Defense and Space

For more than a year, investors and observers of the leading A&D company have been perplexed.

UK and Italy may take a different Eurofighter development path than Germany and Spain, as the four nations pursue next-gen fighter plans.

As calls grow for more affordable hypersonic systems, Dynetics remains focused on delivering the baseline weapon on time.

The JF-17 is now set to become the most widely operated Chinese combat aircraft in service with overseas customers by the end of 2023. Both China and Pakistan hope that the aircraft can build on its early successes and emulate the performance of its predecessors in export markets.

The top official overseeing U.S. international weapons sales will take over Boeing’s defense, space and government sales, starting two days after she leaves government service.

NASA’s Human Landing System strategy, a key element of the agency’s effort to establish a sustained human presence at the Moon and go on to Mars, may appear embattled.

Startup Space Perspective announced a $40 million venture capital fund raising on Oct. 14, claiming the largest round yet for a space tourism balloon company and coming months after a successful demonstration.

The U.S. Air Force wants industry to tell it how much of a shortfall there is in its tanker capacity to bolster a potential contract for commercial air refueling, with a deadline of June 2023.

Saab has committed to expanding its presence in Finland even if the company does not win the country’s HX fighter contest.

Satellite broadband provider OneWeb has successfully placed more than half of its constellation into low Earth orbit following the 11th launch of its campaign from Vostochny spaceport in Russia’s Far East at 5:40 a.m. EDT Oct. 14.

A developmental U.S. Army ballistic missile flew more than 499 km during an Oct. 13 flight test from Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, demonstrating the maximum range of the new weapon a year ahead of a scheduled fielding date in fiscal 2023.

The Netherlands has formally opened its testing facilities for maintenance of the F-35 engine, the first such engine depot outside of the U.S.

EXOSONIC, Los Angeles was awarded research contract from USAF to fund development of low-boom supersonic uncrewed aerial vehicle demonstrator; it

SAAB opened new 100,000 sq ft facility in West Lafayette, IN to manufacture aft airframe section for T-7A Red Hawk trainers.

The trio will spend six months living on the Tianhe core module, which will be the longest-ever duration in space for a Chinese crew.

The incident comes days after the country requested a dozen more of the type under U.S. foreign military sales.

GBU-72 penetrator clears tests; U.S. Army UH-60 negotiations; Serbia to buy Airbus aircraft; and Chinook rotor blade upgrades in doubt.

The Pentagon’s head of research and engineering wants hypersonics programs to become cheaper and show tangible successes in tests to convince doubters in the Pentagon that the weapons will be effective.

Heidi Grant, director of the Defense Security Cooperation Agency who oversees U.S. military sales abroad, has announced she will step down after 15 months in the job.

Leidos is offering the Bombardier Challenger 650 as a fleet replacement or contractor-operator service for the U.S. Army’s RC-12X Guardrail Common Sensor.

Commercial airliners have so far claimed immunity to cyberattacks, and Western militaries do not voice much fear that their aircraft, ships and tanks could be taken over by hackers yet. But a veteran-backed startup that offers to cybersecure their platforms’ operational technology has raised $20 million and is looking to grow.

Sikorsky is in talks with three more nations about possible sales of the CH-53K King Stallion heavy-lift cargo helicopter, following a deal with Israel and the ongoing competition in Germany.

A funded effort to deliver a new turboshaft engine for the U.S. Army up to 12 months early has eroded to yield about half to one-fourth of the planned time savings, a GE Aviation official said on Oct. 13.

Romania has selected the Polish-made Black Hawk helicopter to fulfill a requirement for a fleet of medium/heavy rotorcraft to be used by the country’s emergency services agency.

More than 50 years after portraying the fictional captain of Star Trek’s USS Enterprise, actor William Shatner joined two paying passengers and a Blue Origin vice president for the company’s second crewed flight to suborbital space.