Aerospace Daily & Defense Report

The stealth F-22 Raptor conducted its first strikes in Afghanistan the night of Nov. 19.
Defense and Space

By Maxim Pyadushkin
Russia’s new airborne early warning and control aircraft, the A-100 Premier, flew for the first time on Nov. 18 from Taganrog in southern Russia.
Defense and Space

By Irene Klotz
SpaceX’s launch of a classified mission for an undisclosed U.S. government customer will be delayed until at least December.
Space

By Maxim Pyadushkin
Russia’s United Aircraft Corp. (UAC) has resumed production of its largest combat aircraft—the Tupolev Tu-160 strategic bomber.
Defense and Space

As Sikorsky begins assembly of the first two operational CH-53Ks for the U.S. Marine Corps, GE Aviation has been awarded a $143 million contract for production of 22 more engines for the “King Stallion” heavy lifter.
Defense and Space

By Tony Osborne
Hybrid Air Vehicles (HAV), the developer of the Airlander 10 hybrid airship, has begun an investigation into why the aircraft broke free from its mooring mast and deflated.
Defense and Space

F-22 pilots assigned to Al Dhafra air base are seeing unexpected, potentially threatening movement from Russian fighters flying over Iraq and Syria with growing regularity.
Defense and Space

By Mark Carreau
The Ball Aerospace-built JPSS-1 is the first of four similarly instrumented spacecraft developed to extend severe weather forecasts out as far as seven days.
Defense and Space

By Marhalim Abas
KUALA LUMPUR—Indonesia has pledged more funds to help state aircraft manufacturer Indonesian Aerospace, especially to make its 19-seat N219 light twin turboprop aircraft an export success.
Defense and Space

U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT approved possible $170m foreign military sale to Norway of 60 AIM-120 C-7 Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missiles (Amraams) and four Amraam guidance section spares. NORTHROP GRUMMAN has AUS$200m ($150m) sustainment contract for Australia’s newly acquired C-27J Spartan aircraft fleet.

Launch of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration/NASA Joint Polar Satellite System-1 satellite from Vandenberg AFB, California, has been rescheduled for early Nov. 18 following a pair of last-minute countdown scrubs earlier this week. Liftoff atop a United Launch Alliance Delta II is set for 4:47 a.m. EST, or 1:47 a.m. local time (PST).

The U.S. Air Force plans to stand up a “Shadow Operations Center” at Nellis AFB in Nevada to test new concepts for multidomain operations involving air, space and cyber platforms and weapons: U.S. Air Force
Defense and Space

By Bradley Perrett
Japan’s defense ministry and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries are working on bonding technology that would largely eliminate fasteners from aircraft structures and thereby greatly cut weight.
Defense and Space

By Jen DiMascio
The U.S. Air Force is looking for companies that can launch a boost-phase missile warning satellite that is equal to or better than today’s Space-Based Infrared Systems by 2025.
Defense and Space

By Tony Osborne
The 65,000-ton HMS Queen Elizabeth will be commissioned by its namesake during a ceremony at the ship’s homeport of Portsmouth.
Defense and Space

BELL BOEING V-22 tiltrotor fleet reached 400,000 flight hour milestone.

Intelsat General says it has taken another step forward in the exchange of information between satellite and UAV, this time demonstrating inflight beam switching between its high-throughput Epic 29e and a Block 5 MQ-9 Predator B.

Boeing's future involvement in the multibillion-dollar Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) enterprise remains an open question.
Defense and Space

By Michael Bruno
Magellan Aerospace, a Canadian manufacturer of aerospace parts and systems, on Nov. 15 declared a groundbreaking on its new manufacturing and assembly facility near the Bangalore International Airport.
Defense and Space

By Tony Osborne
The United Arab Emirates Air Force (UAEAF) has ordered five C295 twin-turboprop airlifters and is bolstering its fleet of Denel Seekers UAVs.
Defense and Space

By Molly McMillin
Two private jet operators have begun accepting a new form of payment for charter flights—bitcoins.
Business Aviation

The U.S. Air Force B-52 squadron fighting Islamic State terrorists in the Middle East soon will be the first to field a key upgrade that will allow the venerable “BUFF” to carry eight additional smart weapons into battle.
Defense and Space

By Guy Norris
The newly created national security launch subsidiary of Virgin Orbit has won its first contract from the U.S. Defense Department.
Space

By Mark Carreau
Made In Space the Silicon Valley 3D printing startup, is fashioning a metal fabrication capability for the in-space production of aluminum, stainless steel and titanium components.
Space

By Marhalim Abas
Japan has donated five Beechcraft C-90 surveillance aircraft it had previously agreed to lease to the Philippines.
Defense and Space