Defense and Space

U.S. Southern Command deployed one P-8A to Punta Arenas, Chile, on Dec. 10 to support the ongoing search for a Chilean Air Force C-130 Hercules that went missing.

The GE Aviation subsidiary has opened a new production facility, repair operation and headquarters in Brockworth, England,

Japan has canceled plans to end local assembly of Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightnings by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI), the Nikkei newspaper reported.

The South Korean parliament has fully approved the 2020 budget requested by the defense ministry, giving the military a 7.4% rise in funding.

The provider of bespoke space, intelligence, directed energy and cyber services to government agencies has acquired The Design Knowledge Co. and PreTalen.

Airbus has delivered the first of seven H145 twin-engine light helicopters to the German Army to support its search-and-rescue mission.

The experimental cubesat will monitor aircraft signals from space to support rescue organizations.

Serbia has taken delivery of four Mil Mi-35M attack helicopters from Russia, bolstering the country’s depleted air force.

The parliament approved 1.403 trillion won ($1.2 billion) for the KF-X program as part of the 2020 defense budget passed on Dec. 10.

Synthetic training environments should be founded on common terrain and threat databases, military leaders say.

BIRD Aerosystems has launched a compact version of its all-in-one AeroShield POD for medium-size business jets.

NATO is pursuing new ways to organize, train and equip badly needed, specialized capabilities.

Airbus has delivered the first of seven H145 twin-engine light helicopters to the German Army.

Bell and Boeing have delivered to the U.S. Marine Corps the first of as many as 129 MV-22 Osprey tiltrotors to undergo the Common Configuration-Readiness and Modernization (CC-RAM) program.

British manufacturer Senior is considering selling its aerostructures business, the company has confirmed.

Lockheed Martin on Dec. 10 completed the first flight test of the company’s candidate for the U.S. Army’s next long-range, ground-launched ballistic missile.

The company behind the MyRadar smartphone app has launched a first, experimental cubesat designed to monitor aircraft signals from space and support a rapid response capability by rescue organizations.

House and Senate fiscal 2020 defense authorization bill conferees have reached an agreement that includes establishing a new U.S. Space Force.

The French Air Force has declared an initial operational capability (IOC) with the F3-R upgrade for the Dassault Rafale combat aircraft.

Latin American air forces have intensified search efforts to locate the wreckage of a Chilean Air Force Lockheed KC-130 Hercules airlifter that was reported missing Dec. 9 during a flight to Antarctica.

British jet engine maker Rolls-Royce said Bradley Singer, the COO of activist investor ValueAct Capital and Rolls-Royce’s largest shareholder, left the board of directors Dec. 9.

Britain’s Royal Navy has commissioned the second Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carrier, HMS Prince of Wales.

The U.S. government halted deliveries of the F-35 for 15 days because the Defense Contract Management Agency found comingling of titanium and Inconel fasteners.

Recent layoffs at Textron Aviation and Gulfstream Aerospace are signs that the manufacturers are being “appropriately cautious” about their outlook for orders and production, analysts say.

Lockheed Martin is looking to new government interest in follow-on modernization upgrades of the F-35 to drive future business returns.