Aerospace Daily & Defense Report

By Brian Everstine
The U.S. Space Force’s Space Warfighting Analysis Center—its high-level focus group of experts and operators designing future military satellite architectures—is sharing its findings and collecting information from allies in addition to U.S. industry to ensure its plans are not duplicative of partner efforts.
Space

By Brian Everstine
The end goal is to have a battle plan with allies involved by design at the outset, the service’s boss says.
Budget, Policy & Operations

By Steve Trimble
Lockheed Martin has completed the major assembly step on the first F-16V Block 70/72 fighter to be built in Greenville, South Carolina, moving the single-engine fighter closer to a first delivery in late 2023, the company says in an update posted on social media.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Mark Carreau
After a monthlong delay, SpaceX’s 25th NASA-contracted resupply mission is prepared for launch to the International Space Station late July 14 from the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Space

By Thierry Dubois
The upgraded Vega-C, a beefed-up and more flexible version of the Vega light launcher, made its first flight July 13 from Europe’s spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana.
Commercial Space

By Steve Trimble
The upper stage of the Lockheed Martin missile was not tested during the first flight, and only the Northrop Grumman-supplied, first-stage motor was ignited.
Missile Defense & Weapons

By Steve Trimble
The flight test met all primary and secondary objectives, the U.S. Air Force said, without elaborating.
Missile Defense & Weapons

Aviation Week Staff
The CEO of Roscosmos State Space Corp. has vowed to ban cosmonauts from working with the European Robotic Arm installed on Russia’s new Nauka science module on the International Space Station.
Space

By Mark Carreau
NASA’s Moon-bound, small Capstone mission satellite has successfully executed a delayed second trajectory correction maneuver.
Space

By Graham Warwick
Boston-based autonomous flight startup Merlin Labs has completed a $105 million Series B round, bringing the total funding raised so far to $130 million.
Advanced Air Mobility

By Brian Everstine
The NASA- and Northrop Grumman-developed observatory is “probably the most significant engineering feat of our time,” Northrop CEO Kathy Warden tells Aviation Week.
Space

Global commercial helicopter operator Bristow Group has signed a letter of intent with Elroy Air to order up to 100 Chaparral hybrid-electric vertical takeoff and landing uncrewed cargo aircraft for logistics, health care and energy markets.
Advanced Air Mobility

By Tony Osborne
Ireland plans to raise national defense spending almost 50% by 2028 to meet an increased level of ambition for the country’s armed forces.
Budget, Policy & Operations

By Steve Trimble
The U.S. Defense Department has requested high-level configuration proposals for a Blended Wing Body (BWB) that can be 30% more efficient than the aerodynamics of the Boeing 767 and Airbus A330 and combine with a new generation of propulsion technology to reduce fuel burn more than 60% by 2030 compared to the current technology.
Multi-Mission Aircraft

By Graham Warwick
Germany’s Elektra Solar has begun flight testing its two-seat electric ultralight Elektra Trainer.
Advanced Air Mobility

By Mark Carreau
NASA and its partners promise there will be much more to come from the just-commissioned James Webb Space Telescope, following the release of its first five science images on July 12.
Space

By Tony Osborne
A Leonardo official says the company hopes to find additional orders for its AW101 three-engine heavy helicopter as a potential replacement for Russian-built platforms.
Farnborough Airshow

By Steve Trimble
Rotorcraft manufacturer Bell says the 360 Invictus helicopter is 90% complete and released pictures of the first competitive prototype carrying a full load of weapons.
Farnborough Airshow

By Steve Trimble
Russian state news agency TASS describes the so-called Zmeevik missile, which means “Serpentine,” as an “aircraft carrier killer."
Missile Defense & Weapons

By Graham Warwick
Israeli startup AIR has conducted the first hover tests with a full-scale prototype of its AIR One personal electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicle.
Advanced Air Mobility

By Graham Warwick
French hybrid-electric aircraft startup VoltAero has called for increased coordination among European airworthiness authorities on recognition for experimental aircraft to facilitate the demonstration of electric aircraft across borders.
Advanced Air Mobility

By Garrett Reim
Aerospace company Thales Group, mobile phone chip maker Qualcomm Technologies and telecommunications company Ericsson plan to test and validate low Earth orbit satellite-based 5G network technologies for mobile phones.
Connectivity

By Chen Chuanren
Canada’s CMC Electronics (CMC) will upgrade the avionics of the Republic of Korea Air Force's KAI KA-1 light attack turboprops.
Light Attack and Advanced Training

By Chen Chuanren
Volocopter plans to launch commercial air taxi services in Singapore by 2024.
Advanced Air Mobility

By Mark Carreau
President Biden unveiled the first image marking the start of the James Webb Space Telescope’s long-anticipated initial science campaign on July 11 that featured a stirring, full-color view of the now-vast universe from its earliest and not previously witnessed era.
Space