Aerospace Daily & Defense Report

NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei’s trek toward a new U.S. record for human spaceflight marches on.

The operator of an FAA-designated test site for unmanned aircraft systems said the agency has authorized it to fly drones beyond an operator’s vision within a 50-mi. airspace corridor in New York State.

Turkish Aerospace (TAI) has opened a wave of new facilities as the company prepares for the development and production of an indigenous combat aircraft.

Gogo Business Aviation says it remains on track to complete a 150-tower 5G air-to-ground network serving the contiguous U.S. by the second half of 2022.

Arianespace may perform up to 17 launches in 2022 with its family of Ariane, Soyuz and Vega rockets, according to CEO Stephane Israel.

Bangladesh appears set to purchase Russian Mil Mi-28NE attack helicopters ahead of Boeing AH-64E Apache.

China’s eVTOL leader shifts strategy from aircraft sales to mobility service.

Finalizing aircraft certification plans and filling out the mobility ecosystem are priorities for 2022.

The time to wait and see is over, with Airbus, Embraer and others stepping up their commitment to the AAM market.

Paragon Space Development Corp. has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Final Frontier Design as part of a joint financial effort to enhance future private spacesuit development for NASA and other spaceflight customers.

The Defense Department organization that oversees global military sales has a new leader.

Share prices of publicly traded A&D companies in 2021 were up from catastrophic 2020, but still down from pre-pandemic heights.

President Joe Biden has nominated Lt. Gen. Michael Kurilla to lead U.S. Central Command as the Pentagon looks to shift away from constant operations in that command’s area of responsibility to threats in the Pacific.

Roei Ganzarski, one of advanced air mobility’s resounding voices and leaders, announced Jan. 6 that he is leaving MagniX and Eviation Aircraft.

Joby Aviation has formally added a second preproduction prototype to the test program for its S4 tiltprop electric vertical takeoff and landing air taxi.

The Netherlands is sending its new MQ-9 Reaper medium-altitude, long-endurance platforms to the Caribbean as part of a shakedown and evaluation of the new aircraft.

Bradley Feldmann has left Cubic’s corner office as the new private owners of the storied 70-year-old defense contractor appoint new leadership.

Dassault Aviation delivered 25 Rafale fighters to export customers in 2021, compared to 13 in 2020.

Eaton, a mid-tier aerospace and defense supplier, has acquired Royal Power Solutions, a U.S.-based manufacturer of high-precision electrical connectivity components used in electric vehicle, energy management, industrial and mobility markets.

Norway’s F-35s have now taken on the mantle of NATO’s Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) duties from the F-16, operating from newly established facilities within the Arctic Circle.

Scaled Composites has unveiled a concept for an optionally piloted, high-altitude aircraft capable of carrying modular payloads up to 10,000 lb.

NATO fighters were scrambled the equivalent of more than once a day during 2021, mostly in response to Russian military flights.

The lobbying association for the French aerospace industry, GIFAS, says its members may need to hire up to 15,000 after a period of job cuts.

A Republic of Korea Air Force Lockheed Martin F-35A was saved Jan. 4 when the pilot chose to land the aircraft on its belly following an inflight mechanical malfunction.

Michigan and Ontario officials have unveiled a cross-border research study of commercial drones to explore whether small unmanned aircraft can be flown beyond line of sight and used for just-in-time delivery, medical transport or other small-scale deployments.