Aerospace Daily & Defense Report

By Brian Everstine
Sierra Nevada Co. on April 29 flew the fourth 747 to its Dayton, Ohio, facility as part of its U.S. Air Force Survivable Airborne Operations Center program.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Guy Norris, Sean Broderick
Boeing’s effort to earn regulatory approval of the 777-9 continues to check off key certification requirements, with crosswind testing a recent notable step.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Steve Trimble
The U.S. Navy took the first step in a fast-tracked acquisition process for a nuclear-tipped cruise missile on April 28.
Missile Defense & Weapons

By Brian Everstine
The U.S. Marine Corps is now targeting 2032 for full operational capability of its CH-53K King Stallion heavy lift helicopter.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Brian Everstine
The House Armed Services Committee on April 29 advanced a GOP-led measure to increase Pentagon spending by $150 billion.
Budget, Policy & Operations

By Garrett Reim
Lockheed Martin was awarded a contract from the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) to prototype a quantum-enabled inertial navigation system.
Satellites

By Tony Osborne
Italian Army Aviation has begun the modernization of its light helicopter fleets with the delivery of the Leonardo UH-169D light utility helicopter.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Thierry Dubois
Arianespace is planning two more Vega-C and four Ariane 6 launches this year.
Launch Vehicles & Propulsion

By Irene Klotz
A mission to showcase a new Lockheed Martin multipurpose, midsize satellite bus was lost following a troubled launch of Firefly Aerospace’s sixth Alpha rocket.
Satellites

By Tony Osborne
Romania has been given approval to acquire another Patriot air defense system that will replace another that was donated to Ukraine.
Missile Defense & Weapons

By Graham Warwick
Aurora Flight Sciences has completed low-speed wind tunnel tests of the blended wing body X-plane that the Boeing company is developing for a DARPA program.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Matthew Fulco
Precision components specialist Woodward posted brisk sales across several of its aerospace and defense business lines in the second quarter.
Supply Chain

By Tony Osborne
A study in Germany on the use of SAF in helicopters, has confirmed considerable reductions in soot particles, confirming cleaner and greener operation of rotorcraft.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Robert Wall
The U.S. Navy is expanding what aircraft may start employing advanced expendable decoys.
Missile Defense & Weapons

By Guy Norris
Boeing’s move to realign the X-66 is perhaps better for both the company’s road to industrial recovery and aviation’s longer-term sustainability goals.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Mark Carreau
Intuitive Machines says it has successfully integrated and tested an autonomous driving system for the Moon RACER Lunar Terrain Vehicle.
Space Exploration

By Mark Carreau
Just back from the International Space Station, NASA’s oldest astronaut, 70-year-old Don Pettit, wants to take two more journeys off the planet.
Space Exploration

By Graham Warwick
Near Earth Autonomy is to demonstrate a retrofit kit to convert the Sikorsky UH-60L Black Hawk helicopter to uncrewed capability.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Graham Warwick
Vertical lift specialist Piasecki Aircraft has acquired the Kargo UAV uncrewed logistics aircraft program from Kaman.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Guy Norris
Space startup Radian Aerospace has revealed ambitious plans to build and flight test a reusable reentry vehicle for hypersonic and space missions.
Launch Vehicles & Propulsion

By Irene Klotz
A ULA Atlas V rocket has lifted off from Cape Canaveral to deliver the first 27 satellites for Amazon’s Kuiper broadband communications network into LEO.
Operations & Safety

By Steve Trimble
An Indian military laboratory passed a milestone toward development of a hypersonic cruise missile.
Missile Defense & Weapons

By Sash Tusa
Disjointed U.S. tariff policy has led to cascading confusion within the aerospace industry.
Manufacturing & Supply Chain

By Brian Everstine
The U.S. Navy lost a Boeing F/A-18E Super Hornet and a tow tractor at sea while underway in the Red Sea.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Garrett Reim
Viasat is moving toward final settlement of a lawsuit against the U.S. Air Force that alleged the Space Development Agency unfairly assisted its competitors.
Budget, Policy & Regulation