Defense and Space

RHEINMETALL and THALES were selected to provide personnel/services to certify the France/Germany Multinational Training Centre for C-130Js in 1Q24.

Defense ministers from the European Future Combat Air System-developing nations say they have reached an agreement on the next steps for the program.

A system designed to enhance the performance of the Ariane 6 but that has contributed to the launcher’s development delays has now completed qualification testing.

Events of note for the aerospace & defense industry during the upcoming week.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on May 15 launched 52 Starlink satellites and two rideshare payloads into orbit after lifting off from pad 39A at Kennedy

The second launch failure of an Electron vehicle on the company’s 20th mission is now being investigated by the FAA to identify the root cause.

China has become the third nation after the U.S. and the Soviet Union to land a spacecraft on Mars.

U.S. Army officials revealed a long-range, loitering munition and a turbojet-powered Air Launched Effects system during the Edge21 demonstration event here on May 14.

Between 2011 and 2017, more than a dozen U.S. Air Force F-35 pilots reported experiencing oxygen deprivation symptoms. NASA has discovered new information that may help solve the mystery behind these physiological episodes and wants to study the issue more deeply. But the F-35 Joint Program Office is disputing the findings.

The Australian Army has received its first of three Leonardo AW139 helicopters under its Army Interim Commercial Helicopter Capability.

The NATO requirements appear to emphasize the higher performance and low cost of ownership, with the proposed prices similar to that of the standard troop-transport NH90.

The U.S. Army’s 35 modernization priorities all survived budget reviews in the first months of the Biden Administration for the fiscal 2022 budget request, but there may be a wave of major spending changes in fiscal 2023.

Just over a week after conducting the first successful high-altitude flight and landing of a full-scale Starship prototype, SpaceX has revealed details of how it intends to perform the first orbital test flight of the complete two-stage vehicle and Super Heavy booster.

Changing needs of military advantage will challenge traditional business practices.

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

Promising results from next-generation adaptive combat engine tests augur well for follow-on variable cycle power developments.

Details of the operating cycles for GE’s new-generation adaptive engines remain sparse.

F-35 Program Executive Officer Lt. Gen. Eric Fick has confirmed that the stealthy fighter’s Autonomic Logistics Information System (ALIS) replacement will not be delivered in 2022 and he anticipates having an updated program schedule in the next six to nine months.

A U.S. Air Force general has confirmed that problems with GDC Technics—a cabin interiors designer for VIP aircraft and a subcontractor on the VC-25B—will delay the delivery of the new Air Force One.

VOYAGEUR AVIATION and GENERAL DYNAMICS MISSION SYSTEMS-CANADA teamed to provide in-service support for three King Air 350ERs and associated mission

The next two piloted flights to the International Space Station aboard Russian Soyuz MS spacecraft later this year will be carrying civilians—a film crew first, and later, tourists.

IAI had US$42m net income on US$1b sales in 1Q21 vs US$34m on US$1b in 1Q20; it has US$12.2b backlog (three years of operation)

The UK has become the first export customer for Boeing’s Block II Chinook heavy-lift helicopter after confirming the purchase of 14 aircraft.

The former Triumph Group aerostructures business recently acquired by private equity firm Arlington Capital Partners has been rebranded Qarbon Aerospace and could be looking to acquire other assets in the embattled sector.

German aircraft responding to Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) missions will be able to operate in Polish airspace and vice-versa in an arrangement that mirrors a similar pact between the Czech Republic and Slovakia.