Defense and Space

Russia provides MiG-29s to Mongolia; U.S. greenlights Morocco Apache buy; GAO rules on U.S. Air Force launch contest; and the outlook for the Iranian Air Force.

Preparation for final testing of Ariane 6 engines is progressing, while the main- and upper-stage assembly lines are up and running in anticipation of first launch next year.

The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning is proving to be unexpectedly useful to Japan, particularly in gathering information, according to a former head of the Japanese air force.

Marubeni Aerospace is bidding to supply a Gulfstream G550 to the Japan Coast Guard, which has two GVs for maritime patrol but needs a third aircraft to guarantee availability.

Japan’s AstroScale named Gene Fujii as chief engineer and Mike Lindsay as chief technology officer, adding the respective OrbComm and OneWeb veterans to its management team as the orbital debris removal startup tries to solidify its business plans.

A U.S. Air Force technical sergeant has developed a new concept for F-22 Raptor intake covers that can be folded and packed into a small compartment on the aircraft instead of having to be shipped separately.

Aerospace and defense private equity investor Arlington Capital Partners has acquired Doncasters Group’s aerospace forming and fabricating business in Sheffield and Shrewsbury, UK.

The United Arab Emirates is set to purchase the locally-developed Calidus B-250 counterinsurgency aircraft.

Six decades after the rise of the “Nuclear Navy,” fission attracts new military interest.

There likely will be a bigger debate over nuclear modernization and the role and cost of technology in defense.

Connectivity, AI and new weaponry are part of the Rafale’s development roadmap.

Two costly errors revealed in the last two months are raising questions about the competence and capacity of the U.S. nuclear weapons enterprise.

The European Union is poised to increase its space budget and create a dedicated Directorate-General for Defense Industry and Space for the European Commission.

Supplier TransDigm Group continues to evaluate and seek merger and acquisition (M&A) targets, the company’s leader said Nov. 19.

The British government looks set to give a green light to the sale of defense company Cobham to U.S. private equity firm Advent.

Inmarsat is gearing up for the Nov. 22 launch of its GX5 satellite, planned to bring a major capacity increase to serve commercial and business aircraft flying in Europe and the Middle East.

When the UN arms embargo on Iran expires in October 2020, the nation will look to purchase fighter aircraft and battle tanks from China and Russia, a U.S. senior defense intelligence official says.

Belgium-based imec and its spinoff miDiagnostics are collaborating to develop a device that can acquire and transmit to ground-based medical experts blood counts and blood cell imagery gathered from astronauts on the International Space Station or future deep space missions.

Japan Marine United (JMU) has prepared a preliminary design for an air-capable assault ship that Japan could order in the 2020s.

OHB is proceeding with its plan to design and operate a launcher for placing satellites up to 440 lb. in low Earth orbit.

Boeing is in the final stages of testing the Multi-Mission Pod (MMP) for P-8A export customers that want to add other intelligence-gathering sensors, including a ground surveillance radar, to the surface vessel- and submarine-hunting aircraft, an executive said Nov. 19.

Kawasaki Heavy Industries has developed two turbojets in anticipation of defense ministry requirements for single-use reconnaissance, jamming or target drones.

Lockheed Martin has offered the C-130J to NATO as a maritime patrol aircraft (MPA), a company official said Nov. 18.

As the KC-390 gets a new name and a new owner, a marketing battle with Lockheed Martin’s C-130 is intensifying over the future market of commercial derivatives of military airlifters.

While the first new orders for the 737 MAX are now coming in, Boeing also lost a competition for the KC-46 against the Airbus A330-based MRTT. Listen in as our editors discuss the key highs and lows from day three of the 2019 Dubai Air Show.