Defense and Space

Brief news items of interest to aerospace & defense professionals.

"Ames Research Center is temporarily on mandatory telework status with restricted access to the center until further notice,” NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said March 9.

A top F-35 program official shared an operational anecdote highlighting the aircraft’s latent capability against surface-to-air missile systems.

Sikorsky has sent CH-53K King Stallion training devices to a U.S. Marine Corps base in preparation for receiving students to learn how to fly and repair the heavy-lift helicopter.

BWX Technologies, Westinghouse Government Services and X-energy each received contracts to start a two-year design phase under Project Pele.

MADISON DEARBORN PARTNERS and COVANT MANAGEMENT agreed to acquire AEVEX AEROSPACE (ISR solutions) from Trive Capital.

Thanks to an emerging global geostationary satellite alliance among NASA, ESA and South Korea, experts will be able to obtain hourly measurements of atmospheric pollutants.

SpaceX’s final Dragon 1 capsule reached the International Space Station (ISS) early March 9 to deliver a 4,300-lb. cargo.

Assessments of red romaine lettuce grown aboard the International Space Station suggest astronauts could cultivate and consume their own fresh vegetables.

Oryu’s lithium-ion battery replaces the lead-acid batteries of earlier Soryu-class submarines.

New data from independent arms trackers show U.S. defense prime contractors and other weapon providers grew their arms exports by 23% in the second

The results of the work will be a factor in any eventual decision on whether to attach finlets on the sides at the rear of the aircraft.

The design is for a considerable aircraft with a span of 16 m. But funding is needed.

Companies such as Teledyne, TransDigm and Heico are leading a breed of A&D players with “horizontal” external growth strategies and impressive track records.

Norway electrifies; Boom slips; repairing satellites; GoFly unfinished; Joby flies for NASA; fluidic propulsion.

Elbit Systems of America will install pylon-based infrared missile warning systems for Air National Guard F-16s.

This will be the first Angara launch since 2014, when Russia tested two variants from its Plesetsk military spaceport.

The five-year spending plan for the Advanced Battle Management System comes with some new and unique strings attached.

As the U.S. Defense Department’s Project Pele nears contract awards to develop a deployable nuclear reactor design, defense officials have revealed a separate project now underway to demonstrate a commercially developed 2MWe (megawatt electrical) nuclear reactor on a U.S. military installation by 2027.

A independent team that analyzed software errors during the debut flight test of Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner recommended 61 actions that Boeing and NASA should take before the capsule flies again.

SpaceX’s Elon Musk may have stunned the Air Force Association with his statement that the time for manned fighter aircraft has passed. Aviation Week editors explain why that was shocking – and why it wasn’t.

Australia will sell up to 46 Boeing F/A-18A/B Hornet fighters to red-air operator Air USA for U.S. Air Force training, Defense Industry Minister Melissa Price said, although only 38 aircraft appear to be available for the deal.

Japan has decided to work mainly with U.S. partners in developing its Next Generation Fighter, with only limited technical cooperation with Britain, the other contender, the Nikkei newspaper said.

Key helicopter programs to protect new UK carriers are behind schedule, so race is on to get them ready for the first deployment.

Commercial orbital debris mitigation services are on the horizon, but operators will expect low costs.