Defense and Space

Germany buys three MQ-4 Tritons, U.S. begins THAAD deployment to South Korea, Delta IV engine problem delays U.S. Air Force Launch

Link 16, electronic countermeasures and state-of-the-art self-defense systems might be in 60-year-old Stratotanker's future.

The vice chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff says Russia’s new land-based cruise missile puts at risk “most of our facilities in Europe."

The ORS-8 satellite, approved in February, is planned for launch in 2020-21.

NASA’s Strategic Aerosol Gas Experiment III is ready for a 90-day activation and checkout session aboard the International Space Station.

Despite the promise of new economic opportunity, there are mounting obstacles to low Earth orbit prosperity, a U.S. researcher says.

The parent company of British Airways, Iberia, Vueling and Aer Lingus, is set to be the launch customer of Inmarsat’s European Aviation Network high-speed in-flight broadband service.

Germany has selected the Northrop Grumman MQ-4 Triton high-altitude, long-endurance UAV as a platform for signals intelligence gathering.

MD Helicopters has finally revealed that its MD6XX development will be an advanced derivative of its MD600N single-engine light helicopter.

Dassault Aviation expects the business jet market to remain weak in 2017, with a gradual recovery likely to begin in 2018, its CEO says.

Airbus will accelerate the development of the military version of its H160 medium twin-engine helicopter following the type’s selection for a significant joint French requirement.

UK company Aveillant is to supply radars to French air navigation services provider DSNA for use in a pilot program to counter small UAVs in a complex airport environment.

The private Space Data Association has joined with Analytical Graphics, Inc. to develop an upgrade of the current system to track spacecraft and debris in geostationary and medium Earth orbits.

The U.S. has deployed Lockheed Martin-built Thaad interceptors to the Korean Peninsula in response to provocative rocket launches by North Korea.

The U.S. Air Force is moving to a new parts management tool that the vendor, Needham, Massachusetts-based PTC, says could drive down parts inventory costs by 10-20% and improve aircraft readiness rates by 5-10%.

Leonardo Helicopters officials have confirmed that its AW209 designation applies to a light twin-engine helicopter.

Eutelsat has signed on as the first customer for Blue Origin’s partially reusable New Glenn launch vehicle.

Systems integrator Jagid Management has teamed with Astronautics Corporation of America to build a roll-on, roll-off “flying LTE tower” that will allow police and military customers to pass ISR data over broadband links.

UK-based startup Sky and Space Global has signed agreements to build, launch and replenish a constellation of around 200 nanosats to provide low-cost communications to equatorial regions.

Development of OneWeb’s massive low Earth orbit constellation is proceeding at full speed, an Airbus executive says.

Bell Helicopter is offering the light twin-engine Bell 429 to fulfill the Indian navy’s requirement for more than 100 Naval Utility Helicopters.

Sentinel-2B successfully launched atop an Arianespace Vega rocket from the European spaceport in French Guiana late March 6.

The Northrop Grumman RQ-4B has begun one of the most important flight test campaigns in its 19-year history, validating compatibility with the UTC Aerospace Systems MS-177 long-range multispectral sensor.

Terrestrial rather than space-based observatories might hasten advanced warnings of solar disruptions that discharge high-velocity solar energetic particles into space that could pose a health threat to astronauts, a study says.

NASA scientists are preparing advanced plant growth hardware for delivery to the U.S. segment of the International Space Station later this month as part of a modest greenhouse.