In Pictures: Top Aerospace & Defense Stories, Jun. 15, 2022

June 16, 2022

Germany Retires Last A310 Tanker

Germany has retired its last Airbus A310 multirole tanker transport (MRTT), leaving Canada as the final military operator of the widebody transport. The German Air Force retired the last of its A310 MRTTs on June 15 after 22 years of service. The air force operated five A310s, four of which had been modified to the MRTT standard with wing-mounted hose-drogue pods for refueling fighters. Credit: Stefan Petersen/German Ministry of Defense

Amazon To Begin Cargo Drone Deliveries In California

Amazon plans to begin 1-hr.-or-less delivery of products via its electric MK27-2 cargo drone later this year in Lockeford, California. Customers will be able to choose from among thousands of small items, such as household products, makeup and office supplies, for free drone delivery via the Prime Air service, the company said on June 15. Credit: Amazon

U.S. Pledges $1 Billion More In Military Aid To Ukraine

President Joe Biden has announced that the U.S. will provide Ukraine with another $1 billion in military assistance to fight its war with Russia. Biden’s announcement came after a June 15 call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and just as NATO defense ministers assembled in Brussels to discuss the war-ravaged country’s urgent defense needs and pledge additional equipment. Credit: U.S. Army

OneWeb, Stellar Blu Claim LEO Broadband Test Flight Success

Two companies aiming to improve inflight connectivity (IFC) have carried out what they describe as the successful delivery of high-speed, low-latency inflight connectivity from a low-Earth-orbit (LEO) satellite to a commercial airliner. Communications company OneWeb, which says it has launched around 70% of its planned 648-satellite constellation, and terminal partner Stellar Blu operated a test flight over Texas on May 27. Credit: OneWeb

Israeli Military ID’d As Trojan Launch Customer

Israeli company Aeronautics Group has identified the Israel Defense Forces as the launch customer for the Trojan, an uncrewed aircraft system (UAS) that will have solar panels embedded in its 4.2-m (14-ft.) wingspan. In combination with a quad-rotor system, the solar recharging system allows the Trojan to operate at ranges normally associated with fixed-wing UAS, but still have the flexibility of vertical-takeoff-and-landing (VTOL) aircraft, company executives said at this week’s Eurosatory exhibition. Credit: Aeronautics

NRO EOCL Award To Planet Worth An Initial $146M

The U.S. National Reconnaissance Office’s initial commercial imagery award to Planet Labs under the Electro-Optical Commercial Layer (EOCL) p is worth at least around $146 million, practically doubling the remote-sensing upstart’s backlog. Planet executives—who in recent weeks have declined to detail the award—finally addressed the firm contracted value June 14 while reporting financial results for the company’s fiscal 2023 first quarter, which ended April 30. Credit: Josh Edelson/AFP/Getty Images

NASA, ESA Look To Advance Space Cooperation

Top NASA and European Space Agency (ESA) leaders emerged from a June 15 meeting prepared to extend and strengthen a long-standing partnership in space. This includes plans to place European astronauts on the Moon, revive the ExoMars rover mission, forge a commercial lunar communications and navigation network and establish closer shared scrutiny of Earth’s environment. Credit: NASA

From Germany retires last A310 Tanker to Amazon to begin cargo drone deliveries in California. Take a look at these and more in our daily roundup of aerospace & defense news.

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