Aerospace Daily & Defense Report

By Bradley Perrett
Japan has formally selected the Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning for an acquisition program for 42 short-takeoff-and-vertical-landing fighters, going through the motions of acquisition procedures even though it had no alternative.
Defense and Space

“After successfully performing the crucial maneuver, Chandrayaan-2 has left for the Moon. If all goes well, it will reach the Moon’s orbit by Aug. 20,” says a senior scientist at the Indian Space Research Organization.
Defense and Space

By Bill Carey
Announced on Aug. 19, the agreement calls for Collins to provide local field service engineers and test capabilities at locations in Soesterberg and at Woensdrecht Air Base, including establishment of an F-35 pilot readiness center.
Defense and Space

Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., a Lockheed Martin Co., Stratford, Connecticut, is awarded $107,353,729 for firm-fixed-price advance acquisition contract modification P00029 to a previously awarded fixed-price-incentive-firm, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract (N00019-16-C-0048).

By Lee Hudson
Senior U.S. lawmakers are praising the Trump administration for green lighting the proposed sale of new F-16 fighter jets to Taiwan after the White House informally notified Congress of the $8 billion deal.
Defense and Space

By Mark Carreau
NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama will lead efforts to develop a three-component human Moon lander system under assignments announced Aug. 16 by agency Administrator Jim Bridenstine.
Defense and Space

By Lee Hudson
The U.S. Navy and Marine Corps warn that reductions to the Lockheed Martin F-35C would delay establishing a second Marine squadron by up to one year and cuts to the Northrop Grumman E-2D Advanced Hawkeye would prevent using the aircraft in high-threat environments.
Defense and Space

By Lee Hudson, Steve Trimble
Lockheed Martin displayed a rarely-seen F-35 model loaded with four Cuda air-to-air missiles at a large missile defense conference in Alabama last week, but there is no link between Cuda and a missile defense application, the company says.
Defense and Space

By Graham Warwick
Russia is reporting progress with two aircraft programs that are key to its efforts to reduce its dependence on imported products: the Ilyushin-designed Il-112V light military transport and Il-114-300 regional turboprop.
Defense and Space

By Lee Hudson
The U.S. Navy’s Ford-class aircraft carrier Advanced Arresting Gear system has been approved to recover all “props and jets,” an aircraft recovery bulletin says.
Defense and Space

By Bradley Perrett
Taiwan’s defense technology agency has raised performance in a second version of its Teng Yun surveillance drone, bringing the developmental aircraft close to a likely service standard, a program official said.
Defense and Space

By Bill Carey
The FAA is seeking information from third parties that are interested in administering a new aeronautical knowledge test that recreational drone flyers will be required to pass.

By Guy Norris
Virgin Galactic has declared its new base at Spaceport America operationally ready as the company sets its sights on the long-anticipated start of commercial suborbital spaceflights from the New Mexico facility in 2020.
Defense and Space

By Tony Osborne
Bell has secured its single-engine Instrument Flight Rules spurs for its Model 407GXi helicopter, paving the way for the aircraft to compete in the U.S. Navy’s rotary-wing trainer competition.
Program Management

By Lee Hudson
The U.S. Navy and Marine Corps are forewarning Congress that reductions to aviation readiness budget line items in fiscal 2020 would have major implications.
Defense and Space

By Graham Warwick
Dzyne Technologies and the USAF Research Lab have completed the first flight of an aircraft converted to unmanned operation using a removable robotic pilot.
Defense and Space

By Mark Carreau
NASA is making progress in overcoming the cost and tech challenges in the development of the Space Launch System, agency Administrator Jim Bridenstine says.
Defense and Space

By Bradley Perrett
Planning an enlarged acquisition of Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightnings, the Japanese defense ministry hopes local industry can gain a larger share of manufacturing in the program, though not with government investment.
Defense and Space

By Bradley Perrett
The first prototype of Taiwan’s next trainer aircraft will be rolled out in September and flown in June 2020, manufacturer Aerospace Industry Development Corp. (AIDC) said.
Defense and Space

By Michael Bruno
An FAA proposal to streamline and facilitate space launch and re-entry licensing for the new-space era has garnered 23 substantive comments days before public commentary is slated to close.
Defense and Space

SPARTAN AIR ACADEMY IRAQ LLC has $31.5m U.S. Air Force contract for continued Air Academy training for Iraqi Air Force.

Bahrain has signed agreements to purchase Raytheon’s Patriot ground-based air and missile defense system.

A European Union project to provide aerial firefighting capability to member states has been called upon for the first time.

ROCKWELL COLLINS SIMULATION AND TRAINING SOLUTIONS has $31.1m contract for one E-2D Hawkeye Integrated Training System III Weapons Systems Trainer and one Aircrew Procedures Trainer.

By Lee Hudson
The U.S. Marine Corps is pleading with lawmakers to not cut nearly 40% of its fiscal 2020 purchase for its only counter-unmanned aerial system program of record.
Defense and Space