Aerospace Daily & Defense Report

By Ben Goldstein
Merlin is expanding its autonomous flight platform into the commercial cargo market with the launch of a new product line called Condor.
Advanced Air Mobility

By Tony Osborne
Corrosion and spare parts shortages reduce UK F-35 mission rates as officials address engineering gaps and delayed infrastructure plans.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Bill Carey
Iridium has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the Aileron space-based air traffic surveillance system that it hosts on its satellite network.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Robert Wall
Rafael is proposing to equip UAVs with some of the self-protection equipment more typically associated with combat aircraft.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Mark Carreau
Intuitive Machines acquires Goonhilly Earth Station to expand its space-to-ground network and support lunar and deep space missions with resilient communications.
Operations & Safety

By Tony Osborne
EDGE acquires Italian propulsion firm CMD to expand its expertise in engines and create a European propulsion hub for aeronautical, automotive and marine sectors.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Robert Wall
Landspace's ZQ-2E rocket achieves readiness for constellation deployments after delivering payload to polar orbit during its latest launch.
Launch Vehicles & Propulsion

By Tony Osborne
Elbit wins $34M contract to develop external fuel tanks for Israeli F-35s, boosting range and flexibility for long-range missions.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Robert Wall
Innospace plans Hanbit-Nano rocket relaunch in Q3 with SpaceBey deployer after first mission failure and aims to strengthen South Korea's space ambitions.
Launch Vehicles & Propulsion

By Mark Carreau
House panel approves NASA's 2027 budget at $24.44B, rejecting White House's proposed 23% cut, and backs Artemis, Mars and nuclear propulsion plans.
Budget, Policy & Regulation

By Graham Warwick
Otto Aerospace has moved into detail design of the Phantom 3500 business aircraft, advancing its plans to exploit drag-reducing laminar flow technology.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Robert Wall
Telecommunications heavyweights AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon want to work more closely together to deploy satellite-provided direct-to-device communications.
Commercial Space

By Vivienne Machi
NATO is bolstering several initiatives to streamline space domain awareness data collection and to integrate it into training and operations.
Budget, Policy & Regulation

Aviation Week Staff
News in Brief
Aerospace_Daily_departments

Aviation Week Staff
VOYAGER reports ISS data center milestone... New defense chief at PERATON... MOOG gets V-22 component repair award...
Aerospace_Daily_departments

By Mark Carreau
Unfavorable weather conditions on May 13 again delayed the planned launch of SpaceX’s 34th NASA-contracted resupply mission to the International Space Station.
Space Exploration

By Vivienne Machi
A U.S. Space Force-led on-orbit refueling demonstration is now slated for next year.
Commercial Space

By Steve Trimble
A recovery plan for the Boeing KC-46 pushes the arrival of the Remote Vision System (RVS) 2.0 upgrade by more than a year.
Multi-Mission Aircraft

By Tony Osborne
Aviation services company Metrea is gearing up to demonstrate its Fireswift aerial firefighting aircraft to European governments in the coming weeks.
Advanced Air Mobility

By Garrett Reim
Startup Star Catcher Industries plans to demonstrate orbital optical power beam before the end of the year.
Satellites

By Robert Wall
Pentagon plans to buy 10,000 low-cost cruise missiles and 500 hypersonic missiles annually, expanding its industrial base and accelerating procurement timelines.
Missile Defense & Weapons

By Tony Osborne
Multiple modifications made by Russia to improve the lethality and survivability of the Kh-101cruise missile against air defenses have achieved only limited success.
Missile Defense & Weapons

By Chen Chuanren
InAir prepares first drone deliveries for South Korea Army.
Missile Defense & Weapons

By Tony Osborne
Norway’s armed forces are experimenting with artificial intelligence to speed up helicopter search and rescue missions.
Budget, Policy & Operations

By Tony Osborne
Rheinmetall and Deutsche Telekom have teamed on an initiative to improve drone defense of urban areas and critical infrastructure.
Advanced Air Mobility