In Pictures: Top Aerospace & Defense Stories, Feb. 01 2023

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Credit: General Atomics Aeronautical Systems. A top executive at General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. (GA-ASI) on Feb. 1 released a rare public complaint about the lack of U.S. government support to send medium-altitude uncrewed air systems (UAS) to Ukraine. 

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Credit: NASA. A UK university team has been awarded £520,000 ($643,400) to develop an artificially intelligent (AI) software program to predict solar storms.

Credit: Northrop Grumman. The U.S. Space Development Agency (SDA) wants to break up the Tranche 2 Transport Layer of its Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA), aiming to send 216 space vehicles in three variants to six orbital planes, according to a new draft solicitation.

Credit: Aurora Flight Sciences. Aurora Flight Sciences has revealed an eight-propulsor, monohull design for the DARPA Liberty Lifter program, which aims to demonstrate a C-17-size, wing-in-ground effect strategic lifter. 

Credit: NASA. Just as it has historically, NASA intends to spin off research and technologies with the potential for far-reaching benefits for life on Earth and a space economy poised to surge, a new report says.

Credit: Ampaire. Ampaire and Azul Conecta have signed a letter of intent (LoI) for six upgrade kits to retrofit Cessna Grand Caravans with hybrid-electric propulsion systems.

Credit: Aerofugia (via Weibo). China’s Aerofugia, a subsidiary of carmaker Geely, has flown a prototype five-seat electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) air taxi, the AE200 X01.

Credit: Tony Osborne/Aviation Week. Switzerland has completed a series of avionics upgrades for its McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornets to keep the type in service until 2030.

Credit: GKN Aerospace. GKN Aerospace is investing £15 million ($19 million) into its engine test facilities in Sweden to support the maintenance of the General Electric F414 engines that equip the country’s new Gripen E fighters.

Credit: Bell Textron. Bell Textron is developing a set of special mission military modification kits for its commercial helicopters to provide low-cost, fast-reaction weapons capabilities to nations with urgent security needs but limited defense budgets.

Credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky. Former NASA astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley were awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor by Vice President Kamala Harris for their 2020 mission under a pioneering NASA flight services contract with SpaceX for the Demonstration Mission-2 (Demo-2) flight test to the International Space Station (ISS).

Credit: Spanish Air Force. The Spanish Air Force is one of a series of European air arms set to benefit from increased levels of investment over the coming years as regional governments respond to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.