSB reported that the flight left Denver with 112 passengers, including crew. The captain declared an urgent situation and safely diverted to Salt Lake City. The passengers were transferred to Los Angeles on another plane later that same day. WindBorne has reported that it has launched more than 4,000 balloons and filed notices for each launch with the Federal Aviation Administration. (Reporting and editing by Diane Craft, David Gregorio and David Shepardson)
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BETA Technologies uses Near Earth to accelerate the development of autonomous aircraft
BETA Technologies, a maker of electric aircraft, announced on Thursday that it has partnered with Near Earth Autonomy in order to develop unmanned aircraft for the military. Flight testing is expected to start during the first half 2026. BETA CEO Kyle Clark said that the development and full demonstration should take up to one year, and could be implemented within 18-36 months. He said that the process of defense procurement could alter this. BETA, a company that designs and manufactures electric airplanes and propulsion systems said Near Earth brings expertise and experience in autonomous systems. Near Earth has developed these systems for the U.S. Military and major aerospace companies. Companies in the industry are exploring defense and logistic markets to diversify their revenue streams. This is pushing developers to improve autonomous capabilities to gain a competitive edge. Clark stated that there is a demand for "hundreds" of aircraft a year, but only at the lower end. Clark said that the ongoing Russian war in Ukraine shows how important aerial logistics is. Near Earth, a Vermont-based company, plans to expand its product line for military users as well as commercial cargo carriers including UPS and Bristow. Since several years, the company has been developing its own autonomy systems. Shawn Hall said that recent signals from U.S. Defense and Transportation agencies indicate a faster deployment of autonomous aircraft. BETA's collaboration with Near Earth complements the work it has done with GE Aerospace on a turbo-generator, as well as its own expertise in developing electric aircraft. (Reporting from Shivansh Tiwary, Bengaluru; Dan Catchpole, Seattle; Editing and production by Vijay Kishore).
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Lithuania's Vilnius Airport briefly closed due to balloons
Lithuania's Vilnius Airport resumed operations Thursday evening after being closed for over an hour because smugglers balloons appeared again on radar. This was according to the Lithuanian National Crisis Management Centre. The Baltic Republic closed its border crossings to Belarus last month in response to disruptions in airspace caused by weather balloons from Belarus. They reopened the crossings earlier on Thursday. In a press release, Inga Ruginiene's spokesperson said that if hybrid attacks continue to occur, border checkpoints could be closed. Lithuania said that smugglers were responsible for the balloons which caused airport closures in Lithuania. They blamed Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko, who did not stop the practice. Lukashenko called the border closure "crazy scam", accusing Russia and Belarus of fighting a hybrid warfare, ushering a new age of barbed wire division. Prior to the closure of Vilnius Airport on Thursday, air traffic accident reports had declined in recent weeks. Anne Kauranen, Helsinki, wrote the article and Andrius Sytas reported from Vilnius. Topra Chopra edited it.
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Urals differentials reduced amid lower prices in Asia
Calculations and traders reported that the differentials between Russian Urals crude and other grades in Indian ports eased as a result of recent U.S. sanctions against Rosneft, Lukoil and Rosneft. The traders reported that spot discounts for Urals crude have widened from $4 per barrel on a DES-basis last week to $5 to $6 per barrel on an average to Brent dated on a DES-basis. Reliance Industries, India's largest refiner of crude oil, has ceased importing Russian crude into its Jamnagar complex in western Gujarat from November 20, its spokesperson announced on Thursday. PLATTS WINDOW There were no bids or offers reported on the Platts Window for Urals, CPC Blend, or Azeri BTC on Wednesday. The Ukrainian military announced on Thursday that it had attacked Russia's Ryazan & Ilsky oil refineries. (Reporting from ;)
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Trump's team wants to reduce legal obstacles to closing down government offices
According to a proposal that was seen by, the Trump administration is looking at ways to improve its ability to shut down government offices and stop programs it doesn't want. Documents indicate that the administration is working on a rule for a more efficient way to manage the legal implications of layoffs. The proposal would allow agencies to dismiss staff without taking into account performance or service length when closing government programs or offices. Since January, the Trump administration has shut down government programs, including teams that enforce laws relating to civil rights. Federal employees have complained that the administration has not followed the necessary rankings when firing their employees. This proposal will help officials in the Trump administration address this issue and align government layoff regulations more closely with those of the private sector. Keir Bickerstame, federal employment lawyer, explained that the law codifies what agencies in the United States have been doing. They would be able "to handpick and eliminate" offices and programs that they disagree with. An official in the Trump administration said that closing offices should not be based on employee performance or service length. This does not make any sense. Reporting by Courtney Rozen in Washington and Sarah N. Lynch; Editing and proofreading by Rod Nickel and Diane Craft
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Mexico's Esentia offers shares for 45 pesos each in its IPO
Esentia announced on Thursday that it had priced its shares at 45 pesos (2.45 USD) for the initial public offering. This was below the previously indicated range of between $2.70 and $3.90. Esentia announced that the offering consisted of 224 million shares. Of these, 72.25 millions were offered on the Mexican domestic market, and 151.75 in an international offer. Esentia, a company that focuses on transporting and commercializing natural gas, said the funds raised would be used to fund its expansion plans as well as partially repay some of its debt. The company sold 186,000,000 new shares via the primary placement, and an anonymous shareholder sold another 38,000,000 shares in the secondary placement. BBVA Mexico, a global coordinator for the offering, reported that the IPO raised approximately 11.59 billion Pesos (631 million dollars) after full exercise of over-allotment. The bank stated that the demand for shares was approximately 1.5 times larger than the initial deal. Approximately 41% were allocated to Mexico, and 59% abroad. Esentia runs more than 2,000 km (1,243 mi) of pipelines known as the Waha System or Wahalajara, that transports natural gas at low cost from Waha in Texas to major industrial centres in central-western Mexico. At midday, the Mexican Stock Exchange had not changed its price for Esentia.
