Aerospace Daily & Defense Report

By Graham Warwick
A series of large-scale urban air mobility demonstrations are beginning in Europe under projects funded by the EU’s SEAR air traffic management research program.
Advanced Air Mobility

By Guy Norris
The FAA has issued research contracts worth more than $100 million to six aerospace partner companies and teams under the third phase of its long-running Continuous Lower Energy, Emissions and Noise (CLEEN) Program.
Sustainability

By Graham Warwick
VoltAero plans a second crossing of the English Channel with an electric aircraft on Sept. 13, flying its Cassio 1 demonstrator from Calais in France to Cranfield in England for a presentation at Cranfield University.
Advanced Air Mobility

By Tony Osborne
Airbus Helicopters has selected its site in Broughton, North Wales, as a potential final assembly line for the H175M helicopter being proposed for the UK’s New Medium Helicopter requirement.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Steve Trimble
Northrop Grumman has demonstrated a multifunctional datalink featuring a compact, hexagonal array and a stealthy waveform, with the goal of offering a new retrofit option for existing combat aircraft and a new networking tool for future combat aircraft.
Sensors & Electronic Warfare

By Graham Warwick
On-demand helicopter service provider Blade Air Mobility is to acquire organ transport company Trinity Air Medical.
Advanced Air Mobility

By Chen Chuanren
Confirming unofficial reports, Indonesia has ordered Lockheed Martin’s C-130J Hercules airlifter.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Graham Warwick
In support of U.S. plans to boost sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production to at least 3 billion gal. a year by 2030, the U.S. Energy Department (DOE) has awarded $64.7 million in funding for 22 projects to produce cost-effective low-carbon biofuels.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Tony Osborne
British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace told journalists at RAF Waddington, England, that the UK's new Protector remotely piloted air system will enable the Royal Air Force to operate on the “world stage.”
Aircraft & Propulsion

BlackSky, a small-satellite-based startup providing geospatial intelligence to government agencies and others, will begin trading as a public company Sept. 10 after a successful reverse-merger with a special purpose acquisition company.
Commercial Space

By Guy Norris
As Sierra Space continues final assembly of the Dream Chaser orbital spaceplane ahead of its launch in late 2022, the Colorado-based company is expanding its partnership with Japanese trading corporation Kanematsu to facilitate development of an international commercial economy in low Earth orbit.
Commercial Space

By Mark Carreau
Russian cosmonauts Oleg Novitskiy and Pyotr Dubrov conducted a spacewalk outside the International Space Station on Sept. 9 despite a smoke alarm that sounded on the ISS several hours before the excursion.
Space

By Brian Everstine
The Space Force’s Space Enterprise Consortium other transaction authority has grown exponentially as the service has matured and evolved its acquisition process, and now expects to award almost $1 billion dollars this year largely to nontraditional companies.
Space

By Brian Everstine
The proliferation of small, cheap unmanned aerial systems is an emergent threat that the U.S. Army needs to address, the service’s top general says.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Molly McMillin
For years, Wichita State University’s research and development arm, the National Institute for Aviation Research, has tried to recruit a large maintenance, repair and overhaul facility to Wichita.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Graham Warwick
Cranfield Aerospace Solutions has taken delivery of a Britten-Norman BN-2B Islander for conversion to zero-emission hydrogen-electric propulsion.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Piotr Butowski
The Russian Aircraft Corp., MiG, has received an order for the “overhaul and modernization of MiG-31K aircraft to the MiG-31I variant,” according to a video report from a recent contract signing ceremony.
Missile Defense & Weapons

By Piotr Butowski
The Russian military has signed an order to upgrade its strategic Tupolev Tu-95MS bombers to the Tu-95MSM version.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Graham Warwick
Enterprise data platform provider Palantir has invested in solar-powered aircraft developer Skydweller Aero.
Advanced Air Mobility

By Guy Norris
The satellites will be launched on five Electron flights scheduled to take place in quick succession over the second quarter of 2023.
Commercial Space

By Bill Carey
European flight-training provider Bartolini Air has taken delivery of the first new CAP10C NG as launch customer of the re-introduced aerobatic airplane, which it uses for upset-recovery training.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Steve Trimble
The Model 437, which remains a paper concept, gives Northrop a candidate design as the U.S. and allied militaries develop requirements for a new class of autonomous UAS configured to be attritable.
Aircraft & Propulsion

Safran has successfully run one of its helicopter engines on 100% sustainable aviation fuel in a first step toward making the rotary-wing industry more environmentally sustainable.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Michael Bruno
Luxembourg-based Kleos Space, which aims to provide big-data analytics via space-based radio frequency reconnaissance satellites, said it raised Australian $12.6 million ($9.3 million) by way of a stock sale.
Commercial Space

By Brian Everstine
The U.S. Navy’s top uniformed leader is not satisfied with how quickly his service is developing unmanned capabilities and has ordered the creation of a new task force over the next few months to find ways to accelerate.
Aircraft & Propulsion