Aerospace Daily & Defense Report, August 22, 2016

China has already begun defining its sixth-generation combat jet as the People’s Liberation Army Air Force introduces its first fifth-generation types, the Chengdu J-20 and Shenyang J-31.

An unmanned version of the U-2 Dragon Lady is among the list of platforms being considered by Lockheed Martin for the Missile Defense Agency’s stratospheric UAV-borne laser demonstrator program.

When the U.S. resumes launching its own astronauts, they will again have a place to park as their commercially operated Boeing and SpaceX crew transports approach the International Space Station.

China has successfully test fired a large solid-propellant rocket motor that the manufacturer says could be used in a super-heavy launcher for manned Moon landings.

As the Pentagon looks to balance aerial refueling and surveillance requirements for the MQ-25 “Stingray,” aviation planners and industry are also examining how stealthy the Navy’s first carrier-based unmanned aerial system will need to be.

UNITED LAUNCH ALLIANCE launched twin Geosynchronous Space Situational Awareness Program (GSSAP) spacecraft, built by Orbital ATK, for the U.S. Air Force aboard a Delta IV Medium+ (4,2) rocket at 12:52 a.m. EDT Aug. 19 from Cape Canaveral, FL. NORTHROP GRUMMAN declared quarterly dividend of $0.90 per share on company’s common stock, payable Sept. 14 to shareholders of record as of close of business Aug. 29. GENERAL ATOMICS AERONAUTICAL SYSTEMS INC. has $370.9m U.S. Air Force contract for 30 MQ-9 Reaper UAVs. Deliveries by May 2019.

The global drone payload market will be worth $3.63 billion in 2016 and is projected to reach $7.72 billion by 2021, meaning a compound annual growth rate of 16.25%, according to forecasters ASDReports.com. “A number of factors, such as advancement in sensor technology and increasing focus toward using economical solutions for surveillance, are expected to drive the UAV payload market,” they said in a new report. In particular, the synthetic aperture segment is estimated to lead the sector in regard to technology.

Boeing has received the first down payment for two of an eventual nine P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft for the U.K.’s Royal Air Force, the company confirms.

View the U.S. Navy - Amphibious Warfare Vessels Spending: FY15-FY17 ($K) in PDF format.

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