Aerospace Daily & Defense Report

By Michael Bruno
CPI Aerostructures CEO and President Douglas McCrosson is leaving, the embattled Tier 1-2 defense supplier announced March 9, and outside industry veteran Dorith Hakim has been hired as successor CEO.
Manufacturing & Supply Chain

By Guy Norris
Bell and Sikorsky both have passed the 85% assembly mark of their respective prototypes for the U.S. Army’s Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft competition, but are facing increasing schedule pressure due to the expected delayed delivery of T901 engines from General Electric.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Mark Carreau
Developed initially for a handful of test flights at its Gale Crater landing site on Mars, NASA’s small solar-powered Ingenuity drone helicopter has logged 20 flights as it graduated to become a reconnaissance asset for the Perseverance rover.
Space

By Steve Trimble
The U.S. Air Force has selected a small company to develop an unmanned, fighter-like aircraft that can be used for training combat pilots.
Light Attack and Advanced Training

By Brian Everstine
The F-35 Joint Program Office is expecting a cost-per-tail increase on the aircraft as negotiations with prime contractor Lockheed Martin continue beyond initial expected deadlines.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Tony Osborne
Leonardo hopes to broaden the customer appeal of its C-27J Spartan airlifter by offering the aircraft as a multi-role platform.
Multi-Mission Aircraft

By Thierry Dubois
The French Navy is completing the test phases for two small unmanned air systems (UAS) and mulling the integration of more complex ones onto its future aircraft carrier.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Guy Norris
Development of the GE Aviation T901 engine selected for FARA by the Army is behind schedule due to supply chain issues, the engine-maker says.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Garrett Reim
Residents' concerns about the impact of nearby flight operations on their land value are especially relevant to urban air mobility as eVTOLs and cargo drones hope to operate in the heart of urban areas.
Advanced Air Mobility

By Guy Norris
Robinson Helicopter says it will switch to electric power for its light helicopters when it “makes sense” and is closely watching progress being made by California-based Tier 1 Engineering on a battery-powered R44 conversion program.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Garrett Reim
Until there is more available data on what a stabilized approach is for an eVTOL aircraft, the FAA will maintain a conservative approach as to how vertiports should be safely built.
Advanced Air Mobility

By Jen DiMascio, Brian Everstine
The Pentagon is saying no to a Polish plan to send its MiG-29s to the U.S. military for use in Ukraine in return for replacement American-made jets.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Guy Norris
Amid lackluster sales and costly new certification requirements, Sikorsky is no longer accepting orders for the S-76D, effectively shutting down the 45-year-old medium helicopter program.
Business Aviation

By Graham Warwick
A robotic applique that could turn a wide range of satellites into servicing spacecraft is to be flight-demonstrated under a contract awarded to Motiv Space Systems by the Pentagon’s Defense Innovation Unit.
Space

By Graham Warwick
Dubbed “the USB for space,” a robotic connector enabling modular hardware to be attached to spacecraft has been delivered to the International Space Station (ISS) for spaceflight qualification.
Space

By Brian Everstine
Russian surface-to-air missile systems now have almost all of Ukraine’s airspace covered, though Russia still has not established full air superiority over the country, a senior U.S. defense official said March 8.
Missile Defense & Weapons

By Craig Caffrey
While the 2022 growth rate is well below the double digits achieved through the 1990s and early 2000s, in dollars it is $15 billion, the largest-ever annual increase.
Budget, Policy & Operations

By Chen Chuanren
The Royal Thai Air Force has written off a Block 15 F-16A after it crashed March 8 in the Chaiyaphum province, north of its Korat home base. The aircraft was on a training sortie, and the pilot ejected safely but with some injuries.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Graham Warwick
The U.S. Transportation Department’s Office of Inspector General is to audit the FAA’s certification of urban air mobility aircraft at the request of Congress.
Advanced Air Mobility

By Chen Chuanren
Chinese aircraft intrusions still accounted for 70% of all Japanese scrambles in February but Russian aircraft movements in were unusually high.
Budget, Policy & Operations

By Chen Chuanren
A joint taskforce will assess challenges around green hydrogen regulations, infrastructure and global supply chains, including the production of green hydrogen and the infrastructure needed to support delivery to airports and fuel aircraft.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Molly McMillin
Bombardier has suspended all activities with Russian clients, including all forms of technical assistance as the war in Ukraine continues, according to the Montreal-based OEM.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Molly McMillin
Spirit AeroSystems’ acquisition of the assets of Bombardier’s Short Brothers operation in Northern Ireland in 2020 has accelerated the company’s goal to diversify so it is less reliant on the commercial sector.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Garrett Reim
SpaceX has delivered Starlink terminals to Ukraine, worked to bypass jamming of the devices and is contemplating future space projects in the country.
Space

By Brian Everstine
The U.S. government is looking at how it could backfill the fighter fleet of Poland should that nation donate aircraft to Ukraine.
Aircraft & Propulsion