In Pictures: Top Aerospace & Defense Stories, Nov. 03 2022

Credit: DoD/Chad J. McNeeley. The U.S. Space Force got its second commander in its less than three years of existence on Nov. 2, as the “father” of the service retired and Gen. B. Chance Saltzman took command.

Credit: Finn Hutchins/UK MOD/Crown copyright 2021. British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace has said the UK has just 33 pilots for its 27-strong F-35 fleet as it struggles to bring personnel through its flying training system.

Credit: Julian Leek/Alamy Live News. NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft headed back to Launch Complex 39B at the Kennedy Space Center on Nov. 4 in preparation for a third attempt to kick off the Artemis I flight test.

Credit: FCC. The chairwoman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced Nov. 3 that she would reorganize the agency to create a standalone Space Bureau to better support the needs of the growing satellite industry. 

Credit: Surf Air Mobility. Agreements in place with AeroTEC, MagniX and Textron Aviation to develop and supply electric and hybrid-electric powertrains for the Cessna Caravan are critical to Surf Air Mobility’s (SAM) complex plan to go public through a merger with a blank-check company, a regulatory filing reveals.

Joby Aviation has confirmed that launch of its aerial ridesharing service has been delayed to 2025, citing the FAA’s change of direction on certification and internal challenges related to the startup’s vertical integration.

Credit: Lockheed Martin. The future Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) fleet of Lockheed Martin C-130J is set to double, from 12 to 24 aircraft, the U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency disclosed Nov. 2.

Credit: Cranfield Aerospace Solutions. With the stated goal of helping regional aviation transition to net-zero operations, Monte Aircraft Leasing has added another offering to its portfolio with a letter of intent to purchase 40 modification kits from Cranfield Aerospace Solutions to convert Britten-Norman Islanders to hydrogen-electric propulsion.

Credit: U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Timothy Dischinat. The U.S. and South Korea are focusing on large-scale exercises aimed at increasing combat readiness, as North Korea has continued its barrage of missile tests, including the failed launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile on Nov. 3.

Credit: Space Development Agency. A low-cost positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) service that would use the same L-band frequency range as the Global Positioning System (GPS) could be installed on hundreds of military satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO), the Space Development Agency (SDA) revealed on Nov. 3.

Credit: Cpl. Danny Houghton, UK Ministry of Defense. Aviation Week Network has launched its new 2023 Military Fleet and MRO Forecast, providing a projection for the defense aerospace market over the next decade.