Aerospace Daily & Defense Report

By Steve Trimble
A panel of U.S. lawmakers is seeking to add several new strings to the U.S. Air Force’s authorization for moving forward with the Advanced Battle Management System (ABMS) and to block retirements of several aircraft that now perform the mission.
Budget, Policy & Operations

By Lee Hudson
The U.S. Navy has concluded that a combination of aircraft, flight gear and human conditions caused a spike in physiological events on T-45 and F/A-18 aircraft in 2017 that persuaded flight instructors to boycott their duty to train student pilots.
Budget, Policy & Operations

By Tony Osborne
Britain’s seventh frontline Eurofighter Typhoon unit—also its first joint unit with Qatar’s Amiri/Emiri Air Force—has begun flight operations.
Budget, Policy & Operations

By Graham Warwick
Startup SkyDrive has confirmed plans for a public flight demonstration this summer of Japan’s first manned electric vertical-takeoff-and-landing vehicle.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Tony Osborne
The European Union Aviation Safety Agency has signed off on the certification of Airbus Helicopters’ five-bladed H145 twin-engine light helicopter.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Bradley Perrett
Chinese scientists have taken a large step toward a theoretically secure communication technology, demonstrating quantum key distribution (QKD) between ground stations via a satellite.
Commercial Space

By Michael Bruno
The winnowing of the defense industrial base may have worried government leaders before the COVID-19 outbreak, but it has one major benefit now: the lower tiers of defense suppliers are proving stronger, according to a new report from a major credit rating agency.
Budget, Policy & Operations

By Michael Bruno
Lockheed Martin’s new CEO is looking to bring more high-technology and telecommunications innovations to the Pentagon’s leading contractor, including more artificial intelligence and 5G efforts, as well as exploring networked solutions for government customers.
Budget, Policy & Operations

By Lee Hudson
The U.S. Navy has determined the problem with the electromagnetic aircraft launch system that forced the USS Gerald R. Ford to return to port first appeared in the power handling system, but an investigation is still ongoing to determine the cause.
Budget, Policy & Operations

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

Northrop Grumman said on June 18 that the critical design review (CDR) is complete for the U.S. Navy’s Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile-Extended
Defense

By Daniel Urchick
AVIATION WEEK NETWORK forecasts that from 2020 to 2029, Western-built commercial airliners performing military C4ISR (command, control, communications
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Conferences and events for professionals in the aerospace and defense community.
Defense

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

An F/A-18F Super Hornet assigned to Carrier Air Wing 11 operating from the USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) crashed in the Philippine Sea on June 18
Defense

By Molly McMillin
Textron plans to lay off nearly 2,000 employees at its TRU Simulation + Training, Textron Aviation and Industrial divisions to cut operating expenses as it restructures in response to challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic, the company said in a Securities & Exchange filing June 18.
Business Aviation

By Lee Hudson
The Defense Department is assessing additional U.S. Air Force and Navy depots for F-35 repair and testing work to reduce sustainment costs of the fifth-generation fighter.
Budget, Policy & Operations

By Lee Hudson
An F/A-18F Super Hornet assigned to Carrier Air Wing 11 operating from the USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) crashed in the Philippine Sea on June 18.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Mark Carreau
With the support of a newly appointed associate administrator, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine has expressed confidence that his agency can achieve an accelerated return to the Moon’s surface with human explorers by 2024.
Space

By Guy Norris
Red 6, a California-based start-up synthetic training specialist, is being backed by Lockheed Martin to accelerate development of the company’s ATARS (Airborne Tactical Augmented Reality System).
Sensors & Electronic Warfare

By Steve Trimble
Boeing officials are monitoring the impact to a long-delayed KC-46 capability milestone caused by COVID-19 pandemic-related disruptions to Cobham wing aerial refueling pods.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Steve Trimble
Northrop Grumman said on June 18 that the critical design review is complete for the U.S. Navy’s Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile-Extended Range.
Missile Defense & Weapons

By Steve Trimble
Lighter and more capable helmet-mounted display systems are on the shopping list of the U.S. Air Force, Navy and Army as an upgrade for the F/A-18E/F and EA-18G and new equipment for the F-15EX and Future Vertical Lift (FVL) rotorcraft.
Sensors & Electronic Warfare

By Bill Carey
Honeywell has unveiled a thermal management system designed for vertical takeoff and electric urban air mobility vehicles that will be introduced on Eviation Aircraft’s all-electric Alice aircraft.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Graham Warwick
While the first electric air taxi prototypes are already flying on available lithium-ion batteries, developers are hoping for significant advances in energy storage to squeeze more performance out of their vehicles.
Aircraft & Propulsion