Aerospace Daily & Defense Report

A French aircraft developer has secured €110 million ($126.1 million) from a European fund to launch the development of amphibious firefighting aircraft.

SpaceX has lost communication with a Starlink satellite on orbit following a March 29 anomaly, the company disclosed on social media March 30.

The EC is starting to open up business opportunities to industry under the just approved €1.5 billion ($1.7 billion) European Defense Industry Program.

The agreement between Airbus and Fairmat comes as efforts to recycle more materials from end-of-life aircraft continue.

China’s CAS Space says it is gearing up for mass production of its Kinetica-2 rocket in the wake of the vehicle’s inaugural mission.

Airbus has used its modified Airbus Do-DT25 uncrewed aircraft system for the first time to intercept a drone target.

Space sovereignty has become a major talking point for governments and industry as they adjust to a new geopolitical landscape.

Pilatus is poised to add to its PC-21 trainer customer base after signing an agreement with Indonesia in parallel with Jakarta’s purchase of PC-24 business jets.

China ran the first ground test of a hydrogen-fueled variant of the AEP100 turboprop, the country’s first megawatt-class hydrogen-powered aerospace engine.

The UK Defense Ministry is hunting for technology to defeat fiber-optically controlled drones in the latest in a flurry of counter-UAS initiatives.

The two-day countdown for NASA’s Artemis II flight test, which is expected to become the first human spaceflight beyond Earth orbit in more than 53 years, is on track to begin March 30.

Conferences and events for professionals in the aviation community.

De Havilland Canada is advancing assembly of the first new-build DHC-515 waterbombers after securing a wave of orders from Europe and Canada.

The four-member Artemis II flight crew returned to Kennedy Space Center March 27 for a second attempt to launch.

Norway has pledged to increase defense spending and accelerate the introduction of new warships and associated helicopters.

The Indian Air Force can proceed with plans to buy a host of defense equipment.

NATO’s Multinational Multi-Role Tanker Transport Unit (MMU) has declared full operational capability, fewer than six years since the first aircraft was delivered.

In 2024 U.S., Foreign Military Sales reached a new record of $97 billion, more than double the levels seen between 2018 and 2021.

With the proliferation of low-Earth-orbit satellite constellations, the commercial air transport industry is accelerating its move to offer free onboard Wi-Fi.

News in brief.

RAYTHEON gets TPY-2 radar award... AAR reports sales boost... VIRGIN GALACTIC names new chief growth officer...

Advances in science are to play a significant role in the revision of the Artemis program’s strategy.

UK space propulsion company Pulsar Fusion has conducted the first test of a prototype exhaust system for a nuclear fusion rocket engine.

The U.S. Navy has set an aggressive timeline and cost goal for its next-generation trainer.

European missile manufacturer MBDA plans to “intensify” its production ramp-up in 2026, CEO Eric Beranger says.