Aerospace Daily & Defense Report

First there were “big-bus” satellites, then nanosats, microsats and cubesats. Now come the advent of “Microns.”

The U.S. Army has tapped Kratos subsidiary Composite Engineering to deliver a high-performance aerial target drone.

Minority- and women-owned businesses saw a drop in DOD contracting during much of the Obama administration, but the dip was far smaller than for all of the DOD's contractors.

LOCKHEED MARTIN has $7b, 10-year U.S. Air Force contract for F-22 sustainment.

Filippo Bagnato, head of Leonardo’s aircraft division, is retiring at the end of January.

View the Fleet Snapshot: Worldwide Beechcraft King Air Military Fleets chart in PDF format.

To list an event, send information in calendar format to Donna Thomas at [email protected]. For a complete list of Aviation Week Network’s upcoming events, and to register, visit www.aviationweek.com/events (Bold type indicates new calendar listing.)

Russia’s Energia Corporation seems to have restored the connection with Angola’s first communication satellite, launched from Baikonur on Dec. 26.

An experiment pairing the skills of an ISS astronaut with two technologies succeeded in demonstrating a full microbial ID process in a microgravity environment.

The Islamic State is crumbling in Iraq and Syria, but there is no end in sight for those at the heart of the U.S.-led air campaign against the militant group.

Motion and control tech provider Parker Hannifin and the Justice Department have reached an antitrust deal over the company’s $4.3 billion purchase of Clarcor.

Turkey has finalized a deal with Russia to purchase the S-400 Triumph (SA-21 Growler) missile defense system, in a move that is likely to irritate NATO allies.

Uncertainty continues to surround France’s bid to sell Rafale fighter jets to Belgium after Paris reportedly offered a fivefold increase in return on investment if Brussels selects the French fighter.

Nigeria says the U.S. has taken the next steps in approving a long-delayed deal for the African country to purchase 12 Embraer A-29 Super Tucano aircraft.

Ankara has purchased four missile battalions for $2.5 billion and will receive the first delivery by 2020.

Bruce McCandless II, a retired NASA astronaut and U.S. Navy aviator best known for conducting the first untethered spacewalk, died Dec. 21, 2017, at the Los Angeles County University of Southern California Medical Center, of California.

A day after Japan opted to study the purchase of F-35B fighters, South Korea is also studying the possibility.

Belgium’s government has given the green light to joining the Dutch-led Multinational Multi-Role Tanker Transport Fleet (MMF), a move that will increase the fleet of pooled tanker jets to eight.

The Japanese defense ministry may modify its helicopter carriers to operate the short-takeoff and vertical landing version of the F-35.

In observance of the year-end holidays in the U.S., Aerospace Daily & Defense Report will not publish again until its Jan. 2, 2018, issue.

Things are looking up for Boeing, with the aerospace firm scoring two major international deals just days before the end of a tumultuous year.

JPATS LOGISTICS SERVICES LLC has $2.2b U.S. Air Force contract for Joint Primary Aircraft Training System T-6 contractor operated and maintained base supply services.

India has lost 35 defense aircraft and 14 military pilots in crashes in the last three years, the country’s government says.

Boeing also could provide greater marketing clout for sale of Embraer’s military products, namely the KC-390 and Super Tucano.

Embattled TransDigm Group will sell its recently acquired Schroth Safety Products seat belt provider to the business unit’s own management and a private equity investor.