Defense and Space

President Matthew Bromberg on COVID-19, production increases and future development efforts.

Recent market intelligence items for aerospace & defense professionals.

News in brief

Brief news items of interest to aerospace & defense professionals.

The commercial human lander system is a critical part of the Trump administration’s directive that NASA accelerate its return to the surface of the Moon with human explorers from 2028 to 2024.

JAPAN GROUND SELF DEFENSE FORCE took delivery of its first V-22 Osprey.

The House Appropriations Committee on July 14 approved by a vote of 30-22 its mark of the fiscal 2021 defense funding bill, which likely will be vetoed by President Donald Trump.

The twin-engine T-7A is designed to train future U.S. Air Force fighter pilots, but is demonstrating “fighter-like” performance itself, Boeing said.

The U.S. Air Force has divulged additional details on how the future MQ-9 replacement will operate and may expand its mission set by featuring an air-to-air weapon.

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s (JAXA) Hayabusa 2 asteroid sample return mission will drop off materials from the asteroid Ryugu as it passes by Earth on Dec. 6 Japan time.

Poor weather at Japan’s Tenegashima Space Center is prompting a delay of the United Arab Emirates’ Mars Mission to no earlier than July 17.

BOEING received $1.2b USAF contract for first lot of eight F-15EXs for delivery from 2021; program calls for up to 144 aircraft.

Textron Aviation told employees July 14 that it plans to lay off about 800 employees in Kansas, mostly at its facilities here.

As part of Flight Paths Forward, Aviation Week's Managing Editor of Technology, Graham Warwick, sits down with Tim Grayson, the director of DARPA's Strategic Technology Office, who explains how the agency is pioneering the development of breakthrough technologies.

AUSTRALIA will spend A$87m ($61m) improving facilities at the joint U.S.-Australian Space Surveillance Telescope at Naval Communications Station

Australian air taxi startup AMSL Aero plans to build a flight-test center at Narromine in New South Wales thanks to an A$950,000 ($660,000) grant from

The outlook for Eurofighter and F-35 looks bright, but questions remain about the future of the Hawk jet trainer.

U.S. small drone manufacturer Skydio said it has raised $100 million in venture capital, which the company will use to accelerate product development and expand into the commercial and public-sector markets.

BAE Systems says it is working with 40 companies and academia to develop new methods of production that could halve the production time compared to previous programs.

The U.S. Air Force is already starting to look at major upgrade options for the F-15EX despite billing the program as having minimal development cost.

ANA Holdings, parent company of All Nippon Airways, is cooperating with Japanese startup Aeronext on the development of delivery drones with the goal of beginning commercial operations in 2022-23.

Defense Secretary Mark Esper has chosen White House Chief Technology Officer Michael Kratsios as the acting undersecretary of defense for research and engineering, replacing Mike Griffin.

The arrival of the first KC-10 at the “boneyard” on July 13 begins a five-year retirement process for the 59-aircraft fleet as the Boeing KC-46 enters service with a capability limited by unresolved deficiencies through at least 2023.

Drone delivery company Volansi is to partner with U.S. Special Operations Command to demonstrate its Voly M20 long-range cargo unmanned aircraft under a small business contract awarded by the U.S. Air Force.

Interest in the human and robotic exploration of the Moon and Mars is on the rise—politically influenced budgets, the global economy and COVID-19 pandemic permitting.