Aviation Week & Space Technology

By Guy Norris
GE hits halfway mark in engine certification program as delivery of first production-compliant GE9X to Boeing nears for 777-9.
Optimizing Engines Through the Lifecycle

By Graham Warwick
Hypersonic X-plane; NASA testbed crash; Raider hits 200 kt., drone strikes wing; smart material for turbine; waste-gas biofuel; Garmin joins Bell’s eVTOL; advancing lightweight structures, and TsAGI reshapes Tadpole.
Aerospace

By Irene Klotz
Visiting near-Earth objects with multiple smallsats is to serve as a pilot run for a shared mission.
Commercial Space

By Tony Osborne
British defense officials contend that the Boeing 737-based E-7 is the “best value for money option.”
Defense and Space

By Richard Aboulafia
These victories, while impressive, have led to questions on pricing and whether the company is effectively buying the market by offering the lowest prices around.
Defense and Space

By Joe Anselmo, Michael Bruno, Richard Aboulafia
Low bids propped up by its commercial airplane business helped Boeing snare $25 billion in military contracts including the T-X, MQ-25 and MH-139 competitions. But could the OEM’s strategy backfire in the long run? Aviation Week editors and Teal Group’s Richard Aboulafia break it down.
Defense and Space

By Irene Klotz
The spacecraft that will provide power, propulsion and life support for the Orion capsule is slated to leave Airbus’ factory in late October.
Space

By Adrian Schofield
Staged deployment of an ADS-B network will bring new capabilities to the country’s ATC system, although some aircraft operators are concerned about cost.
Connected Aerospace

By Bradley Perrett
In its first version, Landspace’s main launcher will hurl 4 metric tons to LEO and fly in 2020. The maximum version will have a 32-metric-ton payload.
Space

By Graham Warwick
Safran will develop a version of the Ardiden 3 helicopter turboshaft to drive the electric generator in the startup’s 12-seat, 700-mi.-range ZA10.
Air Transport

By Graham Warwick
Legislation reauthorizing the FAA requires rulemaking to pave the way for a return of commercial supersonic aircraft.
Aerospace

By Jen DiMascio
Latest FMF deal with Israel begins, Bulgaria’s fighter competition begins, Lockheed’s new Hellfire contract and Russia developing self-guided artillery.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Sean Broderick
The FAA is rolling out a taxiway landing warning system.
Air Transport

By Tony Osborne
UK Flight Trials off U.S. Eastern seaboard are integrating F-35 and HMS Queen Elizabeth-class carrier.
Air Dominance

By William Garvey
Gary Dempsey, the National Air Transportation Association’s new president, has a full range of issues to address and resolve, especially illegal charters.
Business Aviation

By Bill Carey
Leading providers of Ka-band satellite connectivity for aircraft cabins discuss their strategies at APEX Expo.
Connected Aerospace

By Graham Warwick
Target Arm will showcase a prototype universal launch and recovery system for unmanned aircraft at a U.S. Army technology demonstration.
Aerospace

By Thierry Dubois
The new on-site assembly process at the Ariane 6 launchpad is intended to trim costs by 40%.
Space

Piotr Butowski
The MiG-31 interceptor has taken on new tasks as the Kinzhal ground-strike system and as an aerospace missile system that can deliver small satellites to orbit or fight enemy satellites.
Defense and Space

By Michael Bruno
Increasingly, it matters where an aerospace company decides to base manufacturing, and new rankings parse the best from the rest, starting with Washington state.
Air Transport

By Graham Warwick
DLR cuts aircraft noise; Airbus tests teaming; Bell demos Hydra; NASA picks demos; Airbus backs Biosteel.
Aerospace

By Tony Osborne
Leonardo, MBDA and Qinetiq are providing the technologies for the UK’s directed-energy weapon capability demonstrator.
Defense and Space

By Graham Warwick
To be located in New Zealand, orbit-debris-mapping startup LeoLab’s latest ground radar will track objects down to 2 cm in size.
Commercial Space

Some industry watchers are concerned that a provision of a bill clearing the way for the FAA to regulate minimum seat sizes could allow Congress to overstep its bounds.
Air Transport

Our roundup of the main aerospace and defense stories making the news this week.
First Take