Aerospace Daily & Defense Report

By Mark Carreau
After a long wait, astronauts are prepared to share real estate aboard the International Space Station with a rugged fabric habitation module, a commercial prototype for the kind of enclosure that can be greatly compressed to a low launch volume.
Defense and Space

By Bradley Perrett
South Korea is launching a technology demonstrator program for an unmanned strike aircraft, aiming to build a full-scale mockup for assessment of radar cross section while flying eight subscale aircraft to prove tailless flight control.
Defense and Space

By Jen DiMascio
Lockheed Martin is receiving another $18 million to continue research on future improvements for all three variants of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.
Defense and Space

By Tony Osborne
A new fleet of medium helicopters is topping the list of procurement priorities for the Chilean Air Force (FACH).
Defense and Space

The U.S. Navy relieved Cmdr. Michael L. Atwell as the commanding officer aboard the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) 3 USS Fort Worth earlier this month due to events surrounding an engineering problem that occurred in January, the service says.
Defense and Space

By Graham Warwick
U.S. investor-owned electric utilities have teamed with a Finnish UAV operator to develop industry standards for beyond-line-of-sight flights to inspect power lines and other infrastructure.
Defense and Space

Cobham Advanced Electronics Solutions is working with its partners to enhance the U.S. Navy’s surface-ship electronic warfare capability through its work on the Surface Electronic Warfare Improvement Program (Sewip), says Vice President Terry McKnight.
Defense and Space

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.) Mar. 29-30—4th DoD Unmanned Systems Summit, Mary M. Gates Learning Center, Alexandria, Virginia. For more information go to www.eventsinamerica.com/events/4th-dod-unmanned-systems-summit/ev56b8d0…

GAO analysis of Department of Defense
View the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Costs Chart in PDF format.

ALCORE INC. has BOEING contract for nonmetallic honeycomb core floor panel bonded assemblies for V-22 tiltrotor program. AGUSTAWESTLAND conducted first flight of first of 16 AW101 helicopters for Norwegian Ministry of Justice and Public Security at company’s Yeovil, U.K., factory on March 21. SYPRIS ELECTRONICS, LLC has subcontract from SCIENCE APPLICATIONS INTERNATIONAL CORP. for design and development of modernized Missile Electronic Encryption Device (MEED) for controlling access to U.S. intercontinental ballistic missile silos.

New Jersey-based Stevens Institute of Technology has received a $2.75 million award from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to support a multi-year program to develop and deploy a system of sensors to defeat small and medium unmanned aircraft systems. The DHS Science &Technology Directorate’s Center of Excellence for Maritime Security at Stevens will develop a test bed and demonstrate an acoustic sensor solution for the protection of critical infrastructure and public events.

NASA managers underestimated the complexity of writing ground-system software upgrades for next-generation launchers and spacecraft at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) a decade ago, leading to technical difficulties and cost overruns today, the agency’s Inspector General reported March 28.
Defense and Space

By Graham Warwick
Following its demonstrations of delivering car parts in New Zealand and medical supplies in rural Virginia, Australian startup Flirtey has completed the first FAA-approved package delivery by unmanned aircraft to a house.

By Graham Warwick
Five years ago, the FAA forecast the number of small unmanned aerial systems (UAS) operating in U.S. airspace would grow to 25,000 by 2020 and 30,000 by 2030.

By Graham Warwick
Darpa’s long-running program to enable repair and upgrade of satellites in geosynchronous orbit (GEO) has a new name and schedule.
Defense and Space

The U.S. Navy is developing an extensive set of equipment to test in an F-18 aircraft – including an upgraded oxygen monitor sensor – to address cockpit breathing issues.
Defense and Space

By Jay Menon
India is looking to sign a long-term maintenance agreement with Russian Helicopters to provide after-sales service for the country’s Mi-17 helicopters.
Defense and Space

By Jay Menon
Rockwell Collins will provide its Common Avionics Architecture System (CAAS) for 15 CH-47F Chinook helicopters to be supplied by Boeing to India.
Defense and Space

By Mark Carreau
The team will seek an $80 million, multi-year extension of the decade-long mission that logged the first flyby of the dwarf planet Pluto in July 2015.
Space

By Mark Carreau
Orbital ATK’s CRS-6 Cygnus re-supply spacecraft rendezvoused with the International Space Station early Mar. 26.
Defense and Space

UNITED LAUNCH ALLIANCE completed Preliminary Design Review (PDR) for ...

The future guided-missile destroyer USS Zumwalt (DDG 1000) departed the Bath Iron Works shipyard on March 21 for its second ...

View the Forecast Friday: C4ISR Aircraft Retirements chart in PDF format.

By Graham Warwick
The deal for nine aircraft has an estimated value of $3.2 billion.
Defense and Space

By Graham Warwick
As it pursues plans to build a low-boom supersonic X-plane, NASA is testing an air-data probe that could be used to measure the intensity of shockwaves from aircraft, to improve design tools and reduce sonic boom loudness.