Aerospace Daily & Defense Report

By Graham Warwick
Alphabet’s internet connectivity provider Loon has claimed a stratospheric flight duration record of 312 days with one of its autonomous balloons.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Steve Trimble
As DARPA transitions software tool kits designed to reconfigure battlefield networks on the fly, the military needs a new pool of contractors that can provide information technology services in a combat support role.
Supply Chain

By Graham Warwick
As it looks ahead to certifying its VoloCity electric air taxi by the end of 2022, Germany’s Volocopter is working with a Lufthansa subsidiary to build the digital backbone for its planned urban air mobility service.
Advanced Air Mobility

By Michael Bruno
Shares of Raytheon Technologies on Oct. 28 were headed to their second day of significant declines after the aerospace and defense behemoth revealed a new U.S. criminal probe into its heritage Raytheon Missiles & Defense business, as well as continuing concerns regarding a slow commercial aftermarket recovery.
Budget, Policy & Operations

By Bill Carey
The FAA has issued an updated request for information (RFI) to industry under the interagency Spectrum Efficient National Surveillance Radar (SENSR) program, seeking information on commercial products that could replace some legacy radar systems.
Safety, Ops & Regulation

By Jen DiMascio
The U.S. should build a coordinated and consistent approach to developing space-based solar power, beginning with a series of flight experiments leading to a demonstration of a complete on-orbit system with ground components, a new report advocates.
Space

By Tony Osborne
Italy is to purchase an intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance platform based on the Gulfstream G550, defense planning documents have revealed.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Graham Warwick
In an effort to facilitate the integration of unmanned aviation into everyday life, the Civil Aviation Administration of China has approved an initial batch of test sites in 13 cities across the country.
Advanced Air Mobility

By Steve Trimble
The Air Force has previously confirmed that the Common Mission Control Center (CMCC) at Beale can operate Northrop Grumman RQ-4 UAS, and Aviation Week has reported that it also operates a secret, stealthy, Northrop-designed UAS commonly called the RQ-180.
Supply Chain

By Michael Bruno
The Pentagon has tapped private equity investor Acorn Growth Companies, a middle-market firm that targets only Western aerospace, defense and intelligence companies, to help lead its Trusted Capital Marketplace effort as the predominant, preordained financial sponsor.
Budget, Policy & Operations

Brief news items of interest to aerospace & defense professionals.
Defense

By Mark Carreau
NASA’s commercial lunar Human Landing System (HLS) partners drew praise from the agency’s program manager as they outlined the biggest challenges they face in returning human explorers to the Moon’s surface in 2024 before a virtual SpaceCom conference audience.
Space

By Michael Bruno
Raytheon Technologies expects to end 2020 with $10 billion in cash on hand, in part thanks to a new deal to sell its Forcepoint cybersecurity business, but also due to 20% fewer commercial aerospace employees, executives said Oct. 27.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Lee Hudson
The head of the U.S. Air Force’s mobility aircraft fleet has outlined a series of future aircraft programs that will come online after the KC-46A Pegasus.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Irene Klotz
The European Space Agency signed a Memorandum of Understanding with NASA on Oct. 27 to participate in the planned lunar-orbiting Gateway.
Space

By Tony Osborne
Ecuador’s Air Force has begun receiving new H145 twin-engine light helicopters from Airbus.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Guy Norris
As Virgin Galactic enters final preparations for the first rocket-powered flight of SpaceShipTwo from its Spaceport America operational facility in New Mexico, the company has added two additional pilots to its ranks.
Commercial Space

Brief news items of interest to aerospace & defense professionals.
Defense

By Irene Klotz
NASA and SpaceX are targeting Nov. 14 for the launch of Crew-1, the first operational crew ferry flight to the International Space Station from U.S. soil in more than 11 years.
Space

By Guy Norris
Guidance, navigation and control (GNC) software for Stratolaunch’s Talon-A hypersonic flying testbed has passed a preliminary design review and is being readied by developer Draper for loading next year into the vehicle’s flight control computers.
Space

By Steve Trimble
U.S. government officials often accuse China of stealing or copying American research in hypersonics, but a close reading of Chinese research papers actually was the inspiration for the new consortium.
Missile Defense & Weapons

By Steve Trimble
The disclosure adds another option to the Pentagon’s ever-expanding arsenal of hypersonic weapon development programs.
Missile Defense & Weapons

By Lee Hudson
The JSE creates a synthetic world that allows operational testers to gauge the F-35’s performance in theater-level scenarios. JSE testing is delayed from December to some time in 2021.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Irene Klotz
A 15th batch of Starlink satellites reached orbit on Oct. 24, SpaceX’s second launch within a week to build up an initial 1,450-member broadband communications network.
Space

By Steve Trimble
The estimated $2.37 billion deal announced by the U.S. State Department would include 100 Harpoon Coastal Defense Systems, 4111 missile containers, 100 transporters, 25 radar trucks and support services.
Missile Defense & Weapons