Aerospace Daily & Defense Report

By Bradley Perrett, Tony Osborne
Australia is sticking by a plan to replace its 22 Airbus Tiger ARH attack helicopters in the mid-2020s, issuing a request for information on a prospective order for 29 rotorcraft.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Steve Trimble
The French government is under investigation for a possible violation of U.S. export control terms after a cache of Javelin missiles originally delivered to France were discovered inside a Libyan rebel compound, a State Department official said on July 10.
Defense and Space

By Tony Osborne
Bulgaria’s Council of Ministers has given the green light to the procurement of F-16 Block 70s from the U.S.
Defense and Space

By Mark Carreau
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s Hayabusa 2 asteroid sample return mission spacecraft initiated a three-day attempt late July 9 to collect a subsurface sample of Ryugu.
Defense and Space

By Tony Osborne
British defense ministers are hopeful that issues dogging the reliability and serviceability of the UK’s A400M airlifter fleet will be solved by the third quarter of 2020.
Defense and Space

India’s defense research agency recently conducted four successful tests of the Nag anti-tank guided missile, moving closer to its induction into the country’s military.
Defense and Space

By Lee Hudson
The USAF continues to defend its middle-tier acquisition practices strategy for the Next Generation Overhead Persistent Infrared missile warning satellite.
Defense and Space

By Mark Carreau
Dynetics, Inc. will join Maxar Technologies in the development and demo of operations for the cornerstone power and propulsion element of NASA’s Gateway.
Defense and Space

By Tony Osborne
Britain has sent a student pilot to test the U.S. Air Force’s Pilot Training Next (PTN) experimental flight training program.
Defense and Space

LOCKHEED MARTIN has $21.3m U.S. Navy contract for modification kits, special tooling and labor for retrofit of F-35 Lightning IIs.

By Lee Hudson
The lengthy statement of administration policy highlighting concerns in the areas of aviation, the nuclear enterprise and space, among others, was sent to the House Rules Committee July 9. Aerospace DAILY obtained a copy of the letter.
Defense and Space

India soon will establish a satellite tracking and data reception station in the neighboring Himalayan state of Bhutan.

LOCKHEED MARTIN has $41.3m U.S. Navy contract modification for flight test instrumentation and data processing for Tech Refresh-3 and Modernization Block 4 configuration of F-35 test aircraft.

By Bill Carey
China-based drone manufacturer DJI said the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) has authorized the use of customized “Government Edition” (GE) versions of its multirotor models following a 15-month assessment that included data security testing.

By Tony Osborne
Germany has become the first A400M operator to deploy the airlifter overseas in the aerial refueling role.
Defense and Space

By Mark Carreau
The 344-sq.-foot, four-segment, reflective Mylar Light Sail 2 will undergo additional testing of the altitude control system and possible spacecraft software updates.
Defense and Space

By Steve Trimble
The update package, named LRASM 1.1, includes unspecified changes to the shape of the wing for better range, a Lockheed spokesman confirmed to Aerospace DAILY on July 9.
Defense and Space

By Lee Hudson
The world’s largest military institution—the Pentagon—“is a place with a strong compass or a deep keel,” former Defense Secretary Ash Carter said July 9. “No organization … can move forward without a leader.”
Defense and Space

By Graham Warwick
French startup VoltAero and Ingegneria Dei Sistemi (IDS) are to cooperate on technology for more-electric aircraft.

By Graham Warwick
Skyworks Global has partnered with Scaled Composites to build a high-speed rotorcraft demonstrator, the Vertijet, based on a concept developed under DARPA’s Heliplane program and inspired by the late-1950s Fairey Rotodyne.
Defense and Space

By Tony Osborne
Britain is extending the deployment of Royal Air Force (RAF) Chinook helicopters in support of French troops in Africa by at least six months.
Defense and Space

By Lee Hudson
The U.S. Navy has declared the Northrop Grumman MQ-8C Fire Scout unmanned helicopter ready for war.
Defense and Space

India’s first indigenously-developed seaborne aircraft carrier—INS Vikrant—is making headway and should be delivered to the country’s navy in two years.
Defense and Space

By Graham Warwick
The contract is funded through the ESA/OneWeb Sunrise project, part of the space agency’s long-running ARTES research program to support development of advanced products and services in satellite communications.
Defense and Space

By Marhalim Abas
The Philippines will take delivery of 10 Sikorsky S-70i Black Hawk helicopters next year, its air force chief says.
Defense and Space