Aerospace Daily & Defense Report

During a call to NASA Astronaut Peggy Whitson aboard the International Space Station April 24, President Trump hinted he might accelerate efforts to reach Mars with astronauts.

The president's remarks came as he congratulated International Space Station commander Peggy Whitson for breaking the record for time spent orbiting Earth.

Arianespace restarted launch operations April 24 at its spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, where work had been at a standstill during strikes and demonstrations.

Astronauts aboard the International Space Station successfully grappled Orbital ATK’s seventh NASA-contracted Cygnus resupply mission spacecraft early April 22.

The satellite features 12 Ku-band transponders to provide assistance in telemedicine, tele-education, crop productivity and disaster management to the South Asia region.

After modifications to heat critical systems and improve control sticks, the Airbus-sponsored Perlan 2 stratospheric glider has reached 30,615 ft.

Indonesia has ordered Lockheed Martin Sniper Advanced Targeting Pods for its Lockheed Martin F-16s, boosting their interception and ground attack capabilities.

Singapore is upgrading its Boeing AH-64D Apache attack helicopters with new mission systems, apparently as a midlife update for the type.

A memo by Vice Chief of Naval Operations Adam. Bill Moran obtained by Aviation Week directs the commander of the Pacific Fleet to lead an review into recent hypoxia events in U.S. Navy T-45s and F/A-18s.

BAE SYSTEMS has £1.4b ($1.8b) contract for Royal Navy Astute class submarine Agamemnon, for protecting UK carriers and nuclear deterrent.

Congressional Republicans are preparing bills once again to try to shoot down commercial aircraft deals by Boeing, Airbus and ATR with Iranian airlines.

The U.S. Navy has further restricted flying in the Boeing T-45C Goshawk after one instructor pilot reported headaches after performing dynamic flying in the troubled tandem-seat trainer.

The UK defense ministry has signed a £41 million ($52.36 million) contract that will pave the way for the integration of the MBDA Meteor beyond visual-range air-to-air missile onto the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.

The Norwegian government is urging the country’s Parliament to green light Oslo’s membership in the Dutch-led Multinational Multi-Role Tanker Transport Fleet.

Aerojet Rocketdyne has demonstrated a reusable hydrazine monopropellant thruster it prepared for Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner crew capsule.

With dozens of programs springing up to defeat UAV threats, Darpa is trying to nurture revolutionary future counter-UAV technologies.

Liteye Systems and Orbital ATK are pairing their technologies to turn the Boeing AH-64 Apache’s 30-mm chaingun against unfriendly UAVs.

Scientists have been asked to come up with suggestions on what type of satellite and rocket will be required for a Venus probe.

RUSSIAN HELICOPTERS delivered first civil Mi-171E helicopter in VIP configuration to Pakistan April 19.

BAE Systems and DRS have agreed to work together on an upgraded version of BAE’s Common Missile Warning System for U.S. Army fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft.

The U.S. Air Force says it still hopes to kick off a multibillion-dollar Bell UH-1N Huey replacement competition this summer and decide a winner in 2018.

Russia’s Soyuz MS-04 crew transport sprinted to the International Space Station early April 20.

An online survey by University of Michigan researchers suggests most people in the U.S. would use them if they become operational.

A deadly Lockheed Martin TU-2S crash during a pilot evaluation flight last year has been blamed on pilot error.

The USAF wants to turn the KC-135 into an airborne gateway, translating data between different networks so operators on the ground and in the sky can talk to each other.