Aerospace Daily & Defense Report

By Steve Trimble
The system performance demonstration will be held in April-May, 2022, for the Multi-Engine Training System contract.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Jen DiMascio
Boeing and NASA plan to conduct an uncrewed Orbital Flight Test-2 of the Starliner CST-100 crew capsule at 2:53 p.m. EDT on July 30, pending range approval, the company said May 6.
Commercial Space

By Bill Carey
Miami International Airport on May 6 announced its selection by the U.S. Transportation Security Administration to serve as a test site for drone detection technologies.
Safety, Ops & Regulation

By Jen DiMascio
The first U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancers returned to flight operations on May 3 after a safety stand-down, Air Force Global Strike Command said on May 6.
Budget, Policy & Operations

By Chen Chuanren
Despite significant national resources and funding committed to the containment of COVID-19, the Philippines said it is still pursuing the acquisition of a multirole fighter aircraft under the Armed Forces of Philippines Modernization projects.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Tony Osborne
The UK could help India develop a larger variant of its Tejas combat aircraft as part of a new strategic partnership between the two countries.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Graham Warwick
Startup Wright Electric has begun testing the megawatt-scale power inverter that is a key building block in development of the electric propulsion system for its planned single-aisle airliner.
Emerging Technologies

The U.S. Space Force is close to establishing an unclassified version of a cloud-based, digital platform that will allow guardians to collaborate with contractors to design new software applications for satellites, Maj. Gen. Kimberly Crider said on May 6.
Space

By Chen Chuanren
China’s Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group (CAIG) has signed a project agreement with Zigong Municipal People’s Government to build a dedicated unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) industrial park in the city that will eventually see an annual output of 100 medium to large drones.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Guy Norris
SpaceX successfully landed a full-scale Starship prototype after a high-altitude flight test on May 5, marking a key milestone towards the development of the company’s next generation launch system.
Space

By Jen DiMascio
Blue Origin plans to send human crewmembers to suborbital space for the first time on July 20 on its New Shepard rocket, the company said in a May 5 statement.
Commercial Space

By Lee Hudson
The U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory is asking industry for ideas for small, autonomous spacecraft that could inspect and repair other satellites in geosynchronous orbit—and to ultimately develop a flight experiment concept.
Space

By Tony Osborne
Sweden has chosen Grob’s 120TP turboprop as the basic trainer for its air force.
Light Attack and Advanced Training

By Tony Osborne
Columbia Helicopters and Aurora Flight Sciences have teamed up to develop and demonstrate a suite of technologies that could make rotary-wing firefighting in degraded visual environments safer.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Lee Hudson
The U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory has selected Hughes Network Systems and OneWeb to demonstrate low Earth orbit satellite communications to connect the remote Arctic region with sites around the globe.
Space

By Bill Carey
Directional Aviation Group has acquired helicopter charter operator Halo Aviation, of Cranleigh, UK, for an undisclosed price, adding to its OneSky Flight portfolio of private aviation companies.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Michael Bruno
Olivier Jarrault, most recently CEO of LEAP engine blade maker Albany International during a dynamic two-year stint, is now CEO of Cadence Aerospace, a relatively new private equity-backed machined-parts producer for aerospace and defense OEMs and others.
Supply Chain

BCA Staff
The FAA announced on May 5 that it is marking more space launch activity areas on the digital VFR raster charts it makes available to pilots.
Safety, Ops & Regulation

By Tony Osborne
Turkish Aerospace is to begin assembly of the first prototype Hurjet jet trainer in June as the company targets a first flight by the end of 2022.
Light Attack and Advanced Training

By Steve Trimble
The cause of the ground abort minutes or hours before the planned launch on May 5 remains under investigation.
Missile Defense & Weapons

By Steve Trimble
A Kratos UTAP-22 Mako UAS flew a 2-hr., 10-min. flight test on April 29 from Tyndall AFB, Florida, to launch Autonomous Attritable Aircraft Experimentation program this year with the Skyborg ACS, which was integrated by Leidos.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Graham Warwick
Wisk Aero has agreed to operate up to 30 autonomous air taxis on Blade Urban Air Mobility’s U.S. network.
Advanced Air Mobility

By Graham Warwick
Flight testing of the Beta Technologies’ Alia for the U.S. Air Force has begun after the electric vertical-takeoff-and-landing aircraft received airworthiness approval under the service’s Agility Prime program.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Maxim Pyadushkin
The 18-ton heavy core stage of the Chinese Long March 5B rocket is expected to make an uncontrolled re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere on May 8 or 9, U.S. and Russian officials said.
Space

By Lee Hudson
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will receive a brief in the coming days on plans for a Space Force active and reserve component, and a separate Space National Guard, according to the National Guard Bureau chief.
Space