Aerospace Daily & Defense Report, July 6, 2016

Despite its announcement that it will miss a major contractual deadline, Boeing is slowly moving ahead with developmental testing on its KC-46 tanker and is on track to begin production in August, according to the U.S. Air Force.

Mars and the outer Solar System figure prominently in NASA’s decision to extend nine planetary missions for another two years.

The program will create a 45,000-lb.-thrust class engine for sixth-generation Air Force and U.S. Navy fighters as well as, potentially, a re-engining option for Lockheed Martin’s F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.

NASA’s Juno probe concluded its five-year trip to Jupiter with a successful orbital insertion around the gas giant planet on July 4.

Surface rovers are expected to play a crucial role in NASA’s evolving plans to explore Mars with humans.

RAYTHEON has $291.7m U.S. Navy contract for 660 AIM-9X Block II All Up Round Tactical Full Rate Production Lot 16 Missiles for U.S. Navy (160), Air Force (429), Army (7) and governments of Japan (4), Norway (20), Taiwan (40). ISRAEL AEROSPACE INDUSTRIES subsidiary AVIONICS SERVICES S.A. of Brazil on June 30 introduced Caçador medium-altitude/long-endurance UAV, based on Heron-1. OTOKAR has €106.1m ($117.4m) order for Cobra II tactical wheeled armored vehicles for Turkish domestic security forces, due for delivery by Q1 2017.

This week the aerospace world has its eyes on the U.K., which hosts the Royal International Air Tattoo July 8-10 at RAF Fairford, leading into next week’s Farnborough Air Show July 11-17. Meanwhile, in Washington the House Science environment subcommittee will review U.S. weather satellite programs Thursday morning with witnesses including Stephen Volz, head of NOAA’s National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Services division, and Ralph Stoffler, director of weather at the U.S. Air Force deputy chief of staff for operations.

Ahead of midyear reports to Wall Street by public companies, and on the heels of Britain’s “Brexit” vote to leave the EU, analysts and consultants covering the aerospace and defense (A&D) sectors see a general slowdown in business activity.

At least two Southeast Asian air forces have grounded their Airbus H225 Super Puma helicopters in response to a European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) order that does not apply to military operators.

Selected U.S. military contracts for June 27