Aerospace Daily & Defense Report

This week Congress continues with hearings on the Pentagon’s fiscal 2020 budget request.

Iridium Satellite, LLC, Tempe, Arizona, was awarded a non-competitive firm fixed price contract modification on April 22, 2019, HC104714C4000, for the extension of services on the current Airtime contract.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Erdogan warned in a speech April 30 that the F-35 program would “collapse” if the U.S. government follows through on threats to eject Turkey from the multi-national program.

Turkish Aerospace is preparing to fly the first prototype of its T625 twin-engine medium helicopter in the next 5-6 weeks.

The Turkish Air Force has begun captive-carry trials of the indigenously developed Goktug family of air-to-air missiles.

The relatively new leadership at key aerospace and defense supplier Arconic fleshed out what their future, separate business structures will be April 30.

Citing traffic congestion in the capital, Manila, a startup has launched a helicopter ridesharing service in the Philippines.

Associations representing airports and the unmanned aircraft systems industry have formed a task force to address drone incursions at airports.

Saudi Arabia has severed a five-year-old partnership with Antonov to develop and produce an improved version of the An-32 transport aircraft, the head of the Ukrainian manufacturer said in an April 26 report. &

The company has placed notices in Italian financial newspapers as part of a bid to evaluate market interest.

GE Aviation and Auterion of Zurich, Switzerland, have partnered to provide a hardware- and software-based platform for commercial drone operations, the companies announced April 29.

Australia has sent four Airbus Tiger ARH attack helicopters to Southeast Asia for the type’s first international deployment.

The U.S. Naval Research Laboratory may partner with the burgeoning Space Development Agency, according to the nominee to be the next chief of naval operations.

The first ship will be delivered within 42 months, with two ships scheduled for delivery each year.

NASA is delaying the planned May 1 launch of a SpaceX cargo ship to the International Space Station (ISS) to troubleshoot a problem with the station’s electrical system.

The system is designed to enable fly-by-wire flight control as well as support autonomy and unmanned ops, while at the same time hosting multiple applications.

Boeing Chairman and CEO Dennis Muilenburg appears likely to keep both of his positions after company shareholders on April 29 opted not to force a move to split the chair and chief-executive officeholders.

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine suggests his agency’s troubled Space Launch System heavy-lift rocket could play a crucial role in fending off a devastating asteroid strike.

The aircraft is being prepared to complete a 200-flight hour test program to help the $805 million program reduce risk and perhaps accelerate its six-year EMD phase.

On April 19 an eight-rotor custom drone transported a kidney from St. Agnes Hospital in Baltimore to the University of Maryland Medical Center, 2.7 mi. away.

Results from a NASA-backed sounding rocket mission are shedding light on “speed bumps” for satellites that cause them to lose altitude.

Russia is looking to replace its aging Antonov An-124 transports and Ilyushin Co. has offered to satisfy the demand with the Il-96-500T.

LOCKHEED MARTIN has $723.6m U.S. Army contract for Hellfire missiles for U.S. military, Lebanon, Netherlands, France.

After thousands of simulations and mid-air collision test flights, startup Iris Automation has launched the first commercially available computer-vision-based detect-and-avoid systems for unmanned aircraft.

BOEING has $8.6m U.S. Air Force contract for F-15SA Aircrew Training Devices.