In Pictures: Top Aerospace & Defense Stories, Apr. 21, 2022

April 21, 2022

NASA Picks Six U.S. Companies For Near-Earth SATCOM Demos

NASA selected six U.S. satellite communications providers on April 20 to develop and demonstrate near-Earth space communication services to support future agency missions as part of the Communications Services Project. Credit: NASA

Hungary Orders Dozen L-39NG Trainers

Aero Vodochody plans to deliver 12 L-39NG jet trainers to Hungary's defense forces in 2024 under a new contract announced on April 20. The contract increases the Czech-based manufacturer’s orderbook for the single-engine jet trainer to 30 aircraft, the company said. Credit: Aero Vodochody

GE Taps BAE Systems For Hybrid Electric Propulsion Team

BAE Systems plans to provide energy-management components, including the battery and cabling, for the megawatt-class hybrid electric propulsion system being developed by GE Aviation under the recently awarded NASA Electrified Powertrain Flight Demonstration (EPFD) project. BAE, which will develop the components at its Endicott, New York, facility, also will provide the controls for the demonstrator’s power-management system. The propulsion system will be tested on a Saab 340B powered by modified CT7-9B turboprops, and could pave the way for integrated hybrid-electric engines on single-aisle aircraft. Credit: NASA

Pentagon Rushing New, Previously Undisclosed UAS To Ukraine

The Pentagon is expediting the delivery of a previously undisclosed small uncrewed aircraft system (UAS) to Ukraine, saying the capabilities of the kamikaze drone are uniquely suited for the upcoming fight against Russia in the country’s east. The Defense Department said April 21 it is delivering more than 121 of the Phoenix Ghost tactical UASs to Ukraine in the coming days as part of the latest tranche of $800 million in aid to the country. Credit: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

Planet Labs’ Pelican Constellation To Have Up To 30 cm Resolution

Planet Labs has unveiled its next constellation of 32 Earth observation satellites, the Pelican fleet, which will provide images with up to 30 cm of resolution and improved revisit rates. The constellation was designed by Planet Labs and will be built at its San Francisco manufacturing facility, the company said on April 20. The satellite operator says its Pelican fleet is expected to start launching in early 2023. Credit: Planet Labs

Combined-Cycle Engine Proposed For Ballistic PRSM Range Boost

A combined cycle propulsion system would be developed as a range-boosting upgrade for the Lockheed Martin Precision Strike Missile (PRSM), new U.S. Army budget planning documents released on April 21 show. The proposed new-start technology program in fiscal 2023 would “develop and mature [a] combined cycle extended range missile propulsion engine” to support the PRSM program, according to the Army’s budget justification documents. Credit: Lockheed Martin
Boeing EA-18G Growler

U.S. Navy Proposes To Divest Expeditionary EA-18G Squadrons

Credit: U.S. Navy

Boeing EA-18G Growler

Weather Prompts Delays In Ax-1 Return, NASA Crew-4 ISS Launch

Weather concerns off the Florida coast have prompted new delays in the planned return to Earth of Axiom-1 (Ax-1) from the International Space Station and the follow-on launch of NASA’s Crew-4 SpaceX Dragon Freedom to the ISS, NASA and Axiom Space announced late April 20. Ax-1 is the first U.S. private astronaut mission to the ISS aboard the SpaceX Crew Dragon Endeavour. Credit: SpaceX

Airbus And Partners Eye 2024 For Titanium-Saving Technology

A project led by the IRT Saint-Exupery research and technology institute in Toulouse is well on track to cutting raw materials needed for 30% of titanium parts on Airbus aircraft. The expected advancement will rely on improved closed-dye forging (a process using tooling that resembles a waffle iron), simplified machining and the introduction of additive manufacturing. Credit: IRT Saint-Exupery

Natilus Selects San Diego To Build Its First Autonomous Cargo Aircraft

Startup Natilus is to locate engineering and manufacturing for its planned family of autonomous cargo aircraft at Brown Field in San Diego. A prototype of the initial 3.8-ton-payload Natilus 3.8T short-haul cargo feeder is being built in an existing hangar at the municipal airport. The hangar will be used for final assembly, structural testing and systems integration. Credit: Natilus

Vertical Aerospace Cites Post-Brexit eVTOL Certification Progress

Vertical Aerospace expects to certificate its VX4 air taxi concurrently with the UK and Europe, with the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) agreeing to validate UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) type certification of the electric vertical-takeoff-and-landing (eVTOL) aircraft. Agreement with EASA paves the way for the VX4 to operate in both the UK and Europe “from 2025,” Vertical said. Credit: Vertical Aerospace

Wright To Demo 2-Megawatt Generator For Battlefield Power

As it ground-tests a 2-megawatt electric motor with the intent of converting a 100-seat regional jet to zero-emission propulsion, Wright Electric has received a U.S. Air Force contract to modify the technology into a lightweight, high-power generator as a battlefield recharger for electrified vehicles. The startup has been testing its 2-megawatt powertrain since January, supported by a total of $9 million in funding from NASA, the U.S. Energy Department, Army and Air Force. Credit: Wright Electric

From NASA picking six U.S. companies for near-Earth SATCOM demos to Hungary ordering dozen L-39NG trainers. Take a look at these and more in our daily roundup of aerospace & defense news.

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