Aerospace Daily & Defense Report

Afghanistan will become the first operator of Orbital ATK’s upgraded AC-208II, a weaponized Cessna Caravan, through a $69 million contract awarded by the U.S. Air Force last month.

At least one company believes directed energy could be the future of mobile air defense against incoming rockets, artillery shells, mortar rounds and even small drones.

Indonesia rolled out two new types of helicopters and its latest military hardware in a live-fire display at a civilian port to celebrate the anniversary of its armed forces on Oct. 5.

BAE Systems is planning to cut 1,900 jobs across the company as it undertakes a radical overhaul of its organizational structure.

Malaysia is sending an Airbus A400M Atlas airlifter to South Korea to take part in an air show in Seoul from Oct. 17-22.

The U.S. Army’s research arm is hard at work on its first shore-based missile intended to destroy both maritime and land targets and increase the range and lethality of its defenses.

BOEING has $10.7m U.S. Army contract for post-production support services for eight AH-64E Apache attack helicopters.

Citing threats from North Korea and terrorism within its own borders, Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull announced the Royal Australian Navy would be installing the Lockheed Martin Aegis combat system on its fleet of nine future frigates.

Raytheon and Kongsberg will highlight the capabilities of the Naval Strike Missile for coastal defense during the Rim of the Pacific exercise in 2018.

Canada confirms it has formally expressed interest in buying F-18A/B Hornets to be retired by Australia.

The acting secretary of the U.S. Army has included next-generation rotorcraft platforms on his list of service modernization priorities.

The Russian Air Force is preparing to seriously expand its airborne early warning capabilities, with its new A-100 AEW aircraft set to make its first flight by year’s end.

DARPA has awarded Aerojet Rocketdyne a contract to demonstrate a turbine-based combined cycle engine that could power a reusable high-speed aircraft from takeoff to beyond Mach 5.

World View Enterprises Inc. has successfully demonstrated high-altitude Earth observation and communications capabilities with its Stratollite balloon and Stratocraft payload components.

Ancient hydrothermal environments on Earth have emerged as potential settings from which terrestrial life arose.

BOEING has $152.5m U.S. Navy contract for two C-40A aircraft.

U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman Bill Shuster (R-Pa.) plans to amend his controversial bill this month.

The proposed arms package includes up to 44 Lockheed Martin Thaad launchers and 360 missiles, plus seven Raytheon TPY-2 mobile, long-range X-band radars.

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Counter-unmanned aerial system (C-UAS) capability is seen as an urgent operational need, as cheap, off-the-shelf UAS proliferate around the globe.

The U.S. Air Force has taken the next step in its plan to transition from the Russian-made RD-180 rocket engine after issuing a request for proposals (RFP) for co-investment in up to three next-generation launch vehicles.

Lockheed Martin and Rockwell Collins are beginning work on competing prototypes of the U.S. Air Force’s next intercontinental ballistic missile airborne launching system.

NASA has decided to buy three more Russian Soyuz rides for International Space Station crew ferry flights, covering missions through the fall of 2019.

The U.S. Air Force is laying the foundation for a 10-year mega contract with Raytheon Missile Systems for continued development of the AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile through fiscal 2032.

An Indian Air Force transport helicopter has crashed in the northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh, killing all seven passengers and crew on board.