Aerospace Daily & Defense Report

The Russian Navy fired a hypersonic cruise missile from a submerged submarine on Oct. 4, a possible first if the test weapon includes a scramjet engine.

Another landmark in the rapid evolution of China’s aerospace industry was on display last week in Zhuhai.

Engineers from NASA and Aerojet Rocketdyne have completed the second in a series of Space Launch System (SLS) rocket engine tests for the production of the advanced RS-25 liquid hydrogen and oxygen engines assigned to human missions to the Moon beyond Artemis IV.

The circular 12,200-mi. flight started on Sept. 24 at Edwards AFB, California, and landed back at the base on Oct. 2.

The U.S. Air Force wants its heavy airlifters and refueling tankers to be more connected and is reaching out to industry to see what beyond-line-of-sight data services are available to make that happen quickly.

The Pentagon wants to get a better handle on addressing the challenge of climate change, starting with next year’s budget request.

Sweden’s military has requested government approval to purchase Saab’s GlobalEye airborne early warning (AEW) platform. Swedish defense officials announced that a formal request to begin an acquisition of the Bombardier Global business jet platform was launched on Oct. 1.

GE Aviation says it will use a modified Saab 340B regional airliner as a flying testbed for hybrid electric propulsion technology to be evaluated as part of NASA’s Electric Powertrain Flight Demonstration (EPFD) program.

Sweden’s Saab is exploring and testing a suite of solutions that could aid air combat operations in regions where global navigation satellite systems are being jammed or spoofed.

The Spanish Air Force has begun its first training flights with its new Pilatus PC-21 turboprop trainers.

North Korea test launched a new, locally developed surface-to-air missile on Sept. 30, the country’s fourth test of a new weapon in a month.

The 495th Fighter Squadron joins one Boeing F-15C and two F-15E now in the 48th Fighter Wing at Royal Air Force Lakenheath, England.

The aft airframe was shipped on Sept.10 from Linkoping, Sweden to Boeing’s plant in St. Louis, where it arrived a few days later.

The availability of feedstocks for biofuels in the Netherlands in 2050 is expected to be far lower than the demand for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), concludes a report released by the Royal NLR aerospace research center.

SpaceX’s 23rd NASA-contracted Dragon resupply mission to the International Space Station splashed down under parachute in the ocean waters off Florida’s Atlantic coast near St. Augustine late Sept. 30, returning a 4,600-lb. cargo that included time-sensitive scientific research.

China is in the process of trialing two types of domestically built turbofans on its Xian Y-20 strategic airlifter.

The U.S. State Department has given the go-ahead to sell a single Boeing EA-18G Growler to Australia to replace an aircraft that was written off after an engine fire in 2018.

Velo3D, a metal 3D-printing startup that is targeting aerospace and defense customers among others, started trading as a public company Sept. 30 when its shares moved on to the New York Stock Exchange.

GE Aviation’s Catalyst engine, a clean-sheet turboprop engine that will power Textron Aviation’s new Beechcraft Denali, completed its first flight Sept. 30 on a King Air 350 Flying Test Bed.

NASA has awarded contracts to GE Aviation and MagniX for the Electric Powertrain Flight Demonstration (EPFD) program, which aims to mature megawatt-class electrified aircraft propulsion (EAP) technologies for regional and single-aisle transport aircraft from 2035 onwards.

U.S. startup Launchspace Technologies has signed a contract with Airbus to test its orbital debris remediation and spacecraft shielding technology for 12 months on the Bartolomeo external platform on the International Space Station.

U.S. satellite servicing startup Starfish Space has raised $7 million in funding to develop its planned Otter space tug.

UK electric air taxi infrastructure company Skyports is aiming for the first commercial passenger flights from a new London vertiport in 2025.

Key Wichita-based aerospace and defense supplier Spirit AeroSystems is reorganizing its business structure around commercial, defense and space and aftermarket end markets as it continues to diversify its revenue streams and stabilize its outlook.

Congress on Sept. 30 approved a continuing resolution to fund the government through Dec. 3, just hours before an impending government shutdown.