Aviation Week & Space Technology

Urban air mobility generated headlines with air taxi debuts and demonstrations at the largest U.S. consumer electronics show.

DARPA’s collaborative CODE; France advances naval UAV; airspace awareness from Insitu; a better loitering munition.

Rearranged MRJ avionics are being made but the design of new wiring harnesses is not yet complete.

The growth in commercial space could allow NASA to hitch a ride to a port in GEO orbit from which to explore the Moon, Mars and the entire Solar System.

The NATO-led effort to build a self-sufficient Afghan Air Force will soon be put to the test.

Boeing HorizonX, formed to bring in disruptive ideas from both outside and inside, has its first internally developed innovation, an unmanned cargo aircraft.

The company has pushed longstanding government contractors to rethink how they do business, move to drive down costs and improve quality to remain competitive.

Fit checks for the triple-core booster, a practice propellant load and finally one or more static test fires will pave the way for long-awaited debut flight

Perhaps the most significant change to Japanese military policy will be breaking the iron ratios by which the armed forces share the defense budget.

If the defense budget wins enough support to pass, it would represent an increase of only about 2% over the Obama baseline.

Fifteen years after it first tried to market solar-powered high-altitude UAVs, AeroVironment signs development deal for “pseudo-satellites.”

Crossover narrowbody jets, with quieter, more efficient engines, could impinge on turboprop market.

While the consumer drone world attempts variations on the quadcopter form, the software and sensors are what will lead to something bold.

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

Thirteen improvised systems, each carrying 10 small bombs, were launched against the Khmeimim Air Base. Russian units took control of six and shot down seven.

Upcoming aviation and aerospace industry events and Aviation Week Network events

Readers responded to nearly every article in the Aerospace & Defense 2018 edition. Topics include military outlooks for Canada, Turkey and Russia; the F-35; progress in civil and military engines; and MRO spending.

Aviation Partners Boeing has promoted Mike Stowell to president and CEO from executive vice president and chief technology officer. He succeeds Bill Ashworth, who is leaving the company.

The Falcon 9-launched satellite is rumored to have reentered after what SpaceX says was a successful launch.

He walked on the Moon, commanded the inaugural shuttle mission and was the first person to fly on six space missions. He also headed NASA’s astronaut office and was an outspoken advocate for astronaut safety.

Pratt & Whitney’s Executive Director for Advanced Programs and Technologies James Kenyon joins Aviation Week’s Guy Norris and Graham Warwick to talk about adaptive engines and high-speed propulsion from the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics’ Scitech conference in Kissimmee, Florida.

Demand is strong for converting the newer narrowbody aircraft for cargo use, but supply can be a problem.

“We have to move at the speed of business, not the speed of bureaucracy,” says 45th Space Wing Commander Wayne Monteith.

After doubling production last year, Kratos' target drone business is set for another expansion after capturing the Army’s MQM-107 replacement program.

Japan moves ahead with potential purchase of SM-3 Block 2A, U.S. Army takes first step to buying new Airbus Lakota helos, new questions about Indonesia’s AW101 purchase and Mexico considers U.S. weapons for its ships.