Month: June 2025

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The Structural Battery Company Appoints Sir Iain Gray as Special Advisor to the Board

ARPAS-UK member The Structural Battery Company (The SB Co.), an innovator in advanced structural energy storage solutions, is delighted to announce the appointment of Sir Iain Gray as Special Advisor to its Board.

Formerly Chief Executive of Airbus UK, Managing Director of the Aerospace Technology Institute, and Director of Aerospace at Cranfield University, Sir Iain has been instrumental in advancing some of the UK’s most important technology initiatives.

John Moffat, Founder and CEO of The Structural Battery Company, said: “We are honoured to welcome Sir Iain Gray as Special Advisor to our Board. His exceptional leadership across industry, academia, and government will be invaluable as we continue to grow and scale our structural battery technology to decarbonise transport. Sir Iain’s experience and insights will help guide our strategic direction and strengthen our partnerships across multiple sectors.”

Sir Iain Gray commented: “I am delighted to be joining The Structural Battery Company at such an exciting stage in its journey. Their innovative approach to lightweight, high-performance energy storage has the potential to make a significant contribution to the future of sustainable transport. I look forward to supporting John and the team as they deliver on their ambitious vision.”

The appointment marks an important milestone for The Structural Battery Company as it advances towards commercialisation, expanding partnerships across aerospace, defence, and renewable energy sectors.

For media enquiries, partnership opportunities, or technical information, please visit www.thesb.co.uk

‘Powering the Future:
Decarbonising Transport with Structural Battery Innovation‘

The Structural Battery Company is at this year’s 55th International Paris Air Show

16-22 June 2025
Salon international de l’aéronautique et de l’espace
Paris • Le Bourget
Hall B – Stand G158
www.siae.fr/en/

Why not follow The Structural Battery Company’s updates on LinkedIn

Read more ARPAS-UK Member Success Stories

2 June 2025

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Join the ARPAS-UK BVLOS SIG

ARPAS-BVLOS SIG: Over the last few years ARPAS has pushed in a number of areas relating to BVLOS, starting with the Risk Quantification Approach.

We also have a Manifesto on what we are looking to achieve.

With ARPAS-UK successes in the Atypical Air Environment (AAE) and the first 2 organisations being ARPAS-UK members (Heliguy, Autospray) – Read more here

We’re keen to push on with some of the aspects, collaborating with entities such as the NATS BVLOS Forum, but also driving into more technical areas and have a number of ideas.

We have a Discord group already, but we’re aware that not all members are or can be part of Discord.  So we are setting up a ARPAS-BVLOS SIG Group, so when people ask who are on the group its very clear.

If you would like to be added to this group where we can set up regular meetings, please use the link below and complete the Google Form.

Google Form Link

We also have the ARPAS-UK Regulation Special Interest Group? Find out more

AutoSpray Systems & Heliguy – ARPAS-UK Members

2 June 2025

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UK Government Airspace Redesign Opens Pathways for UAV Industry Innovation

The UK government has announced a landmark overhaul of national airspace infrastructure – the most significant redesign since the 1950s. While the primary focus is on improving the efficiency of commercial aviation and reducing delays, this initiative carries substantial significance for the future of uncrewed systems.

Central to the reform is the creation of the UK Airspace Design Service (UKADS), a new body tasked with reshaping airspace, beginning with the congested skies over London. The redesign aims to improve airspace utilisation, create jobs, reduce fuel consumption and emissions, and modernise legacy structures to reflect the demands of contemporary and emerging aviation technologies.

This marks a pivotal moment for the UK’s drone sector.

ARPAS-UK welcomes the government’s latest announcement that current airspace design must evolve to support today’s hybrid skies – encompassing uncrewed aerial systems (UAS), electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, and beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) operations. The successful integration of these technologies into shared airspace will depend on robust safety frameworks, transparent governance, and meaningful engagement with the drone industry.

Ensuring safe and efficient integration of uncrewed systems into the airspace of tomorrow is essential to unlocking the full potential of the sector.

UK Government’s Press Release

2 June 2025

Regulation News

Not yet a member of ARPAS-UK? Find out more