Aerospace Daily & Defense Report

Europe’s aviation regulator believes commercial use of electric air taxis could begin by 2024-25, but that it will take at least five more years to enable autonomous passenger transport, the holy grail for ubiquitous and affordable urban air mobility.

MBDA’s Sea Ceptor naval air defense system has been selected for use on the UK’s new Type 31 frigates.

Startup Merlin Labs has emerged from stealth mode with a contract from special mission operator Dynamic Aviation to modify 55 Beechcraft King Airs to autonomous operation.

The Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) has confirmed it has begun taking delivery of its new Boeing CH-47F Chinooks heavy-lift helicopters.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on May 25 development of the Almaz-Antey S-500 Prometheus air-defense system is being completed.

U.S. startup Exosonic has completed low-speed wind-tunnel tests of its concept for a low-boom supersonic airliner.

The Philippines is set to take delivery of its first pair of Turkish Aerospace Industries T129 ATAK gunships in September, after the U.S. approved export of the rotorcraft’s engines.

In a policy reversal from a year ago, the head of U.S. Transportation Command will support the Air Force’s plan to start retiring the Boeing KC-135 fleet in order to invest the proceeds from operational costs into KC-46 procurement.

President Joe Biden’s pick for U.S. Air Force Secretary says one of the Pentagon’s best options for reducing F-35 sustainment costs is to buy the jet in sufficient quantities.

China’s EHang has unveiled its longer-range electric air taxi, the autonomous two-seat VT-30.

Airbus has reached a milestone of 100 deliveries of its A400M airlifter with the handover of the 10th aircraft to the Spanish Air Force.

CAPE CANAVERAL—The U.S. plans to spend $2.5 billion over the next 10 years on a fleet of five new spacecraft to improve monitoring of Earth’s changing climate, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said on May 25.

The UK’s Tempest future combat air system initiative could generate more than 20,000 jobs and pump £26 billion ($37 billion) into the economy between 2021 and 2050, suggests an independent review of the program.

The UK Ministry of Defense has opted for Lockheed Martin’s Joint Air-to-Ground Missile rather than MBDA’s Brimstone as the primary weapon for its new AH-64E Apache attack helicopter fleet.

Former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, who holds the U.S. record for cumulative time spent in space, plans to return to orbit, this time as commander of a private mission to the International Space Station for Houston-based Axiom Space.

Fresh off new venture capital funding, small-rocket, mass-manufacturing startup Phantom Space is aiming to broaden its business model through the recent acquisition of StratSpace, a consultancy and developer of bespoke space systems and flight hardware.

A contractor-operated aircraft crashed at about 2:30 p.m. May 24, on the southern edge of Nellis AFB, Nevada, the U.S. Air Force says. "The aircraft

The specter of war with China across the vast Pacific Ocean has provoked the U.S. military to re-imagine the command-and-control mission, spend

British spaceports will be able to apply for operating licenses this summer, paving the way for launch from the UK mainland in 2022.

NASA has issued a draft plan for the first phase of its Commercial LEO Destinations program, which seeks to spur the initial development of two to four commercial free flyers as successors to the International Space Station.

Honeywell and Japan-based electric automotive specialist Denso have formed an alliance to develop electric propulsion systems for urban air mobility vehicles.

Poland has joined the growing list of countries to export armed unmanned air systems from Turkey.

The U.S. has abolished the 42-year-old U.S.-South Korea Missile Guidelines, allowing South Korea to develop increasingly capable ballistic missiles.

The first of the UK’s two new aircraft carriers, HMS Queen Elizabeth, has set sail on its initial deployment.

The rover rolled down the landing platform and started patrolling the surface on the southern part of Utopia Planitia, a 3,300-km-wide (2,051-mi.) plain in Mars’ northern hemisphere.