Aerospace Daily & Defense Report

By Tony Osborne
Campaigning has begun in Switzerland in preparation for a referendum on whether the country should purchase new combat aircraft and ground-based air defense systems.
Budget, Policy & Operations

By Steve Trimble
The Arsenal Plane concept is the focus of a new partnership between the Pentagon’s Strategic Capabilities Office and the U.S. Air Force.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Irene Klotz
Kirk Shireman, NASA’s former manager of the International Space Station, is joining Lockheed Martin to head its lunar exploration initiatives, including the development of a Blue Origin-led system to land astronauts on the Moon in 2024.
Space

By Mark Carreau
NASA astronauts Chris Cassidy and Bob Behnken completed a 6-hr. spacewalk outside the International Space Station (ISS) on June 26, initiating the final chapter in a multiyear upgrade of the solar power storage batteries on the orbiting lab’s 360-ft.-long solar power truss.
Space

By Tony Osborne
Plans to establish a vertical-launch spaceport in Northern Scotland have been approved by local authorities, a significant milestone for the project.
Commercial Space

By Tony Osborne
Boeing says Morocco will become the 17th operator of its AH-64E Apache following the signing of a contract to purchase 24 of the attack helicopters.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Steve Trimble
Exquadrum announced on June 25 it has completed the second and final live test of a full-scale hybrid rocket motor for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) that could be used to power hypersonic missiles, missile defense interceptors and orbital space launchers.
Missile Defense & Weapons

By Tony Osborne
Germany has signed contracts with Airbus and Hensoldt for the development, supply and integration of an active electronically scanned array radar for the Eurofighter.
Sensors & Electronic Warfare

By Tony Osborne
Ireland appears to be taking its first tentative steps toward a fighter procurement for defense of the country’s airspace.
Budget, Policy & Operations

By Tony Osborne
An 18-month delay in the development of the UK’s new Crowsnest helicopter-based airborne early warning system means the capability will not be fully operational when it is embarked on the first operational cruise, planned for next May.
Sensors & Electronic Warfare

By Daniel Urchick
Great Power Maritime Helicopter Fleets
AWIN Knowledge Center

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

Hybrid-electric regional aircraft developer Electra.aero continues to build out its engineering team, appointing the former leader of Boeing
Defense

Conferences and events for professionals in the aerospace and defense community.
Defense

By Steve Trimble
A proposal by the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee (HASC) to authorize the Defense Department to buy 79 Lockheed Martin F-35s in fiscal
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Irene Klotz
NASA is looking into flying astronauts and other personnel aboard commercial suborbital spacecraft such as those in development by Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin.
Program Management

By Steve Trimble
A sources-sought notice released by the U.S. Army June 23 keeps the Future Long Range Assault Aircraft competition on track for the release of the request for proposals next year and lays out new details of aircraft deliveries needed during the development phase and the first lot of low-rate initial production.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Irene Klotz
The European, Japanese and U.S. space agencies have pooled Earth observation data collected from satellites during the global coronavirus pandemic to create an interactive website with analytical tools for scientific, economic and general public use.
Space

By Michael Bruno
Maxar Technologies will buy out joint venture (JV) partner Saab’s interest in its satellite-based three-dimensional (3D) data and analytics boutique Vricon, as revamped Maxar looks to double down on Earth observation services.
Commercial Space

By Tony Osborne
A controversial repaint of one of the British Royal Air Force’s Airbus A330 Voyager multirole tanker transport aircraft has been revealed.
Budget, Policy & Operations

By Steve Trimble
Only a month after revealing the existence and operational deployment of the Long Endurance Aircraft Program (LEAP), U.S. Special Operations Command has started shopping for a new aircraft for the role.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Bill Carey
Former senior FAA executives are among the principals of a new company focused on advancing standards and best practices in the drone industry
Safety, Ops & Regulation

By Jen DiMascio
Northrop Grumman and Ball Aerospace have finished a preliminary design review of the mission payload for the initial set of geosynchronous satellites in the Next-Generation Overhead Persistent Infrared system.
Space

By Molly McMillin
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has issued a citation and penalty to Textron Aviation as part of its investigation into a December explosion at its Wichita Plant 3 facility that injured 15 employees.
Safety, Ops & Regulation

By Mark Carreau
NASA has joined with crowdsourcing network HeroX to seek a strategy for the elimination of lunar astronauts’ bodily wastes under its “Lunar Loo Challenge.”
Space