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US agency finds evidence that fatigue cracks were present in the fatal UPS cargo plane crash
The National Transportation Safety Board announced on Thursday that it had found fatigue cracks on a critical part of the UPS MD-11 cargo plane that crashed in Louisville, Kentucky on November 4, killing 14 people. When the left engine separated from the wing, the bulk of the left pylon, which is a structural component that connects the engine to the fuselage or wing, was still attached. The NTSB found fatigue cracks on the left pylon's aft mounting lug. UPS and FedEx grounded their MD-11 fleets in this month, as a precautionary measure and on the recommendation of U.S. aircraft manufacturer Boeing. The Federal Aviation Administration issued directives to temporarily ground the MD-11 and DC-10 because of their similar designs. The preliminary report referred to the crash of a DC-10 jet by American Airlines in May 1979. It listed it under "similar incidents." On takeoff, Flight 191 at Chicago O'Hare Airport saw the left engine, pylon assembly and approximately three feet of leading edge of the right wing separate from the plane and fall onto the runway. U.S. safety officials have confirmed that they are investigating the maintenance history for the 34-year old UPS cargo plane, which was in Texas for repair weeks before it crashed in flames shortly after takeoff. Jennifer Homendy, Chair of the NTSB, said this week that Boeing was doing additional modeling and tests as part of its investigation. Since its 1997 merger, Boeing has been the owner of the MD-11 program. FedEx and UPS operate about 50 MD-11 cargo planes worldwide.
Bosnia, US eye pipeline to cut Russian gas dependency
The U.S. Embassy Sarajevo released a statement Thursday on X that said U.S. officials and Bosnian officials had discussed ways to accelerate a long-delayed plan to build a gas pipeline to Croatia, which is seen as a possible alternative to Russian natural gas.
In the statement, it was also stated that the officials agreed in principle to have U.S.-based partners lead the project.
The lower house of the Bosniak and Croat Federation Parliament approved the project for the South Interconnection Gas Pipeline, which would bring natural gas from the liquefied gas terminal located on the Croatian Island of Krk to Bosnia, three years ago. However, the upper house has blocked the project due to a Croat Caucus.
Bosnia and Herzegovina post-war is made up of two autonomous regions, the Federation being one. The other region is called the Serb Republic.
The Croats in the upper house of parliament, also known as the House of Peoples (House of Peoples), have made their approval of the project contingent on the creation of a new operator of transmission systems based in the Croat dominated part of Bosnia, despite there already being a similar operator in Sarajevo, the BH gas company.
The embassy reported that on Thursday the leaders of the five largest political parties, including those from the Federation, unanimously agreed on the necessity to move forward with the project as quickly as possible in a meeting with U.S. Ambassador Charge d'Affaires John Ginkel.
Ginkel offered them the possibility of an American company developing, building, and managing the pipeline. Participants agreed to the proposal in principle and committed to more detailed discussion.
The embassy stated that "American private sector investors can ensure construction of the Southern Interconnection moves quickly and will help BiH secure affordable and reliable U.S. natural gas in order to strengthen its energy security."
Chris Wright, the U.S. Energy Secretary, said on X on Wednesday that continuing investment in modern infrastructure is crucial to long-term security of energy, delivering U.S. LNG to Bosnia from Croatia and ending dependency on Russian gas.
Bosnia does not have any gas reserves, but it uses up to 8% natural gas in its energy consumption. Sarajevo is the biggest consumer. It is solely dependent on Russian gas, which it receives via Serbia's TurkStream pipeline.
(source: Reuters)