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DEFENSE
Thailand and Sweden have completed negotiations for Bangkok’s acquisition of 12 Saab Gripen E/F fighters for delivery by 2034 to the Royal Thai Air Force.
The Philippines and Korea Aerospace Industries have signed a $700 million follow-on contract for the acquisition of 12 additional FA-50PH light fighters to be delivered by 2030.
Ukraine claimed to have destroyed one-third of Russia’s cruise-missile-carrying strategic bombers after an audacious drone raid deep inside Russian territory.
Anduril’s valuation soared to $30.5 billion after the defense technology startup raised $2.5 billion in a Series G round led by billionaire Peter Thiel’s Founders Fund.
German defense technology company Helsing plans to acquire training and surveillance aircraft manufacturer Grob from H3 Aerospace for an undisclosed price.
The European Commission has green-lighted the planned UK-Italy-Japan industrial joint venture to develop the Global Combat Air Program fighter.
Under agreements with Dassault, Tata Advanced Systems is to build Rafale fuselages in India, with the first section to be completed in 2028 at a new production facility in Hyderabad.
India’s VEM Technologies has delivered to Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. the first center fuselage to be produced by private industry for the Tejas Mk. 1A light combat aircraft.
GE Aerospace and Kratos have expanded their partnership on small affordable turbofans to include development of a 1,500-lb.-thrust engine for reusable uncrewed aircraft.
COMMERCIAL AVIATION
CEO Guillaume Faury says Airbus plans to select an engine in 2027 for the launch of its next new narrowbody airliner around 2030 and service entry in 2037-38.
The Trump administration reportedly has suspended sales of aircraft technologies to China for use by state-owned commercial aircraft manufacturer Comac.
The FAA is seeking a single integrator to spearhead proposed air traffic control system upgrades, with a target delivery deadline of Jan. 1, 2029.
U.S. President Donald Trump has directed the FAA to lift the ban on overland civil supersonic flight within 24 months and replace it with an en route noise standard.
The first passenger-carrying electric aircraft landed at a major U.S. airport June 3, Beta Technologies’ Alia CX300 at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport, carrying a pilot and four passengers.
Archer Aviation completed the piloted first flight of its Midnight electric vertical-takeoff-and-landing vehicle May 30, flying the air taxi for 6 min. and taking off and landing conventionally from a runway.
SPACE
Japan’s Ispace failed in its second attempt to land a spacecraft on the Moon June 5. Communications could not be established after the Resilience lander completed its landing sequence.
The Trump administration withdrew the nomination of Jared Isaacman to head NASA in a move that may be linked to a falling-out between Trump and Elon Musk.
Northrop Grumman’s SpaceLogistics subsidiary has integrated twin robotic arms on its Mission Robotic Vehicle for launch in 2026 under DARPA’s Robotic Servicing of Geosynchronous Satellites program.
The U.S. Space Force awarded BAE Systems a $1.2 billion contract to build 10 satellites for its missile warning and tracking constellation in medium Earth orbit.
Northrop Grumman is adding $50 million to a joint project with Firefly Aerospace to build and operate a new medium-lift launch vehicle, the Eclipse.
OBITUARIES
Marc Garneau, Canada’s first astronaut to reach space, died on June 4. He was 76. Born in Quebec City, he became a Canadian Armed Forces officer and flew as a mission specialist aboard the shuttle orbiter Challenger in October 1984 on STS-41G, NASA’s 13th space shuttle flight. He went on to fly two more shuttle missions and later became Canada’s transport minister.
Jim Schuster, who led the turnaround of Raytheon Aircraft and its transition to Hawker Beechcraft, died on May 8. He was 72. Schuster joined the aircraft manufacturer as chairman and CEO in 2001 in the midst of financial struggles and prepared the company for its $3 billion sale to private equity firms Onex and Goldman Sachs in 2007.
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