In Pictures: Top Aerospace & Defense Stories, Sep. 07 2023

Credit: U.S. Air Force.

A major new Pentagon initiative to bring on thousands of cheap autonomous systems will not require new funding or authorities, indicating its goal is to accelerate or increase existing programs instead of beginning large-scale acquisitions.

Credit: H2Fly.

Germany’s H2Fly has completed the first flights of a hydrogen-electric aircraft using cryogenic liquid-hydrogen storage.

Credit: Lockheed Martin.

The U.S. Army’s near-term plan to field an operational hypersonic missile faced a test setback when another launch was scrubbed, though service and Pentagon officials remain confident in the Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon ahead of a deadline.

Credit: Institu.

Insitu has revealed that its Integrator uncrewed aircraft system (UAS) can deploy multiple small munitions, adding a strike capability to the surveillance aircraft that achieved first flight 11 years ago.

Credit: SkyDrive.

SkyDrive and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) have signed a joint research agreement devoted to improving noise estimation technology for electric-vertical-takeoff-and-landing (eVTOL) aircraft.

Credit: NASA.

NASA says it will pursue recommendations from an agency inspector general (IG) audit report of its Earth System Science Pathfinder Program (ESSP), which stresses an urgency based on record heat and the occurrence of 29 global extreme-weather events in 2022 that each cost more than $1 billion.

Credit: Clean Aviation.

Technologies for hybrid-electric and hydrogen-powered aircraft are among eight projects awarded €380 million ($408 million) in funding following a second call for proposals by Europe’s Clean Aviation public-private aeronautics research program.

Credit: NASA.

As NASA marks the 45th anniversary of its first astronaut selection class to include women, three female candidates from 1978 who became space travelers observed the milestone and encouraged those from all backgrounds to follow their dreams.