Defense and Space

The F-35 may not land on HMS Queen Elizabeth until 2018, but the U.K. is already preparing

Contractors vie for a piece of Poland’s increasing defense budget

The purchase of new battlefield helicopters is just the first phase of an eight-year modernization plan for the Polish armed forces.

Operational debut is at risk of further slippage due to a safety-critical engine problem.

Senators call for vote on Syrian airstrikes

The ghost behind the airpower debate

Overall, Iron Dome missile deflection proves effective through 50 days of conflict

MDA is finally crafting procurement strategy for new kill vehicle

The Pentagon will increasingly rely on direct and “indirect” competition in acquisition

How Northrop Grumman’s bomber bid nearly derailed before it was even submitted

Indonesian defense budget to allow continued spree

RAF refueling provider wants NATO to use its surplus capacity

Has the A&D industry’s conservatism become a liability?

Tests to unravel final hidden hypersonic phenomena will unlock full scramjet potential

An innovative engine cycle conceived for a single-stage-to-orbit (SSTO) launch concept is attracting interest for possible wider application in several air-breathing hypersonic roles.

Northrop Grumman has unveiled a vertical-launch, horizontal-landing reusable booster design for the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency’s XS-1 experimental spaceplane.

Why airpower is still relevant

It is the summer of setbacks for many U.S. defense-services providers

X-47B finally tested in cooperative carrier operations with Hornet

Higher speed will not be enough to persuade the U.S. Army to pursue an advanced rotorcraft

Under current plans, the U.S. Army’s oldest Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawks will not be replaced before 2035 at the earliest, six decades after the medium-utility helicopter first flew.

More than half of the U.S. Air Force’s F-16D fighters have been grounded due to cracks found during inspections. Eighty-two of 157 F-16Ds, primarily used for training, were removed from flight status after cracks were found in canopy sill longerons between the front and rear pilot seats, the Air Force announced Aug. 19. Longerons run the length of the aircraft and transfer loads throughout the structure and skin of the platform.

Four crewmembers onboard two Italian air force Panavia A-200 Tornado combat aircraft were killed when the aircraft collided during a training mission for an upcoming NATO exercise, over eastern Italy on Aug. 19. The aircraft came down in a forest near the town of Ascoli Piceno; the accident caused a forest fire. The aircraft were from the 6th Stormo (Wing) at Ghedi air base. An investigation into the accident has begun.

The U.K. Royal Air Force has put its new RC-135W Rivet Joint into action for the first time. The aircraft, which was quietly forward-deployed in July, is supporting Operation Shader, the U.K.’s humanitarian operation in northern Iraq, providing intelligence on Islamic State fighters who have taken over major parts of northeastern Iraq. The aircraft is likely to be operating alongside U.S. Air Force Rivet Joints from Al-Udeid AB in Qatar. The RAF has two more RC-135s on order, the type formally entered service in May.

A new approach to supercomputing could be required to tackle aerospace’s hard problems