Aerospace Daily & Defense Report

By Tony Osborne
ORLANDO, Florid—Sikorsky has confirmed that it has abandoned its S-434 light helicopter program. Work on the project ended last summer, Dan Hunter

NASA’s Dawn asteroid-belt probe has used its solar-electric propulsion system to achieve orbit around Ceres.
Space

While there has been no significant impact yet, continued U.S. operations against Islamic State militants could cut into Asia-Pacific region needs, says Gen. Vincent K. Brooks, commanding general, U.S. Army, Pacific.

The revamped Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) design – designated as FF, or fast frigate, by the U.S. Navy – will likely attract more sales in the international arena, contractors says. That is, when the ships finally get approved and built.

U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT says fiscal 2016 foreign military financing (FMF) request for Israel is $3.1b. Israel has received $20.5b in FMF since 2009

FAA Administrator Michael Huerta says he and Transportation Department Secretary Anthony Foxx are “open” to discussing a restructuring of the agency

By Mark Carreau
As much as 20% of the ancient Martian surface may have been covered by an ocean, a mile or 1,600 meters deep and most likely in the northern hemisphere, according to a NASA Goddard Space Flight Center-led study of global moisture in the atmosphere of the red planet.

By Mark Carreau
NASA’s next Mars lander, InSight, will aim for a touchdown on a smooth patch of terrain within Elysium Planitia in the northern equatorial region of the red planet.

By Mark Carreau
Two delayed Planet Labs, Inc., Earth observing Dove CubeSats were successfully launched from the International Space Station last week.

Five Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) aircrew personnel recently graduated from basic training at Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 129, the U.S. Navy’s EA-18G Growler Fleet Replacement Squadron at Naval Air Station (NAS) Whidbey Island.

The U.S. Marine Corps and Navy are seeing more efficient and streamlined logistics operations through the relatively new Navy Logistics Integration

China’s Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) could lead to tense situations that could escalate to serious geopolitical crises given the recent international clashes in other realms in the region, according to the Congressional Research Service (CRS).

AV-8B Harriers landed aboard the amphibious assault ship LHA 6 USS America for the first time earlier this month.

SIKORSKY has $241.7m U.S. Army contract for 22 UH-60M aircraft to support contingency operations. Work to be completed by Dec. 31, 2016. BELL

Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain (R-Ariz.) opened a March 3 hearing with a note of praise for the Obama administration’s

By Tony Osborne
Airbus Helicopter’s has lifted the veil on its mysterious X4 development program with the launch of its new H160 medium helicopter.

In an exchange with Rep. John Culbertson (R-Texas), the new chairman of the House Appropriations subcommittee that funds NASA, Administrator Charles Bolden said the possibility of a station shutdown is a strong argument in favor of meeting his agency’s $1.2 billion request for commercial crew vehicles in 2016.

U.S. Air Force Space Command (AFSPC) took nearly a month to openly acknowledge to the press that one of the country’s oldest satellites fragmented into 43 pieces in orbit last month, creating a debris field.
Space

By Graham Warwick
A 30-kw fiber laser developed by Lockheed Martin has disabled a small truck in field tests of an integrated directed-energy weapon system.

The Littoral Combat Ship LCS 3USS Fort Worth practiced the Code for Unplanned Encounters at Sea (Cues) with the People’s Liberation Army-Navy (PLAN) Jiangkai II frigate FFG 572 Hengshui last month, “enhancing the professional maritime relationship” between U.S. 7th Fleet and the PLAN, U.S. Navy officials say. Fort Worth and Hengshui were conducting routine training and operations in international waters of the South China Sea when training opportunity became available, Navy officials say.

By Jay Menon
The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) says the scheduled March 9 launch of the IRNSS-1D navigation satellite has been deferred after an anomaly was found in one of the telemetry transmitters of the spacecraft.

By Bradley Perrett
The Boeing E-7 Wedgetail airborne early warning and control aircraft, operational with the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) for only about two years, is already in line for upgrades, notably for its Northrop Grumman Mesa radar.

By Graham Warwick
Lockheed Martin will collaborate with laser-radar developer H.N. Burns Engineering to develop systems to enable helicopter pilots to fly in degraded visual environments (DVE).

U.S. and Japan naval forces participated in a four-day Fleet Synthetic Training-Joint (FST-J) exercise in late February for ballistic missile defense (BMD) operations.

By Tony Osborne
MD Helicopters plans to redesign its MD-902 light-twin engine helo, company owner Lynn Tilton says.