Aerospace Daily & Defense Report

By Graham Warwick
Already an early mover in converting waste gases to renewable fuels, LanzaTech plans to demonstrate two new pathways for producing sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) with funding from the U.S. Energy Department.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Irene Klotz
The United Arab Emirates plans to follow its ongoing Mars mission with a second spacecraft, slated to launch in 2028, to explore seven asteroids in the main asteroid belt, culminating with a landing attempt in 2033.
Space

By Brian Everstine
The Air Force Research Laboratory will meet this month with industry on Project Kaiju, its recently announced effort to develop new, high-tech countermeasures to protect high-value aircraft in contested environments.
Missile Defense & Weapons

Turkey’s Roketsan has revealed the development of a guided, small-diameter, air-to-ground missile designed to be fitted to multicopter unmanned aircraft systems and operated by frontline troops.
Missile Defense & Weapons

By Tony Osborne
The U.S. has expressed growing concern about the increasing number of Chinese military aircraft incursions near Taiwan.
Budget, Policy & Operations

By Tony Osborne
The Czech Republic has contracted with the Israeli government for four batteries of the Rafael Spyder ground-based air defense system.
Missile Defense & Weapons

By Graham Warwick
Wing-in-ground-effect vehicle developer Regent Craft has selected Paris-based maritime certification specialist Bureau Veritas to evaluate its 12-passenger Viceroy.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Graham Warwick
Most of the work so far on the electrification of aviation has involved propeller-driven aircraft and the development of electric propulsion units that can replace turboprop engines.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Graham Warwick
French airship developer Flying Whales has selected Thales’ FlytX certifiable avionics suite and fly-by-wire flight control computer for its LCA60T large-capacity cargo airship.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Mark Carreau
Russia’s Soyuz MS-19 sprinted from launch to docking with the International Space Station early Oct. 5, delivering film actress Yulia Peresild, producer Klim Shipenko and veteran cosmonaut commander Anton Shkaplerov in the latest of a rapid-fire sequence of missions exposing nonprofessionals to the opportunities and challenges of human spaceflight.
Space

By Tony Osborne
Airbus’ former chief technology officer (CTO) Grazia Vittadini is heading to Rolls-Royce where she will take on the CTO role for the aero-engine manufacturer.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Chen Chuanren
The test marked the first time since the end of World War II that a fixed-wing aircraft has operated from a Japanese warship.
Budget, Policy & Operations

By Tony Osborne
The CAA-led eVTOL Safety Leadership Group includes potential operators, manufacturers, rotorcraft experts and aviation companies which have been brought together to foster understanding of the aviation safety implications of advanced air mobility.
Advanced Air Mobility

By Michael Bruno
The stratospheric balloon operator is jumping into the space tourism industry, announcing Oct. 4 it is accepting $500 deposits for its “edge-of-space” trips to an altitude of 100,000 ft.
Commercial Space

By Graham Warwick
Already a major market for helicopters, Brazil is shaping up as a potential promising region for advanced air mobility if conditional aircraft orders are a guide.
Advanced Air Mobility

By Brian Everstine
Boeing has received another $1.1 billion to extend production of the active seeker for the Patriot Advanced Capability-3 missile system, the company announced Oct. 4.
Missile Defense & Weapons

By Mark Carreau
Command of the seven-person International Space Station transitioned on Oct. 4 from Akihiko Hoshide of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency to European Space Agency astronaut Thomas Pesquet.
Space

By Maxim Pyadushkin
The Russian Orbital Service Station, one of several low Earth orbiting outposts being planned to succeed the International Space Station (ISS), will feature six modules, including an inflatable unit with artificial gravity and a jig module to assembly components for future travel to the Moon, Roscosmos said.
Space

By Brian Everstine
The U.S. Air Force’s F-35A is one step closer to becoming dual capable after two Lightning IIs dropped B61-12 test gravity bombs to finish the nuclear design certification process in September.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Steve Trimble
Lockheed Martin has announced the opening in Courtland, Alabama, of the second of four planned “digital factories,” with this one dedicated to supporting the Defense Department’s portfolio of hypersonic glide vehicles.
Space

By Mark Carreau
Faced with cost, schedule and technical challenges, NASA is seeking proposals from the commercial sector for a new generation of spacesuits.
Space

By Irene Klotz
William Shatner, the Canadian actor whose portrayal of Capt. James T. Kirk in the 1966-69 television show Star Trek brought depictions of space exploration to millions of households, will get a real taste of space as a guest passenger aboard Blue Origin’s next New Shepard suborbital flight.
Commercial Space

By Graham Warwick
Germany has formally inaugurated the first commercial plant for producing carbon-neutral synthetic kerosene from water, captured CO2 and renewable electricity.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Brian Everstine
Boeing on Sept. 30 received a $172.8 million contract to install a new pressure and oxygen monitoring system in 78 new Block III F/A-18E/Fs as part of the U.S. Navy’s effort to mitigate potential physiological incidents.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Tony Osborne
The Swedish Air Force will begin to introduce the new-model Gripen E fighter to a frontline squadron beginning in 2025.
Aircraft & Propulsion