NASA has reached an “inflection point” as it prepares to reach out sustainably to the Moon, Mars and other deep space destinations with human explorers, a steep and risky slope, NASA’s Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel says.
A long-range infrared search and track sensor, manned-unmanned teaming capability and a Thales Scorpion helmet-mounted display are on a list of new upgrades by third-party vendors sought by the U.S. Air Force for the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor.
Boeing has begun taking the first steps toward establishing an industrial team in Germany to provide support for a planned fleet of F/A-18 Super Hornets and EA-18G Growlers that would replace the country’s Panavia Tornado fleet.
Hungary will update its Saab Gripen fighters to the MS20 Block 2 standard, which could enable them to launch MBDA’s Meteor beyond visual range air-to-air missile. The Hungarian Air Force, which leases its 14 C/D model Gripens, has contracted the upgrade with Sweden’s FMV defense material agency. This will put the Hungarian fleet into a configuration similar to Sweden’s aircraft.
French defense materiel agency the DGA has begun testing engine technologies to support the development of a powerplant for the European Future Combat Air System (FCAS).
NASA’s astronaut corps, currently historically lean, is so structured around International Space Station (ISS) operations that it may not be prepared to deal with attrition and reassignments as it faces numerous challenges, the agency’s inspector general says.
The FAA ordered the ground-stop at around 2:30 p.m. in Los Angeles “as a matter of precaution,” the agency said Jan. 11, adding that it “regularly takes precautionary measures.”
NASA will strive for a closer relationship between its climate science activities and its other research and technology pursuits—whether they be human space exploration or aeronautics—with this week’s appointment of a new combination chief scientist and senior climate advisor, Administrator Bill Nelson told a Jan. 11 news briefing.
A senior Pakistani government official says the country’s air force has become the first export customer for the Chengdu J-10, a single-engine Chinese fighter.
Europe’s spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, will be the base for several micro-launchers, which will help the European industry progress in reusability, according to Philippe Baptiste, chairman and CEO of French space agency CNES.
Germany’s new government is reportedly reconsidering how the country can replace its Panavia Tornado fleet, potentially putting Lockheed Martin’s F-35 back in contention.
