Aerospace Daily & Defense Report

By Lee Hudson
The U.S. Air Force has unveiled three “vanguard programs” designed to partially fulfill the service’s science and technology strategy.
Program Management

In the nick of time, the U.S. Senate voted 74-20 to pass a four-week extension to a continuing resolution (CR) that would keep the federal government open until Dec. 20.

The U.S. NAVY has awarded BAE SYSTEMS TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS & SERVICES INC., Rockville, Maryland, a $104,775,349 contract to provide engineering and technical services.

By Tony Osborne
U.S.-based adversary air companies are beginning to return Dassault Mirage F1s to flight in preparation for their role as commercial-operated aggressor aircraft.
Defense and Space

By Michael Bruno
Unmanned aircraft pioneer AeroVironment is paying $500,000 to the U.S. government to settle an export rules violation case, will conduct at least another $500,000 in internal remediation actions, and continue under supervision, company and federal officials announced late Nov. 20.

By Marhalim Abas
Thailand is developing an armed variant of a locally made UAV as part of an effort to develop its defense industry.
Defense and Space

By Michael Bruno
C4ISR and defense training provider Cubic saw its publicly traded shares lose around 20% in price Nov. 21, the day after the company forecast fiscal 2020 expectations that were softer than Wall Street expected.
Defense and Space

By Tony Osborne
NATO’s first Alliance Ground Surveillance (AGS) platform, a derivative of the Northrop Grumman Global Hawk high-altitude, long-endurance unmanned air system, has arrived in Europe, a major milestone for the delayed program.
Defense and Space

By Lee Hudson
A company with hopes of winning the U.S. Air Force’s light attack competition, Air Tractor, has filed two bid protests with the Government Accountability Office.
Defense and Space

By Irene Klotz
A prototype upper-stage for SpaceX’s Mars-class Starship launch vehicle was destroyed during a maximum pressurization test Nov. 20 at the company’s Boca Chica Beach, Texas, complex.
Defense and Space

By Mark Carreau
A NASA strategy to partner with the U.S. commercial sector to resupply the International Space Station (ISS) could enrich a growing global space economy if the agency and its international partners can stay the course to the Moon and Mars, its top strategist told SpaceCom 2019 on Nov 20.
Defense and Space

By Michael Bruno
London-based Spacebit is opening a Lansing, Michigan, office to find and develop investment opportunities in the U.S. that meet its lunar commerce ecosystem business strategy.
Defense and Space

By Mark Carreau
NASA’s Inspector General predicts that certification of Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner and SpaceX’s Crew Dragon Commercial Crew Program (CCP) spacecraft will occur no sooner than summer 2020.
Defense and Space

By Bill Carey
The Dutch Caribbean Air Navigation Service Provider (DC-ANSP), responsible for managing air traffic from the Caribbean island of Curacao, has started using space-based surveillance data from Aireon to track aircraft.
Defense and Space

By Lee Hudson
U.S. DOD Secretary Mark Esper is urging the FCC head to reject Ligado Networks’ license modification request to allow sat frequencies near the GPS band to be used for terrestrial 5G networks.
Defense and Space

By Marhalim Abas
The Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) has awarded Leonardo a contract to supply a RAT 31DL air defense radar system, the company says.
Defense and Space

Illinois-based Air USA says it is close to finalizing plans to import F-5E/Fs from an undisclosed country to support the U.S. Air Force’s adversary air training contract.

BELL BOEING JOINT PROJECT OFFICE has $379.4m U.S. Defense Logistics Agency contract for maintenance, repair and consumable material support for V-22 tiltrotor.

Morocco has requested the potential sale of up to 36 Boeing AH-64E Apache helicopters equipped with manned-unmanned teaming kits.

By Thierry Dubois
Preparation for final testing of Ariane 6 engines is progressing, while the main- and upper-stage assembly lines are up and running in anticipation of first launch next year.
Defense and Space

By Bradley Perrett
The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning is proving to be unexpectedly useful to Japan, particularly in gathering information, according to a former head of the Japanese air force.
Defense and Space

By Bradley Perrett
Marubeni Aerospace is bidding to supply a Gulfstream G550 to the Japan Coast Guard, which has two GVs for maritime patrol but needs a third aircraft to guarantee availability.
Defense and Space

By Michael Bruno
Japan’s AstroScale named Gene Fujii as chief engineer and Mike Lindsay as chief technology officer, adding the respective OrbComm and OneWeb veterans to its management team as the orbital debris removal startup tries to solidify its business plans.
Defense and Space

By Lee Hudson
A U.S. Air Force technical sergeant has developed a new concept for F-22 Raptor intake covers that can be folded and packed into a small compartment on the aircraft instead of having to be shipped separately.
Defense and Space

By Michael Bruno
Aerospace and defense private equity investor Arlington Capital Partners has acquired Doncasters Group’s aerospace forming and fabricating business in Sheffield and Shrewsbury, UK.
Defense and Space