Aerospace Daily & Defense Report

Darpa is offering a top prize of $10 million to launch a payload into orbit with just a few days notice.

ITALY approved LEONARDO’s Mirach-40 (M-40) target drone for operations following testing at PISQ joint armed forces test range in Sardinia.

Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL), Goonhilly Earth Station and Astrobotic are partnering to create “a road map of innovations” concerning in-space communications relay for organizations operating on or around the Moon.

“Right now I’m very happy with how the program is progressing,” the U.S. Air Force's top uniformed acquisition official told Congress.

The rocket-powered missile will provide a precision strike capability against time-critical targets from both fighters and bombers.

Dynetics has been selected to demonstrate airborne launch and recovery of UAS from manned platforms under Darpa’s Gremlins program.

U.S. Rep. Jim Bridenstine has cleared a possible final roadblock in his quest to be OK'd as the next NASA administrator by winning Sen. Marco Rubio's support.

Boeing says it has “high confidence” that it will debut the Starliner CST-100 vehicle for both uncrewed and crewed test flights by year’s end.

The ISS partnership should take on the development and operation of NASA’s planned Lunar Orbital Platform-Gateway, a Russian official says.

Russian cargo airline group Volga-Dnepr is withdrawing from NATO's Strategic Air Lift International Solution (Salis) at the end of 2018.

Aerospace Corp. has developed small transponders that can ride on newly launched satellites to help avoid space collisions.

A couple of aircraft manufacturer Textron's highest-profile military projects remain in a holding pattern.

The U.S. Department of Commerce has begun discussions with the U.S. Air Force to take over space traffic notifications to commercial satellite operators.

Britain’s Royal Air Force (RAF) has re-established 617 Sqdn. as the nation’s first unit to fly the F-35B Joint Strike Fighter.

Malaysia has awarded a $153 million contract to Kongsberg for an undisclosed number of Naval Strike Missiles (NSMs) to arm six light frigates under construction.

“We have entered the space game finally," a UK Royal Air Force official says.

The Space and Missile Systems Center is being restructured into what U.S. Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson calls “SMC 2.0.”

HUNTINGTON INGALLS INDUSTRIES has $65m U.S. Navy contract for long lead-time material in support of Enterprise (CVN 80).

This week the Space Foundation’s 34th annual Space Symposium is underway in Colorado Springs.

Japan’s Shinmaywa has agreed to manufacture and assemble its US-2 amphibious aircraft in India in collaboration with Indian conglomerate Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd. (M&M).

SRC Inc., North Syracuse, New York, has been awarded a not-to-exceed $57,500,000 undefinitized contract action for Counter Unmanned Aerial Systems supplies.

NASA traditionally has analyzed cost, schedule and technical risks to determine a program’s health. But that approach can lead to tunnel vision, warns the agency's outgoing Acting Administrator.

The U.S. House Science, Space and Technology Committee on April 17 endorsed passage of a 2018/19 NASA authorization bill.

The Department of Defense laid out a long-anticipated plan to buy Lockheed Martin’s F-35 in bulk beginning in the early 2020s.

Germany’s Volocopter has lifted the veil on its vision for on-demand urban air mobility services.