Aerospace Daily & Defense Report

Aviation Week Staff
Selected U.S. military contracts from the past week.
Aerospace_Daily_departments

By Irene Klotz, Mark Carreau, Molly McMillin
Artemis II astronauts break distance records and offer unprecedented insights into the Moon's surface, paving the way for future lunar exploration.
Commercial Space

By Brian Everstine
A massive U.S. rescue mission involving 155 aircraft recovers F-15E crew from Iran, with Trump warning Tehran of further strikes if demands aren't met.
Budget, Policy & Operations

By Vivienne Machi
Firefly Aerospace and Seagate Space Corp. partner to develop an offshore launch platform, aiming to expand orbital access for government and commercial missions.
Commercial Space

By Steve Trimble
The U.S. Air Force launches a new missile program for standoff attack weapons, targeting advanced features and affordability for fielding by 2033.
Missile Defense & Weapons

By Steve Trimble
Israel’s defense industry will accelerate production of exo-atmospheric Arrow 3 ballistic missile interceptors following a month of relentless barrages launched from Iran.
Missile Defense & Weapons

By Steve Trimble
In a $1.5 trillion U.S. defense spending proposal for fiscal 2027 filled with superlatives, arguably no organization made out better than the Defense Autonomous Warfare Group (DAWG).
Budget, Policy & Operations

By Graham Warwick
NASA shifts focus to flight research as budget cuts reshape aeronautics priorities, emphasizing X-planes, hypersonics and automated airspace systems.
Budget, Policy & Regulation

By Steve Trimble
Anduril is working on hypersonic strike systems and large air vehicles, pushing its defense technology portfolio beyond subsonic cruise missiles and CCA.
Missile Defense & Weapons

By Chen Chuanren
Malaysia has begun test flights of its Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) Anka uncrewed aircraft system (UAS)/
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Mark Carreau, Irene Klotz
The Artemis II astronauts will swing around the Moon on April 6, gazing upon lunar far-side surface features never before seen by human eyes.
Space Exploration

By Brian Everstine
U.S. forces in a large-scale and complex rescue operation retrieved a downed and injured U.S. Air Force airman after more than two days deep inside Iran.
Budget, Policy & Operations

By Irene Klotz, Mark Carreau
The Artemis crew of four astronauts are set to break human spaceflight milestone.
Space Exploration

By Mark Carreau
The four Artemis II crewmembers continued their outbound journey from Earth to the Moon on April 3, 99,900 mi. from Earth and 161,750 mi. from their lunar destination.
Space Exploration

By Vivienne Machi
The Trump administration wants to fund the U.S. Space Force’s request for a larger budget in fiscal 2027, and then some.
Budget, Policy & Operations

By Vivienne Machi
The White House wants to cut NASA’s budget by nearly one quarter in fiscal 2027.
Budget, Policy & Regulation

By Brian Everstine
U.S. Air Force combat search and rescue crews on April 3 were conducting a daring daylight mission to recover aircrew from a downed F-15E over Iran.
Budget, Policy & Operations

By Graham Warwick
U.S. startup Hydroplane plans to hover-test a hydrogen-electric propulsion system in a light helicopter under an extension to a small-business contact awarded by the U.S. Army.
Advanced Air Mobility

By Guy Norris
One of the biggest unanswered questions about the F-47 combat aircraft remains the identity of the engine supplier and the specific propulsion system.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Molly McMillin
Embraer delivered 44 aircraft during the first quarter of 2026, a 47% increase from 30 jets a year ago, the company reports.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Brian Everstine
The White House is seeking a $1.15 trillion discretionary budget for the Pentagon in fiscal 2027, bolstered by another $350 billion in mandatory spending through the reconciliation process.
Budget, Policy & Operations

By Mark Carreau
Artemis II mission crewmembers conducted a translunar injection maneuver on April 2 that placed their Orion capsule on a trajectory around the Moon.
Space Exploration

Aviation Week Staff
News in brief.
Aerospace_Daily_departments

Aviation Week Staff
BOEING gets $900m T-38 award... PHANTOM SPACE acquires satellite component maker... HAWKEYE 360 grows board of directors...
Aerospace_Daily_departments

By Vivienne Machi
The French and Japanese governments have committed to developing a satellite deorbiting mission in the next five years through a joint industry agreement.
Satellites