Designated Kepler 452b, the planet is probably rocky, 60% larger than Earth and orbits its star – a G2 type like Earth’s Sun – every 385 days. It is the closest Earth-like exoplanet yet found.
The Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) T-50 supersonic trainer will be fitted with a conformal fuel tank and inflight refueling receptacle under a program announced by the South Korean industry ministry.
Top NASA officials credited close ties with Russia for successful efforts to restore the International Space Station to extended six-person operations late July 22.
The U.S. nuclear industry is paying close attention to negotiations for a continued nuclear cooperation agreement between the nation and China, especially given the need to keep business thriving in the Asian giant. “A key issue for the U.S. nuclear industry is its continued participation in the construction of new Chinese nuclear power plants,” the U.S. Congressional Research Service (CRS) says in a recent report.
RAYTHEON partnered with FOKKER and DALLARA on new low-cost carbon-fiber airframe for USAF Miniature Air Launched Decoy (MALD). Team reduced airframe production costs 25%; improvements set for this year’s production Lot 7. GE AVIATION earned $1.27b on $6.25b revenues in 2Q15 vs. $1.2b on $6.09b in 2Q14.
The Russian air force continues to upgrade its fleet, receiving a total of seven fixed-wing and six rotary-wing aircraft in the second quarter of this year. During the so-called Joint Delivery Day held by the armed forces July 16, the service received two Sukhoi Su-34 bombers, two Su-35S multirole fighters, three Mil Mi-8MTV5-1 combat transport helicopters and a pair of Ansat light training rotorcraft. The air force has received six Su-34s this year, and the military expects 10 bombers will be delivered by the end of the year under a 2012 contract for 92 aircraft.
The world’s biggest steel producer, Luxembourg-based ArcelorMittal, has signed a letter of intent to build Europe’s first commercial-scale facility to convert industrial waste gases into biofuel, potentially including jet fuel.
U.S., Russian and Japanese astronauts lifted off for the International Space Station late July 22, prepared to restore the orbiting science laboratory to six-person operations for the first time since June 11.
Redesigns and retrofits required to address a faulty integrated fuel system for the tanker appear to be the cause of the latest cost overrun for Boeing to keep the U.S. Air Force’s KC-46 aerial refueling program on track.
The U.S. Navy awarded Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) a program-spanning contract for submarine work that could be worth up to about $564 million, service officials say.
U.S. and Republic of Korea (ROK) forces successfully connected and tested a 2-mi.-long temporary fuel transfer pipeline from a U.S. Naval vessel to Anmyeon Beach in South Korea earlier this month as part of the Combined Joint Logistics Over-the-Shore (CJLOTS) 2015 exercise.
Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 5, embarked aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier CVN 73 USS George Washington, conducted high-intensity land strike training with the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) earlier this month in the Timor Sea as part of exercise Talisman Sabre 2015 (TS15).
The U.S. Marine Corps has completed an operational readiness inspection of its first F-35B squadron, the last major hurdle before the service can assess whether VMFA-121 in Yuma, Arizona, is suitable to declare initial operational capability.
The U.K. Royal Air Force has set a target of December 2018 to have the weapons and capability of the Panavia Tornado GR4 fleet integrated into its Eurofighter Typhoon force.
Contract negotiations are underway between India and Dassault Aviation on the Indian air force’s (IAF) planned purchase of 36 Rafale fighters, with the French company agreeing to an extended period of maintenance responsibility for the aircraft.
The audit arm of Congress urges more frequent independent cost and schedule appraisals of the long-running SLS initiative — which has yet to receive a full cost estimate — that NASA is counting on for eventual human missions to Mars.
