Aerospace & Defense Roundup: October 11, 2021

October 12, 2021

Former Ruag Aero Machining Division Starts As FitIndustry

Credit: Ruag Aerostructures



FitIndustry, a Swiss company formed in part through the divestiture of Ruag Aerostructures’s machining division, has started Tier 1 operations for major aircraft OEMs after taking over all remaining employees and assets from Ruag International.



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Zephyr Clocks Up High-Altitude Hours

Credit: Airbus Defense and Space



Airbus’ Zephyr high-altitude pseudo-satellite (HAPS) has clocked up another 36 days of stratospheric flight during a series of flight demonstrations for the UK defense ministry. 



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OneWeb Aims To Diversity Launch Fleet With Indian Boosters

Credit: Arun Sankar/AFP/Getty Images



OneWeb and the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) have signed a letter of intent to fly OneWeb broadband satellites aboard Indian’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle and the heavier-lift Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle from India beginning next year.



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Hydrogen Making Inroads Into Sustainable-Aircraft Development

Credit: ZeroAvia



A shift from electric and hybrid-electric propulsion toward hydrogen is evident among sustainable aircraft projects announced so far this year, according to European consultancy Roland Berger.



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Prometheus To Produce Net-Zero SAF From 2022

Credit: Prometheus Fuels



U.S. startup Prometheus Fuels expects to begin delivering commercial quantities of its carbon-neutral sustainable aviation fuel toward the end of 2022.



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Lyten Eyes Early Aviation Market For Energy-Dense Lithium-Sulfur Battery

Credit: Lyten



U.S. battery startup Lyten is looking to electric aircraft as a potential early market for its energy-dense lithium-sulfur batteries as it scales up to meet expected demand from the automotive industry by 2025-26.



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Rolls-Royce Backs German Hybrid-Electric Development Center

Credit: APUS Zero Emission



As Rolls-Royce continues its push into electrified propulsion, the engine maker has signed an agreement to establish facilities in Germany for developing, testing and producing hybrid-electric power trains.



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Japanese Airlines Set SAF Supply Target To Meet Net-Zero Goal

Credit: All Nippon Airways



Domestic and foreign airlines operating in Japan will need an estimated 2.3 billion liters (613 million gal.) of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) to achieve the goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, concludes a joint report by All Nippon Airways (ANA) and Japan Airlines (JAL).



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DLR Building Megawatt-Scale Fuel-Cell Test Site

Credit: DLR



Germany aerospace center DLR has broken ground on a test site for hydrogen fuel-cell propulsion systems. 



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Israeli Firms Offer Fuel Tank, Comms Upgrades For F-35

Credit: Maj. Ofer/Israeli Air Force



Israeli companies are rolling out a 600-gal. external fuel tank and a fifth-to-fourth-generation communication system as export options for the Lockheed Martin F-35. 



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NASA’s Crew-3 Dragon Mission: A Taste Of Artemis

Credit: NASA



Two of the four crewmembers assigned to the upcoming SpaceX Crew-3 Dragon launch to the International Space Station (ISS) are part of NASA’s “Artemis Team” of 18 freshmen and veteran fliers chosen for the agency’s human lunar return.



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Libra Buys Back LCI Helo Lessor Stake From KKR

Credit: LCI Helicopters



Lessor LCI Helicopters’ parent has bought out minority stakeholder KKR, returning ownership to the founding Libra Group after seven years, the companies announced Oct. 11.



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Service Tracks Aircraft Emissions For Lessors, Banks

Credit: DLR



A service that allows lessors, banks and other aircraft owners to track and report the emissions from their portfolios has been launched by Irish financial services company Fexco and U.S. aviation risk management consultancy Avocet.



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CycloTech Flies Cyclorotor Technology Demonstrator

Credit: CycloTech



Austrian startup CycloTech has begun tethered flight tests of a demonstrator equipped with its cycloidal rotor technology for vertical-takeoff-and-landing aircraft.



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Weekly Debrief: China’s Aerial Activities: An October Of Ups And Downs

Credit: Alan Wilson

Su-30

Australia Seeking 12 More MH-60Rs

Credit: Australia Department of Defense



Australia has requested 12 more Sikorsky MH-60R naval helicopters to supplement its existing fleet. 



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Sustainability Of Asia-Pacific F-35s Exceeded Expectations: UK Officials

Credit: Chen Chuanren



Reliability of the 18 Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning IIs embarked on the Royal Navy’s aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth operating in the Asia-Pacific region have met and sometimes exceed expectations, officials say. 



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Rolls-Royce backs German hybrid-electric development center, sustainability of Asia-Pacific F-35s exceeded expectations: UK officials, service tracks aircraft emissions for lessors, banks and more. A roundup of aerospace, space, and defense news powered by Aerospace Daily & Defense Report. 

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