Aerospace Daily & Defense Report, May 27, 2016

Boeing’s KC-46A aerial refueling tanker program is facing another delay—of at least five months—due to technical and supply chain problems.

Battery-powered electric light training and recreational aircraft are becoming a reality, and now Aero Electric Aircraft Corp. has taken the next step, unveiling the Sun Flyer, a solar-electric general aviation trainer. Rolled out in Denver earlier in May, the proof-to-concept prototype will be used to finalize the design for an FAA-certified production version of the all-electric two-seater. Spartan College of Aeronautics and Technology will help develop a complete training system for the Sun Flyer. The aircraft weights 2,700 lb.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is slated to launch a classified U.S. National Reconnaissance Office payload next year in an arrangement that appears to have been brokered by a third party.

NASA and Bigelow Aerospace halted a first attempt to extend the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module early May 26 when the flexible enclosure grew only a few inches before exceeding the anticipated internal pressure.

The winner of the contract, worth $2.9 billion, would be in charge of some of the nation’s most vital national security work —the non-nuclear engineering development of all U.S. nuclear weapons and systems of integration of the weapons with delivery vehicles.

L-3 COMMUNICATIONS VERTEX AEROSPACE has $302m U.S. Navy contract for logistics services for Marine Corps Reserve C-12 and Navy TC-12B trainer aircraft. UNITED AIRCRAFT CORP. plans May 30 rollout of Be-200ES seaplane, produced by BERIEV AIRCRAFT CO. for Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations. UKROBORONPROM plans to expedite production of modernized BTR-4 armored personnel carriers for Ukranian army. MARAND PRECISION ENGINEERING of Australia will build full-size F-35 Joint Strike Fighter training aids for worldwide use under subcontract to LOCKHEED MARTIN.

A graphene-based de-icer developed by Rice University has been further modified to prevent icing by adding water-repelling superhydrophobic properties to passively prevent ice forming at temperatures above 7F. The de-icer, a thin coating of graphene nanoribbons in epoxy that is sprayed on, has shown in the laboratory the ability to melt ice formed on a helicopter rotor blade in a -4F environment. When a small voltage is applied to the conductive coating, electrothermal heat melted centimeter-thick ice.

The first aerospace challenge to be launched by Airbus Group and Local Motors has produced the biggest response yet seen by the U.S.-based global crowdsourced vehicle design specialist.

View the Gunship MRO Demand 2016-2025 chart in PDF format.