Aerospace Daily & Defense Report

July 15-17—Aviation Week Routes Silk Road 2019, Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan. For more information go to https://events.aviationweek.com/en/home.html

“Our position regarding the F-35 has not changed,” Acting Defense Secretary Mark Esper told reporters July 12 at the Pentagon.

The management shakeup at NASA is intended to usher in a new way of doing business, Administrator Jim Bridenstine told Aerospace DAILY.

As The Planetary Society’s LightSail 2 spacecraft prepares to demonstrate solar-sail propulsion in low Earth orbit (LEO), project manager Vestigo Aerospace has received a NASA grant to study use of drag-sail technology to deorbit LEO satellites.

A high-level task force convened to address the challenge of drone incursions at U.S. and Canadian airports issued an interim report July 12.

Boeing is seeking an urgent exemption from FAA regulations governing rotorcraft external-load operations to enable flight testing of its CV2 unmanned cargo air vehicle (CAV).

Embraer executives have welcomed Portugal’s decision to purchase the KC-390 airlifter, describing the decision as “historic” for the program.

Turkey has taken delivery of the first components of an S-400 ground-based air defense system from Russia in a move that risks seriously impacting its relationship with the U.S. and NATO allies.

Airbus Helicopters is streamlining and shuffling its top-level management.

Philippines Air Force (PAF) Chief Air Lt. Gen. Rozzano Briguez said the aircraft should be received in 2020, but the manufacturer would not confirm when asked by Aerospace DAILY.

View the Aviation Week Forecasts: Western Maritime Helicopter Deliveries/Retirements 2019-2028 chart in PDF format.

Launch of the U.S. Air Force’s Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) 5 satellite aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral has been delayed from its July 17 target.

CROATIA formed inter-ministerial committee for the procurement of multirole combat aircraft July 4, kicking off acquisition process.

Boeing has selected a Raytheon radar to complete the supplier selection for the first of two major upgrades planned for the U.S. Air Force fleet of the nearly 60-year-old B-52H bombers.

Qatar has become the first announced customer for the Raytheon Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile Extended Range (AMRAAM-ER), a surface-to-air missile.

The U.S. Air Force plans to start testing autonomy algorithms and artificial intelligence on a flying aircraft this summer, a spokeswoman confirmed on July 11.

A university research program has developed an automatic landing system that does away with the need for ground-based instrument (ILS), microwave (MLS) or satellite-based landing systems.

Longtime NASA Associate Administrator Bill Gerstenmaier has been replaced by Deputy Associate Administrator Ken Bowersox, an ex-astronaut.

Portugal looks to become the first export customer for the Embraer KC-390 after the government approved the purchase of five of the airlifters for €827 million ($930.5 million).

Germany’s Rheinland Air Service (RAS) has delivered a second heavily modified ATR-72 regional turboprop to the Pakistan Navy for maritime patrol duties.

“Approximately two minutes after liftoff, shortly after ignition of the Zefiro 23 second stage, a launcher anomaly occurred, leading to the premature end of the mission,” according to Arianespace, the launch operator.

Japan’s Hayabusa 2 spacecraft touched down on the asteroid Ryugu late July 10 for a second time within five months to obtain samples of the primitive Solar System body for return to Earth.

The final, unpowered flight test of Virgin Orbit's two-stage, liquid-fueled LauncherOne expendable rocket clears the way for a trial run to space possibly by late summer.

Israeli startup Airobotics, a provider of fully automated drones for industrial tasks such as inspection and security, has unveiled its first sensor payload to be developed and manufactured in-house.

Applying sanctions on Turkey remains an option if the Russian S-400 air defense system is delivered, a State Department official said on July 10.