Aerospace Daily & Defense Report

Stefano Villanti takes over Leonardo Helicopters after Gian Piero Cutillo moves into Leonardo’s senior leadership.

In-orbit servicing company Astroscale says it has selected German launch startup Isar Aerospace to loft its ADRAS-J2 debris removal mission.

Navy seeks carrier-capable CCAs with large payloads, autonomous operations and rapid development for future carrier air wings.

NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope fired its thrusters for the first time Aug. 31 to reach an operational orbit around the Sun-Earth Lagrange Point 2.

Japan seeks record ¥8.9 trillion defense budget, emphasizing AI, standoff weapons, hypersonics and layered air defenses.

The Week Ahead in Aerospace & Defense

JETZERO closes $100m senior secured term loan facility... SYMETRICS gets ALE-47 countermeasures system... New CTO for AAR CORP. ...

Kazakhstan is negotiating Chinese K-8W trainers and transport aircraft as it expands defense ties with Beijing.

GE Aerospace will develop a Mach 5 dual-mode ramjet demonstrator under the Pentagon’s HyCAT hypersonic test program.

JetZero secures $100 million loan to advance its BWB demonstrator and build a manufacturing campus in North Carolina, targeting first flight in 2027.

Northwood Space opens California factory to expand antenna production and support its growing global satellite ground network.

AerFin says a shortage of high-pressure turbine (HPT) blades is extending CFM56 shop visits and increasing demand for spare engines.

The Air Force’s MH-139 has reached initial operational capability, replacing the UH-1N in nuclear missile security.

The Pentagon’s Strategic Capabilities Office plans a family of maneuverable hypersonic missiles using varied ranges, boosters and payloads.

One of the answers to producing sustainable aviation fuel may already be sitting on America’s forest floors.

Denmark finalized 16 additional F-35As despite Greenland tensions and fire damage to a Danish aircraft.

Singapore will receive F-35Bs for U.S. training in 2026 before establishing its first local F-35A presence in 2029.

Oxidizer leak prompts NASA and SpaceX to reassess Crew-13 launch date and conduct additional Dragon testing.

OHB wins nearly €1 billion contract to build 18 MEO satellites for Europe’s IRIS² communications constellation.

China’s J-10CE gains export momentum as Uzbekistan confirms deliveries and Bangladesh considers buying up to 24 fighters.

With Western militaries ramping up their focus on how to establish and maintain space superiority, a small British startup thinks there are lessons from drone warfare and carrier-strike operations that could inform approaches to space control.

Greece is deepening its extensive defense ties with Israel, signing a roughly €3 billion ($3.5 billion) deal for air and missile defense equipment.

NASA opened a new chapter in the exploration of the structure and evolution of the universe with the launch of a new flagship observatory .

International Space Station Receives Altitude Boost

The U.S. Navy will station the E-130J Take Charge and Move Out nuclear command and control aircraft and its training unit at a U.S. Marine Corps base in North Carolina, according to a new solicitation.