Defense and Space

Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo soared over its new home base near Las Cruces, New Mexico, on June 25, completing the second glide flight since relocating from the company’s manufacturing and test hub in Mojave, California.

Campaigning has begun in Switzerland in preparation for a referendum on whether the country should purchase new combat aircraft and ground-based air defense systems.

The Arsenal Plane concept is the focus of a new partnership between the Pentagon’s Strategic Capabilities Office and the U.S. Air Force.

Kirk Shireman, NASA’s former manager of the International Space Station, is joining Lockheed Martin to head its lunar exploration initiatives, including the development of a Blue Origin-led system to land astronauts on the Moon in 2024.

NASA astronauts Chris Cassidy and Bob Behnken completed a 6-hr. spacewalk outside the International Space Station (ISS) on June 26, initiating the final chapter in a multiyear upgrade of the solar power storage batteries on the orbiting lab’s 360-ft.-long solar power truss.

Plans to establish a vertical-launch spaceport in Northern Scotland have been approved by local authorities, a significant milestone for the project.

Boeing says Morocco will become the 17th operator of its AH-64E Apache following the signing of a contract to purchase 24 of the attack helicopters.

Exquadrum announced on June 25 it has completed the second and final live test of a full-scale hybrid rocket motor for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) that could be used to power hypersonic missiles, missile defense interceptors and orbital space launchers.

Germany has signed contracts with Airbus and Hensoldt for the development, supply and integration of an active electronically scanned array radar for the Eurofighter.

Ireland appears to be taking its first tentative steps toward a fighter procurement for defense of the country’s airspace.

AIRBUS has contract for the development, supply and integration of 115 Eurofighter ESCAN Radars for the German and Spanish Eurofighter fleets for

MECAER AMERICA, Montreal was selected by Bell Textron to develop/manufacture fully retractable, tail dragger landing gear system for Bell 360 Invictus

MOROCCO ordered 24 new Boeing-built AH-64 Apache helicopters for delivery starting in 2024.

An 18-month delay in the development of the UK’s new Crowsnest helicopter-based airborne early warning system means the capability will not be fully operational when it is embarked on the first operational cruise, planned for next May.

Great Power Maritime Helicopter Fleets

Hybrid-electric regional aircraft developer Electra.aero continues to build out its engineering team, appointing the former leader of Boeing

Conferences and events for professionals in the aerospace and defense community.

Brief news items of interest to aerospace & defense professionals.

Two factors caused the first pre-production aircraft accident just before the fighter was to be delivered to the Russian military.

Face it: you don’t really know your supply chain. Even when times were good in A&D manufacturing, regular deliveries required repeated heroics. Now

A proposal by the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee (HASC) to authorize the Defense Department to buy 79 Lockheed Martin F-35s in fiscal

NASA is looking into flying astronauts and other personnel aboard commercial suborbital spacecraft such as those in development by Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin.

KONGSBERG DEFENCE & AEROSPACE was selected by Boeing to provide sustainment and maintenance engineering for five P-8As on order by Norway; agreement

A sources-sought notice released by the U.S. Army June 23 keeps the Future Long Range Assault Aircraft competition on track for the release of the request for proposals next year and lays out new details of aircraft deliveries needed during the development phase and the first lot of low-rate initial production.

Ask the Editors: As Congress plans to open up radio spectrum, a question remains over the protection of the GPS frequency band.