Defense and Space

U.S. Navy instructor pilots have begun learning to fly the TH-73A helicopter trainer at Leonardo’s facility in Philadelphia.

In response to a request by Indonesia of a potential sale, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency notified Congress on July 6 that Indonesia is eligible to import the U.S. Marine Corps version of the twin-engine tiltrotor.

The Serbian government has lifted the lid on its new armed unmanned air systems sourced from China, the first nation in the Balkans to acquire such a capability.

BLACKSHAPE, Italy is offering to support local production (kits and/or full technology transfer) of its Gabriel BK160 and Gabriel-TP trainers in South

NASA astronaut and cancer researcher Kate Rubins, the first person to sequence DNA from space, is hopeful for a resurgence in science and technology activities aboard the International Station when she returns to the ISS in October.

AVIATION WEEK NETWORK forecasts delivery of 677 new, Western-designed maritime helicopters over next 10 years, led by US Coast Guard’s upgrade of its

The 48-month engineering and manufacturing development phase will include production of up to 318 Precision Strike Missiles as the first tranche of a Lockheed Martin production run of 2,422.

Boeing subsidiary Aurora Flight Sciences is the first company to receive a contract under a new DARPA program to build an X-plane designed around active flow control.

Although named Ofek 16, the spacecraft launched early on July 6 represents the 12th acknowledged platform in the Ofek series, with the last being the Ofek 11 in 2016. The Ofek series has previously been described as a light, agile spy satellite with a mass up to 815 lb. (369 kg) and an unclassified resolution of about 19 in. (50 cm).

Selected U.S. military contracts from the past week.

News in brief

Brief news items of interest to aerospace & defense professionals.

News in brief

About 4 min. into its second-stage burn, the Electron rocket “experienced an issue that caused the complete loss of the vehicle and unfortunately the payloads,” Rocket Lab founder and CEO Peter Beck said.

The British government is to make a $500 million investment in the failed communications satellite company OneWeb.

Australia has said it will acquire reconnaissance and communications satellites while also building space-awareness cooperation with the U.S.

The Multinational Multirole Tanker and Transport Fleet narrows Europe’s aerial refueling gap, but more will be needed to address shortfalls.

After missions to assess Mars’ suitability for life, a new rover will hunt for microfossils and cache them for return to Earth.

Australia plans to acquire an enlarged fleet of naval logistics helicopters, probably late this decade, to be followed by long-range rotorcraft for the army.

The assistant commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps has issued a number of corrective actions following a long-awaited institutional review.

Indian defense officials have approved the purchase of more than $5 billion in defense equipment, including deals to buy and upgrade Russian fighters.

The Moon’s subsurface may be richer in metals like iron and titanium oxide than previously thought, according to new research drawn from NASA’s long

Moldovan authorities have closed down an illegal helicopter factory that was clandestinely producing rotorcraft with a similar configuration to Kamov’s Ka-26 co-axial helicopter.

The bill includes proposals to procure a synthetic aperture radar for the A-10 Warthog and potentially block funding for the Armed Overwatch program.

NATO has initiated the Alliance Future Surveillance and Control project only eight months after awarding Boeing a $1 billion contract to complete the final modernization program for the E-3 fleet.