In Pictures: Top Aerospace & Defense Stories, Mar. 16 2023

Rafael said it is in discussions with Japan to supply Stunner interceptor missiles for the country’s Patriot air defense batteries.

Credit: RAF. Reviews have committed the UK to 138 F-35s over the lifetime of the program but no aircraft beyond the first 48 have been budgeted for.

Credit: U.S. Army. On March 9, officials from the Netherlands Ministry of Defense announced a proposed sell-off of six recently stored CH-47D Chinooks of the Royal Netherlands Air Force. 

Credit: VPorts. Advanced air mobility (AAM) infrastructure company VPorts has signed an agreement with Ras Al Khaimah (RAK) Airport in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to build and operate the first vertiport complex in the emirate, part of the company’s vision to build out a world-class vertiport network in the UAE. 

Credit: U.S. Space Force. IHI Corporation of Japan and Northrop Grumman have signed a memorandum of understanding to develop “highly maneuverable” small satellites, as well as other technologies, for space domain awareness missions for the Japanese government. 

Credit: NASA. Expectations remain high that L3Harris Technologies will buy Aerojet Rocketdyne, despite a prolonged antitrust review.

Credit: Sierra Space. Former top Boeing lobbyist Tim Keating has been named head of a new Sierra Space business unit as the new-space spinoff ramps up its focus on government customers, the company announced March 15.

Credit: Machina Labs. Machina Labs is to develop its robotic sheet metal forming process to manufacture metal tooling for high-rate composites production, supported by a $1.6 million contract from the U.S. Air Force’s AFWerx innovation arm.

Credit: HAPSMobile. Japan’s SoftBank has flight tested a lithium-metal battery with high specific energy and the ability to operate at low pressures and temperatures to power high-altitude platform stations (HAPS), providing wireless communications from the stratosphere.

Credit: Australia defense department. The U.S. Air Force has not found a meaningful way to accelerate its much-anticipated procurement of the Boeing E-7A Wedgetail and is preparing for a sustainment cost of continuing the E-3 Sentry AWACS that is higher than it will spend to bring on the replacement.