Aerospace Daily & Defense Report

By Tony Osborne
Kopter Group has completed the first flight of its SH09 single-engine light helicopter in its new and final configuration.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Craig Caffrey
Hidden among some fairly stark top-level figures for India’s 2021-22 defense budget is some positive news for suppliers to the country and for the Indian military’s stalled modernization process.
Budget, Policy & Operations

By Irene Klotz
NASA has created a new position to advocate for climate-related programs in support of Biden administration initiatives, Acting Administrator Steve Jurczyk said Feb. 3.
Space

By Tony Osborne
Israel’s Rafael has developed a turbojet-powered derivative of its Spice 250 glide bomb that allows the weapon to strike targets out to ranges of at least 150 km.
Missile Defense & Weapons

By Lee Hudson
The U.S. Space Force is studying whether it should develop a tactical intelligence satellite, a mission that is usually executed by the intelligence community.
Space

The Tel Aviv-based manufacturer sold a naval version of the electro-optical guided missile to one Asian customer and a ground-launched version of the HAROP to another Asian customer.
Missile Defense & Weapons

By Michael Bruno
Sat-based 5G Service Startup Omnispace Lands $60M In VC Omnispace, a Washington, D.C.-area startup aiming to provide satellite-based 5G connectivity for the Internet of Things market, announced a $60 million venture capital round and looks to enter service by the end of 2022.
Commercial Space

By Tony Osborne
The Spanish Navy is mulling the implications of an F-35 purchase as it considers how best to replace its AV-8 Harriers which operate from its light carrier, the Juan Carlos I.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Mark Carreau
Psyche, the first-ever mission developed to explore a planetary body made of metal rather than ice or rocky material, has cleared a key NASA review milestone.
Space

By Tony Osborne
Studies exploring how unmanned air systems could be used to help respond to oil spills at sea will be undertaken by a partnership of UK firms FlyLogix and Oil Spill Response Ltd.
Advanced Air Mobility

By Irene Klotz
An investigation has been launched into the mid-afternoon crash landing of a SpaceX Starship prototype in Boca Chica Beach, Texas.
Space

By Michael Bruno
Fresh off finally achieving a successful test launch and aiming for daily launches of small satellites, Astra will become a publicly traded company after a takeover by a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) backed by veteran telecommunications entrepreneur Craig McCaw.
Space

By Steve Trimble
The company delivered 120 F-35s in 2020, not 123. The discrepancy between the two numbers appears in two public documents released by Lockheed Martin.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Michael Bruno
Jeff Bezos, one of the richest people ever and founder of the category-killing online business Amazon, said he will hand over the CEO title to Andy Jasse and become executive chairman of the business behemoth.
Commercial Space

By Michael Bruno
Former Boeing chief executive Dennis Muilenburg, AirFinance founder Kirsten Touw and other aviation luminaries are joining to launch a new special purpose acquisition company to acquire and take public aerospace and defense businesses.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Irene Klotz
After a spat with the FAA over an incomplete safety assessment prior to a previous Starship test, SpaceX launched another Starship upper-stage prototype from Boca Chica Beach, Texas, on Feb. 2, reaching an altitude of 32,800 ft. (10 km) and demonstrating flight control during subsonic re-entry before the vehicle crashed at landing.
Commercial Space

By Lee Hudson
Like U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told lawmakers during his confirmation hearing, Deputy Defense Secretary Nominee Kathleen Hicks said she supports the nuclear triad, but was careful not to comment on specific programs.
Budget, Policy & Operations

By Thierry Dubois
The European Space Agency has awarded a contract to Airbus for the construction of three more European Service Modules (ESM) for the Orion spacecraft that will carry crews to the cislunar Gateway station and the Moon as part of the NASA-led Artemis international program.
Space

By Steve Trimble
The first flight will be followed by early delivery of EX1, the designation for the first test aircraft, to the Air Force’s development and operational test force in the second quarter. Boeing’s original schedule called for delivering the first aircraft in August.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Kim Minseok, Jen DiMascio
The U.S. and the Republic of Korea are discussing how to compensate South Korea for RQ-4 Block 30 Global Hawks that have suffered a series of problems.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Tony Osborne
The UK Royal Air Force is planning to operate a SkyGuardian medium altitude, long-endurance unmanned air system in the UK this summer as it prepares for the introduction of its Protector platform.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Tony Osborne
A former Royal Air Force fighter pilot has been appointed commander of the UK’s new Space Command.
Space

By Graham Warwick
The U.S. Army is wrapping up its “buy, try, inform” effort to evaluate competing runway-independent tactical unmanned aircraft systems as it prepares to finalize its acquisition strategy to replace the Textron RQ-7B Shadow.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Graham Warwick
GKN Aerospace is to lead the study of a “park-and-ride” concept for urban air transport under the UK’s Future Flight Challenge to develop a next-generation integrated aviation system.
Advanced Air Mobility

By Graham Warwick
Electric aircraft pioneer Pipistrel has teamed with unmanned aircraft specialist C-Astral Aerospace to expand the capability of the in-development Nuuva V20 cargo drone to encompass intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance.
Aircraft & Propulsion