In Pictures: Top Aerospace & Defense Stories, Mar 14, 2022

Japan Takes Delivery Of First Global Hawks

Credit: JASDF

The first of three Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Block 30 (I) Global Hawks arrived in Japan March 12, over three years since the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) contract was signed in November 2018. The high-altitude, long-endurance (HALE) UAS, serial number 23-6003 and sporting temporary U.S. Air Force insignia during the delivery flight, landed at Misawa Air Base.

FlyZero Unveils Final Hydrogen-Powered Airliner Concepts

Credit: Aerospace Technology Institute

The Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI) has unveiled three zero-carbon airliner concepts developed under the UK government’s FlyZero project which aims to support the accelerated introduction of hydrogen-powered aircraft. The three concepts cover the regional, narrowbody and mid-size market sectors. Together they form part of a study that targets zero-carbon emission commercial air travel by the end of the decade.

U.S. Air Force Pilots Fly Beta’s eVTOL

Credit: Brian Jenkins/Beta Technologies

Two U.S. Air Force pilots have become the first to conduct crewed test flights of an electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft under the service’s Agility Prime program. The pilots flew Beta Technologies’ Alia prototype on March 9 from Plattsburgh International Airport, New York.

Baykar Makina Begins Building MIUS Jet-Powered UCAV

Credit: Baykar Makina

Pictures of the MIUS prototype fuselage in assembly at the company’s facility in Istanbul were published online by the company’s chief technology officer.

F-35 To Replace Tornado In Dramatic German U-Turn

Credit: Michael Dodge / Getty Images

Germany is to purchase Lockheed Martin’s F-35 Joint Strike Fighter to partially replace the country’s aging Panavia Tornado fleet. The selection, announced March 14, comes days after German Chancellor Olaf Scholz named the F-35 as a potential Tornado successor in a speech announcing a €100 billion ($110 billion) defense fund to plug capability gaps.

Law Enforcement Early Adopter Hits Drone Milestone

Credit: Chula Vista Police Department

A city police department that was an early adopter of using drones for law enforcement purposes in the U.S. recently surpassed 10,000 missions. The Chula Vista Police Department (CVPD) in Chula Vista, California, joined the FAA’s Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration Pilot Program (UAS IPP) in 2018 as part of a regional partnership headed by the nearby city of San Diego.

Leonardo Investing To Enhance Production Processes

Credit: Leonardo

Italian defense conglomerate Leonardo is planning to invest around €300 million ($328.6 million) annually over the next five years to modernize its production processes and develop new products and technology. The company is hoping the five-year plan, announced on March 14, will result in “significant growth as a result of greater competitiveness.”

The Weekly Debrief: Hypersonic Erinyes Boosts Kratos Defense To New Level

Credit: NASA

After spending a decade building up a portfolio of low-cost unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) aimed at disrupting the low end of the market for autonomy in military aviation, Kratos Defense is now taking aim at the burgeoning market for hypersonic vehicles. A previously secret project called Erinyes was introduced by Kratos CEO Eric DeMarco on Feb. 22 during a fourth-quarter earnings call, but was overlooked in press reports about the event.

Despite Tensions, U.S. Astronaut To Return From ISS On Soyuz MS-19

NASAISS

PACAF Chief Favors F-15EX For Kadena Basing

Credit: U.S. Air Force photo, Samuel King Jr.

e head of U.S. Pacific Air Forces favors choosing the Boeing F-15EX to replace two squadrons of aging F-15C/D fighters at Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, Japan. The statement by Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach on March 14 may be a sign that the key base in the East China Sea could become the first overseas base to host the latest version of Boeing’s twin-engined, land-based fighter.

MDA Wins $269M Canadarm3 Robotic Arm Contract

Credit: Canadian Space Agency

MDA has been awarded a $269 million contract by the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) to complete preliminary design of the Canadarm3 robotic arm for Gateway, a space station planned for lunar orbit. The design work is expected to be finished in about 17 months, the company said on March 10.

Ex-FAA Commercial Space Chief To Fly On New Shepard

Credit: NASA

George Nield, who oversaw commercial spaceflight for the FAA before becoming a private consultant, is among five paying passengers slated to ride on Blue Origin’s next flight of its New Shepard suborbital system, with liftoff targeted for March 23. Also aboard will be Saturday Night Live comedian Pete Davidson, who is flying as a guest of Blue Origin.

From Global Hawks deliveries to the unveiling of three zero-carbon airliner concepts developed under the UK government’s FlyZero project. Take a look at these and more in our daily roundup of aerospace & defense news. 

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