Aerospace Daily & Defense Report

Textron Aviation Defense has finalized its first contract to deliver two Beechcraft T-6JP Texan II trainers to Japan’s Air Self-Defense Force.

The wind-tunnel trials tested active control of a high-aspect-ratio wing while controlling the thin, flexible wing’s response to maneuver loads and gusts.

Vertical Aerospace has rolled out the third and final VX4 full-scale engineering prototype for its planned Valo eVTOL air taxi.

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) suffered another mishap with its H3 rocket when the second stage malfunctioned during a Dec. 22 mission.

Isar Aerospace said it is gearing up for a second launch attempt of its Spectrum rocket, completing 30-sec. integrated static test firings for both stages.

NASA's Jared Isaacman is eager to expedite the Artemis program and that the agency needs to make best use of the ISS' remaining life to seed business for its commercial follow-ons.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman has signaled a desire to revitalize the agency’s aeronautics program, calling for more experimental X-planes.

French President Emmanuel Macron has said the country will proceed with plans to build a new aircraft carrier.

South Korea’s Hanwha Aerospace finalized a contract with Estonia to supply the Baltic state with the K239 Chunmoo tactical surface-to-surface missile system.

News in brief.

The U.S. Air Force has expanded the pool of competitors vying for the second increment of Collaborative Combat Aircraft.

A NASA safety panel is set to recommend that the agency reexamine the mission objectives of the crewed Artemis III Moon landing mission.

Leonardo Helicopters has completed the long-awaited first flight of its Next Generation Civil Tiltrotor Technology Demonstrator.

Rocket Lab is making its missile defense development debut as the SDA awarded the company one of four contracts for the next phase of its Tracking Layer

Kongsberg Defense & Aerospace of Norway plans to acquire Zone 5 Technologies, a U.S. maker of low-cost cruise missiles.

U.S. startup Astro Mechanica plans to take its hybrid-electric supersonic engine into high-altitude and high-speed ground testing in 2026.

The DOD has surged assets to the Caribbean and the southern border to back military operations in the region including, potentially, the RQ-170 reconnaissance drone.

Saab has secured another 2.5 billion in Swedish krona ($200 million) to support the evolution of the Gripen fighter.

A radar upgrade for the X-62 autonomous fighter will allow the U.S. Air Force to experiment with AI-enabled “pilots” controlling sensors in combat.

Signals intelligence-focused satellite company HawkEye 360 has acquired Innovative Signal Analysis to enhance usage of its orbit-collected data.

Avio says it has booked two Vega C launches as the Italian rocket company gears up for taking over launch operations of the system from Arianespace next year.

The French Defense Innovation Fund and MBDA have taken a stake in NanoXplore, a company specializing in reprogrammable special-purposes semiconductors.

Spanish space startup Arkadia Space says it is looking to secure more contracts for its reaction control system after kicking off the year with a deal with Arianespace.

Onera has started using a new test facility for structural materials, applying new methods to a Clean Aviation project on airframes for hydrogen propulsion.

Malaysia is looking to fast-track its multirole combat aircraft program after plans to acquire ex-Kuwaiti Boeing F/A-18 Hornets are expected to face delays.