Aerospace Daily & Defense Report

Sabena says that half of the French military helicopter fleet will now benefit from its services.

The new facility will enable the integration of eight satellites onto Virgin Orbit’s LauncherOne rocket.

The rocket upstart recently shelved its troubled small launch vehicle to focus on developing a larger launcher.

Firefly Aerospace has recovered from the unsuccessful 2021 debut launch of its Alpha small-satellite booster with a successful follow-on flight test.

Vulcan’s debut launch, targeted for late this year or early 2023, will send a privately owned lander, carrying payloads for NASA and other customers, to the surface of the Moon.

With the world’s advanced air mobility (AAM) industry watching EHang’s progress toward the first type certification of an autonomous air taxi, the Chinese startup has reported that the project specific certification plan for its two-seat EH216-S has been approved by the Civil Aviation Administration of China.

Russia and Belarus have finalized an agreement on joint development of a new Earth monitoring satellite that can enhance the nations’ mapping capabilities.

An electric four-seat aircraft developed by students at Switzerland’s ETH Zurich research university made its first flight on Sept. 30 in Dubendorf.

A joint U.S.-Australian space surveillance telescope—relocated from New Mexico to Australia to help avoid potential collisions and monitor asteroids—reached initial operational capability (IOC) on Sept. 30.

The U.S. Department of Defense has released a request for proposals for “Proliferated Low Earth Orbit Satellite-Based Services.”

For aid to Ukraine, the industry has struggled to ramp up production despite Pentagon funding.

A baseline estimate released on Sept. 30 by the F-35 Joint Program Office proposes a sharp drop in new orders for the single-engine stealth fighter in production lots beyond Lot 17.

Under an unfunded Space Act Agreement, NASA and SpaceX plan to study the feasibility of a commercial Dragon mission to raise the orbital altitude of the 32-year-old Hubble Space Telescope, potentially extending its operations into the 2030s.

The French defense budget will rise to €43.9 billion, the sixth consecutive annual increase.

Delays have slowed the gathering of experience that ArianeGroup needs for its proposed family of reusable launchers.

The FAA should clarify its certification requirements for advanced air mobility vehicles and work with the federal energy department to validate battery technology and develop a charging infrastructure for electric aircraft, aviation industry representatives say.

Senior U.S. Air Force leaders in recent days have weighed in on China’s advancements in its fighter force, criticizing Beijing’s technical prowess but offering some praise for its inventiveness ahead of the upcoming 20th National Congress and the Zhuhai air show.

U.S. Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall says he is encouraged by recent test successes for Lockheed Martin’s Air-Launched Rapid Response Weapon, despite having previously expressed concern about the program.

Already planning to develop an autonomous hydrogen-fueled air and road vehicle and associated landing and refueling infrastructure, U.S. startup LuftCar has announced plans to develop a fuel-cell/battery hybrid propulsion system for the advanced air mobility market.

Textron Aviation is to help startup ZeroAvia develop and certify a hydrogen-electric propulsion conversion for the Cessna 208B Grand Caravan single-turboprop utility aircraft.

One of the more unusual designs for an urban air taxi—Spanish company Umiles Next’s “drone-of-drones” Concept Integrity—has conducted flight tests at the Onera Test Field in Toulouse.

Croatia’s Ministry of the Interior has become the first European customer for the Subaru Bell 412EPX helicopter.

Swiss air ambulance operator Swiss Air Rescue-Rega has canceled an order for an advanced variant of Leonardo’s AW169 rotorcraft after the OEM declared it could not develop the aircraft to agreed specifications.

After a long period of tame increases, price spikes are returning as a fact of life in aerospace and defense.

Business aviation operators are eager to get their hands on advanced air mobility platforms, but infrastructure uncertainties may slow their introduction, panel discussion participants at the Air Charter Expo say.