Defense and Space

The U.S. Air Force Academy is showcasing new test capabilities developed as part of research stretching back 16 years supporting the design of the Orion crew capsule for NASA’s Artemis program.

U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command on Sept. 2 returned its CV-22 fleet to flight after more than two weeks of grounding because of an issue with the tiltrotor’s gearbox for which the service still does not have a root cause.

Finland has retired its indigenous Vinka training aircraft after 42 years of use.

A British think tank suggests the UK should leave Copernicus and develop its own Earth observation program with the European Space Agency.

NASA is confident an engine-cooling process is working as designed so is pressing ahead with the second attempt on Sept. 3.

Everyone needs to brush up on the fundamentals, and nothing can be taken for granted.

Saab says some nations are focusing on fighter acquisition affordability and not operating costs, which could affect future capability.

PRATT & WHITNEY delivered its 1,000th F135 production engine.

Private equity investors CIC Partners and Juniper Capital Management have teamed to buy Applegate EDM and Icon Machine, both in the Dallas area, to create a new portfolio company called Precision Aerospace that focuses on exotic and precision metal work for defense and commercial space.

OQ Technology, a 5G Internet-of-Things satellite startup, has received a €13 million ($12.9 million) Series A investment led by Wa’ed Ventures, the venture capital arm of oil-and-gas company Saudi Aramco.

Boeing on Aug. 31 received a $927.5 million undefinitized contract for four KC-46A refueling tankers for Israel, a deal that will cover the testing of the next-generation refueling vision system and deliveries by the end of December 2026.

NASA pressed Sept. 1 to resolve the propellant loading issues that triggered the Aug. 29 scrub of the much-anticipated liftoff of the Artemis I mission.

The Multinational Multi-Role Tanker Transport Fleet is using Exercise Pitch Black to gain additional certifications and operational experience as the unit moves toward initial operating capability.

The largest Russian manufacturer of commercial aircraft has seen its first-half losses increase tenfold.

SpaceX joins race to connect mobile phones via low-Earth-orbit satellites.

NASA has added five more missions to SpaceX’s crew transportation services contract, bringing the total value for 14 flights to $4.9 billion.

The Portuguese Air Force is acquiring six used Black Hawk helicopters to boost the country’s firefighting capability.

NASA and Axiom Space have signed a mission order for a second four-person private astronaut mission to the International Space Station (ISS), planned for the second quarter of 2023.

Royal Caribbean Group plans to start installing SpaceX’s Starlink satellite dishes aboard its cruise ships.

Satellite-based hyperspectral imagery and data provider Pixxel expects to launch its first “commercial-phase” satellites in early 2023, followed by more later that year, representatives said in August while revealing the startup’s latest strategic backer, Accenture.

Sierra Space has signed a deal to use its Dream Chaser spaceplane in 2024 to deliver to the International Space Station a life sciences incubator made by German biotech company Yuri.

Saab will launch production of aft fuselage systems for a Boeing advanced trainer at a newly opened plant in West Lafayette, Indiana, under a $71.2 million contract, the Swedish manufacturer said on Aug. 31.

The U.S. Air Force wants to set a new target for the annual operating costs of the Lockheed Martin F-35A.

The Japanese Defense Ministry is asking for at least 5.59 trillion yen ($40.3 billion) in a budget request for 2023 announced Aug. 31.

The U.S. Army has grounded its Boeing H-47 Chinook fleet following a small number of engine fires that OEM Honeywell says is connected with the installation of problematic O-rings during service-performed depot maintenance.