In Pictures: Top Aerospace & Defense Stories, Dec.05 2022

Credit: U.S. Army. The U.S. Army is going with Bell Textron for its future rotorcraft, announcing Dec. 5 it has awarded the company an initial potential $1.2 billion contract to build a virtual prototype for its Future Long Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA).

Credit: Sierra Space. Sierra Space will provide its new-generation, low-cost solar power arrays for a constellation of low Earth orbit satellite buses, which Maxar Technologies is providing to L3Harris Technologies for the Space Development Agency’s (SDA) Tranche 1 Tracking Layer missile warning program.

Credit: Lilium. Lilium has announced the launch of a new, customizable version of its Lilium Jet electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft focused on the private aviation market, along with a commitment for up to 20 of the new variant by UK-based eVolare.

Credit: Embraer. Embraer has focused its studies of sustainable aircraft on hybrid-electric and hydrogen fuel cell 19- and 30-seat regional airliners as it moves into a second phase of concept exploration and evaluation under its Energia program.

Credit: USAF. The newly revealed Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider has, we assume, engines. But what are they?

Credit: NASA. NASA’s Artemis I Orion crew capsule carried out its second and final major maneuver for departing the Moon on Dec. 5—day 20 of its planned 25 1/2-day uncrewed test flight—with a 3-min., 27-sec. Orbiter Maneuvering System burn.

Credit: Leonardo Helicopters. The UK Royal Navy has taken delivery of its last of 25 Leonardo AW101 Merlin Mk. 4/4A amphibious assault helicopters.

Credit: Loft Dynamics. Virtual reality simulator developer Loft Dynamics, formerly VRM Switzerland, has raised $20 million in venture financing to expand into international markets.

Credit: Reuters/Gleb Garanich/Alamy Stock Photo. The U.S. Defense Department is working with contractors who are building critical munitions for Ukraine to find sticking points in their supply chains and production capacity in an attempt to smooth out the process and speed up deliveries to Kyiv.

Credit: APFootage/Alamy Stock Photo. The U.S. Navy will make big investments in advanced parts for upcoming Ford-class aircraft carriers in its 2024 budget request to try to keep the vessels on schedule and avoid the delays that have bogged down the programs.