Defense and Space

U.S and U.K. military units will begin test flights using a ski jump ramp in the build-up to trials with the U.K. Royal Navy’s new, ramp-configured HMS Queen Elizabeth carrier in 2018-19.

Darpa’s vanishing aerial-delivery platform; FAA to test UAV detection system; simulator meets aircraft in fused reality; space-based surveillance will save fuel on oceanic flights; more university research news.

The U.S. Air Force and Lockheed Martin are starting tests of an automatic ground collision avoidance system designed to prevent both air and ground collisions.

LONDON—Airbus Helicopters is preparing to fly the second prototype of its new-generation H160 twin-engine medium helicopter by the end of this year.

The bill to reauthorize the bank that eases exports of U.S.-made products was stuck in the House Financial Services Committee.

The prospects of Indonesia extending its participation in South Korea’s KF-X fighter program have risen, with the defense ministry in Seoul saying negotiations for a further partnership are underway.

A network of Martian lakes and stream deltas, estimated at well over three billion years old, once dominated the floor of the nearly 90-mi.-wide Gale Crater, according to findings from researchers associated with NASA’s Curiosity Rover.

Marine Corps F-35Bs will be on Britain’s new carriers, but nobody wants to say how many, or when.

Threats from small, armed UAS challenge radar developers to engineer air-defense systems that distinguish drones from the birds in flight they resemble.

Higher defense spending plans and a preference for U.K. manufacturers lift mood of DSEI exposition in London.

Russia’s new generation of main battle tanks, howitzers and IFVs incorporate common chassis and advanced weapon systems.

Despite new businesses and a huge order backlog, Saab’s CEO is determined to maintain a company culture that remains agile, growth-oriented and open to new ideas.

Australia’s new 40-mm grenade launcher is lightweight and accurate, making mobile fires easy and lethal.

Sikorsky Boeing’s SB-1 Defiant high-speed rotorcraft advances toward final assembly as Bell V-280 Valor begins to take shape.

As melting ice opens Arctic passages, the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard gather data to facilitate operations in the region.

U.S. experts on Russian actions in Syria; FAA prepares big penalty for wayward UAV; over-cost defense programs face fines.

SpaceX says the upper-stage strut first identified as the prime suspect has been officially confirmed as the root cause of the June 28 mishap.

Defense officials say most of the additional requested funding is related to the country’s acquisition of the F-35.

LONDON—The U.K.

South Korea is moving toward buying 12 Lockheed Martin S-3 Vikings, ex-U.S. Navy aircraft that would form a second-tier force to boost the country’s anti-submarine capability.

Small special-operations teams that want to leave no trace are key customers for the system, as are disaster-relief teams in need of delivery vehicles that do not require unpacking and transporting.

Britain will purchase an upgraded derivative of General Atomics’ MQ-9 Reaper medium-altitude, long-endurance unmanned aircraft to meet its newly re-named Protector program requirements.

Selex believes the airship could be a low-cost complement to a small U.K. fleet of high-end antisubmarine warfare aircraft.

Lockheed Martin is looking ahead to U.S. Air Force and Navy directed-energy weapons requirements as it begins manufacture of a 60-kW electric-fiber-laser system for a U.S. Army demonstration.

Hackers earn top dollar to find security gaps in computer systems, but IT companies are slow to patch them, and government regulatory protections are uneven.