Aerospace Daily & Defense Report

By Graham Warwick
As it works to accelerate the establishment of a U.S. advanced air mobility industry by identifying early military procurement opportunities for such vehicles, potential applications being investigated by the U.S. Air Force’s Agility Prime program include personnel recovery and other special operations.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Irene Klotz
As China prepares to launch the first module of a new space station in low Earth orbit, Russia says it is open to potential cooperation on the project.
Space

By Lee Hudson
The U.S. Space Force is in need of additional intelligence analysts as U.S. adversaries’ space capabilities continue to grow and is working toward establishing a National Space Intelligence Center by January 2022.
Space

By Mark Carreau
NASA’s Convergent Aeronautics Solutions has launched a crowdsourcing competition to solicit assessments from experts on the factors most likely to shape the future of air travel and how to best arrive at a favorable outcome.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Steve Trimble
The company that supplies MH-6M and MH-47G helicopters to SOCOM’s army aviation component declined to directly answer a query by Aerospace DAILY about interest in Armed Overwatch, but left open the possibility of submitting a bid for the 76-aircraft order.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Steve Trimble
A top U.S. Air Force commander on April 1 said the Army’s plan to deploy ground-launched, hypersonic missiles in the Pacific theater is “stupid,” throwing gasoline on a largely behind-the-scenes turf fight raging inside the Pentagon over budgetary resources for long-range strike programs.
Missile Defense & Weapons

By Michael Bruno
Vaya Space, a Cocoa, Florida, space startup formerly known as Rocket Crafters, on March 31 announced its entrance into the small satellite launching marketplace for launches of up to 1 ton to low Earth orbit starting in 2023.
Commercial Space

By Maxim Pyadushkin
China has boosted its high-resolution Earth observation capabilities with the launch of another Gaofen 12 satellite.
Space

By Michael Bruno
Fresh off its declaration that it was becoming a space-based weather service provider, ClimaCell has revealed its financing for getting there.
Commercial Space

By Michael Bruno
AST Spacemobile, the new publicly traded version of nanosatellite startup AST & Science of Midland, Texas, should emerge from its reverse-merger with a special purpose acquisition company on April 6 sporting around $462 million.
Commercial Space

The Embraer KC-390 is now qualified to refuel another KC-390 in-flight for the Brazilian air force, the manufacturer said April 1. Boom-equipped air
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Tony Osborne
The UK Royal Air Force has disbanded the squadron flying its Raytheon Sentinel wide-area surveillance aircraft, ending the type’s service career.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Tony Osborne
European missile manufacturer MBDA says it will scale back spending on Germany’s Tactical Air Defense System (TLVS) after a government review of ground-based air defenses prioritized a requirement for short-range air defense and upgrades to the country’s existing Patriot systems.
Missile Defense & Weapons

By Bill Carey
NASA estimates the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the agency’s major programs through fiscal 2020 and beyond at nearly $3 billion.
Space

By Michael Bruno
Area-I’s offerings include its Altius UAV, whose current customers include the U.S. Army, Air Force, Navy, Special Operations Command and NASA.
Supply Chain

By Steve Trimble
Boeing said it is disappointed by Canada's decision to disqualify the KC-46 for the Strategic Tanker Transport Capability project, but stands ready to re-enter if the competition is reopened to bidding.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Maxim Pyadushkin
Russia has made another step toward the development of a new Soyuz 5 medium lift launch vehicle, with NPO Energomash reporting on March 31 that it had completed test firings of the first RD-171MV liquid rocket engine.
Space

By Tony Osborne
The UK business of Kaman Corporation has been purchased in a management buyout.
Manufacturing & Supply Chain

The concept expands upon the objectives of an ongoing experiment by DARPA. The immediate goal of the Gremlins program is demonstrate in-flight recovery of a Dynetics/Kratos X-61A by a Lockheed Martin C-130.
Missile Defense & Weapons

By Guy Norris
Just over a week after NASA outlined renewed plans to foster the development of U.S. commercial low Earth orbit free flyers to succeed the International Space Station, Sierra Nevada Corp. has unveiled ambitious plans to develop an orbital ecosystem based on its inflatable habitat design and Dream Chaser lifting body space vehicle.
Space

By Graham Warwick
South Korea’s Hanwha Systems plans to invest 450 billion won ($400 million) in urban air mobility over the next three years.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Michael Bruno
Tapping into the crosscurrents of the commercial space boom and advanced technologies such as cloud computing, Amazon is opening an AWS Space Accelerator to assist and network with related startups, with applications due April 21.
Commercial Space

By Tony Osborne
The UK’s bid to propose the Eurofighter Typhoon for Finland’s HX future fighter tender includes local assembly of both the aircraft and the engine as well as participation in the development of an active electronically scanned array radar for the platform.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Michael Bruno
Finland-based Iceye, an Earth observation data analytics provider with its own constellation of synthetic aperture radar satellites, said March 31 it plans to launch more satellites this year than previously planned, with the next launch booked for midyear.
Commercial Space

By Michael Bruno
San Diego-based Cubic, a provider of military training and C4ISR systems, will go ahead with a takeover by Veritas Capital and Evergreen Coast Capital, an affiliate of Elliott Investment Management, after the buyers raised their price in the face of an unsolicited foreign bid.
Sensors & Electronic Warfare