Aerospace Daily & Defense Report

By Tony Osborne
The F-35 may be designed to be low-observable, but the arrival into the UK of eight aircraft for the type’s first overseas deployment with the U.S. Air Force has been anything but.
Defense

By Maksim Pyadushkin
The first flight of Russia’s new Ilyushin Il-112V light military transport has been delayed.
Defense

Boeing will not participate in Belgium’s effort to replace its aging F-16s, narrowing options for future international sales of the F/A-18 Super Hornet.
Defense

By Graham Warwick
Weak economies and a strong U.S. dollar hit global sales of Beechcraft King Air turboprops in the first quarter, resulting in lower revenues at Textron Aviation.
Defense

By Graham Warwick
Singapore’s postal service SingPost has joined the Airbus Helicopters-led Skyways UAV package delivery project.
Defense

Chinese human-spaceflight managers are ready to launch their nation’s long-awaited robotic cargo vehicle to the Tiangong-2 orbital outpost.
Space

Tuesday should see the much-delayed launch of Orbital ATK’s seventh cargo freighter to the International Space Station from Cape Canaveral.

EDO Corp. Defense Systems, a wholly owned subsidiary of Harris Corp., North Amityville, New York, is being awarded a $29,464,211 firm-fixed-price contract.

The Pentagon has kicked-started the first Nuclear Posture Review (NPR) of the Donald Trump administration amid escalating tensions around the globe.
Defense

The U.S. Air Force has not made a final decision on whether to retire the F-15C/D Eagle, but service chief Gen. David Goldfein still is not convinced it’s the right path forward.
Defense

By Graham Warwick
Andre Borschberg, co-founder of Solar Impulse, has launched a new venture to develop certified electric propulsion systems for air transport.
Defense

By Mark Carreau
Orbital ATK’s seventh NASA-contracted International Space Station resupply mission lifted off from Cape Canaveral on April 18.
Defense

Qualification testing of the new B61-12 guided thermonuclear bomb has begun, with a Lockheed Martin F-16C dropping an inert flight test vehicle at Nevada’s Tonopah Test Range.
Defense

By Tony Osborne
The F-35 Joint Program Office has begun testing the brake parachute system being developed for the air arms of the Netherlands and Norway.
Defense

By Marhalim Abas
Despite obsolescence issues with its air defense radars, Malaysia has been unable to pay for replacements and is opting for repairs to its current systems.
Defense

LOCKHEED MARTIN has $9.5m U.S. Navy contract for delivery of hardware and engineering services for the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter to Japan through October 2018. NORTHROP GRUMMAN has $9.5m U.S. Air Force contract for continued development, integration, fielding and sustainment for the cyber mission platform through April 11, 2018.

Last year during his campaign, President Donald Trump dismissed the Export-Import (Ex-Im) bank as “unnecessary,” siding with conservative Republicans who believe the export credit assistance agency is a form of corporate welfare. But these days, Trump believes the bank, which provides loan guarantees and other assistance to foreign customers buying U.S. goods, “is a very good thing” that can help businesses small and large while making money for the government.

Boeing says an upgraded Lockheed Martin F-16 is no substitute for its Cold War-era air superiority fighter.
Defense

By Michael Bruno
President Donald Trump is remaining consistent when it comes to one aspect of who will run the U.S. Export-Import Bank under his administration: it will be a critic.
Defense

To list an event, send information in calendar format to Donna Thomas at [email protected]. For a complete list of Aviation Week Network’s upcoming events, and to register, visit www.aviationweek.com/events (Bold type indicates new calendar listing.) Apr. 18-29—Rotorcraft Asia 2017, Changi Exhibition Centre, Singapore. For more information go to www.rotorcraft-asia.com/

By Mark Carreau
ULA, NASA, and Orbital ATK have declared themselves prepared for an April 18 liftoff of Orbital’s seventh NASA-contracted resupply mission to the ISS.
Defense

The aircraft will conduct training with other Europe-based U.S. and NATO aircraft for the next few weeks as part of the European Reassurance Initiative.

By Michael Bruno
Arconic Chairman and CEO Klaus Kleinfeld, who led the breakup of Alcoa last year and the formation of his aerospace-focused successor, has left the top positions.
Defense

By Tony Osborne
Irish air accident investigators probing the fatal crash of an Irish Coast Guard Sikorsky S-92 last month have confirmed that the helicopter was flown into terrain that did not appear on the aircraft’s Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System.
Defense

By Tony Osborne
Germany’s E.ON electricity company is partnering with Dutch renewable energy startup Ampyx Power to demonstrate the potential of airborne wind energy systems.
Defense