In Pictures: Top Aerospace & Defense Stories, May 05, 2022

May 05, 2022

Norway Investing In Maritime Surveillance Constellation

Norway is investing in a mini-constellation of maritime reconnaissance satellites to support surveillance in the High North. The three-satellite constellation, Norway’s first, will build on experience developed with NorSat3, launched in 2021. Credit: Kongsberg Defense and Space

U.S. Army Deploys Second Surveillance Demonstrator Jet

The U.S. Army has deployed a second jet-based technology demonstrator to perform operational missions in the Indo-Pacific Command while gathering data and lessons for a future acquisition program. The Airborne Reconnaissance and Electronic Warfare System (ARES) departed for the Indo-Pacific region in mid-April, the Army says. Credit: U.S. Army

U.S. Military Testing OneWeb, Starlink For Arctic Operations

The U.S. military is testing the use of OneWeb and SpaceX’s Starlink to provide communications from remote outposts in the Arctic where maintaining resilient connections in austere locations is a problem that U.S. Northern Command needs to address. NORTHCOM boss Gen. Glen VanHerck says the Pentagon has provided about $50 million for OneWeb and Starlink terminals, with the funding stemming from an unfunded priorities request for fiscal 2022 that VanHerck submitted in 2021. Credit: Kongsberg Satellite Services

UK, Japanese FCAS Efforts At ‘Cornerstone’ Of Bilateral Relations

The UK’s joint work with Japan on the Tempest Future Combat Air System (FCAS) could become the “cornerstone” of UK-Japanese bilateral relations. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his Japanese counterpart, Fumio Kishida, said the bilateral work between the two countries around FCAS was “making significant progress,” a May 5 communique from 10 Downing Street said following a meeting here. Credit: BAE Systems Concept

DARPA Solicits Phase 2, 3 Proposals For DRACO Nuclear Rocket

DARPA has released a presolicitation for phase 2 and 3 of its Demonstration Rocket for Agile Cislunar Operations (DRACO) program, an effort to develop a nuclear thermal rocket engine. DARPA is interested in developing such an engine to speed up the time it takes to move spacecraft through the vast distances of cislunar space. Credit: DARPA

Challenge Seeks Mars VR Testbed Environment

NASA is teaming with crowdsource solutions sponsor HeroX, computer game developer Epic Games and real-time graphics developer Buendea to sponsor the NASA MarsXR Challenge, a call for contributions to a virtual reality (VR) testbed environment meant to simulate experiences and situations that future astronauts might encounter on Mars. Experiences gained from the envisioned simulations could help NASA prepare for the future human exploration of Mars, says HeroX, which announced the competition on May 5. Credit: HeroX

SOCOM Budget Docs Set Armed Overwatch Contract Award In July

A $1.404 billion plan to acquire a 75-aircraft Armed Overwatch fleet for U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) will kick off with a contract award in July and finish with the last aircraft delivery by the end of fiscal 2027, budget documents show. SOCOM has also reduced an internal estimate for the nonrecurring unit cost of each Armed Overwatch aircraft. Credit: U.S. Air Force

Romania To Produce SkyCeptor Missiles In-Country

Raytheon has signed agreements with Romanian defense companies to produce SkyCeptor missiles in the Eastern European country. The agreement was signed May 4. It will see Romarm and Electromecanica Ploiești co-manufacture the missiles for domestic and international customers. Credit: Rafael

Crew-3 Dragon Astronauts Depart Space Station For Earth

Four astronauts are headed for a splashdown in waters off the Florida peninsula early May 6, following their departure from the International Space Station aboard NASA’s Crew-3 SpaceX Endurance Dragon spacecraft. The Dragon capsule containing NASA astronauts Raja Chari, Tom Marshburn and Kayla Barron as well as European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Matthias Maurer is to arrive back on the Earth’s surface on May 6 at 12:43 a.m. EDT, weather permitting. Credit: NASA

NASA Prepares X-57 For First Electric Flight Test This Summer

NASA is preparing its X-57 Maxwell all-electric experimental aircraft for its first flight test this summer. The program is wrapping up ground tests and working on the installation of batteries. Some lingering issues to be resolved include reducing electromagnetic interference, said Sean Clarke, principal investigator with NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, on April 27. Credit: NASA

From Norway investing in maritime surveillance constellation to U.S. Army deploys second surveillance Demonstrator Jet. Take a look at these and more in our daily roundup of aerospace & defense news.

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