Aerospace Daily & Defense Report

South Korean helicopter operator EnB Air has signed a purchase agreement to acquire one Bell 505, configured for initial-attack aerial firefighting missions.

SpaceX has acquired artificial intelligence company xAI, days after the space company disclosed plans for a vast constellation of data center satellites.

ST Engineering is unveiling a family of small attack drones to be armed with small warheads for use in urban combat.

NASA on Feb. 2 was nearing the end of a two-day practice launch countdown for the upcoming Artemis II Moon mission, including fueling the SLS rocket.

NASA’s IMAP has begun its two-year primary mission to explore and map the boundaries of the protective bubble called the heliosphere.

Lt. Gen. Jamie Speiser-Blanchet autographed a fuselage bulkhead of the Royal Canadian Air Force's first F-35 at a ceremony in Fort Worth.

The U.S. Navy is evaluating proposals to make prototypes for an affordable, anti-ship cruise missile to provide to partner countries.

CesiumAstro, a startup that produces sat payloads and terminals for advanced and secure comms systems, has closed a $470 million Series C funding round.

NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover has twice successfully demonstrated drives on the red planet planned by artificial intelligence.

France warship builder Naval Group and UAS developer Turgis Gaillard are exploring the development of a carrier-borne version of the latter’s Aarok MALE UAS.

The UK military is to be given new powers to defeat drones operating near military bases in new laws being passed by Parliament.

A UK Royal Navy helicopter crew has taken control of uncrewed air systems from onboard a Leonardo Wildcat rotorcraft.

The UK defense ministry has aked MBDA to examine if the Aster surface-to-air missile can be launched from Lockheed Martin’s MK 41 vertical launch system.

SpaceX has unveiled a speed limit for Starlink receivers in Ukraine to prevent Russia from using the sat communications technology to control attack drones.

Zulu Pods plans to conduct a series of ground-based altitude chamber tests of its self-contained oil tank and pump system on expendable small gas turbines.

DOD's new National Defense Strategy raises questions on the future of USAF's “North Star” ahead of what will be a transformational budget plan to come.

Singapore has selected the Saab Giraffe 1X radar to replace its Portable Search and Target Acquisition Radar for low-level air defense missions.

The Republic of Singapore Air Force is opting to acquire secondhand Lockheed Martin C-130H aircraft as an interim measure to replace some aging C-130B/Hs.

Specter Aerospace expects to conduct flight tests of a plasma-assisted, ramjet-powered supersonic missile in 2026, followed by tests of a larger dual-mode ramjet-scramjet-powered hypersonic cruise vehicle in 2027-28.

Singapore is set to deploy a new constellation of SAR satellites as it builds out its Earth-observation portfolio, including through a partnership with Airbus.

Leonardo has started building the first satellites for a company-funded, multi-sensor low-Earth-orbit constellation, with launches to start next year.

Connectivity provider Gogo is mounting a push to outfit some of the hundreds of C-130s with a new rear hatch to enable in-flight satellite links for special forces and other uses.

Airbus plans to finally deploy the Superbird-9 broadcast and broadband satellite for Japan’s SKY Perfect JSAT next year after multiple delays, Schoellhorn says.

A U.S. Army plan to go to a pure fleet of AH-64E Apaches by retiring its D models is starting to have ripple effects internationally, and Boeing is taking that as an opportunity to bring on more interest in the E model while also touting new capabilities the gunship will have.

Boeing announced Feb. 2 it picked Australian company Ferra Engineering to produce wing kits for an anti-submarine torpedo for its P-8A maritime patrol aircraft.