Aerospace Daily & Defense Report

By Lee Hudson
Boeing will begin flying the KC-46A Pegasus aircraft in approximately two weeks outfitted with Remote Vision System (RVS) 1.5, a revised version of the refueling tanker’s camera system that includes numerous software changes and a few hardware updates.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Mark Carreau
NASA’s Perseverance Mars 2020 rover will experience a three-day delay to its planned mid-July launch due to an issue with ground equipment at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) launch site.
Space

By Steve Trimble
The manufacturer of the MQ-9 medium-altitude unmanned aircraft system plans to enter the U.S. Air Force’s competition to select its replacement, dubbed MQ Next.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Tony Osborne
Britain’s first front-line F-35 squadron has embarked on the HMS Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier for the first in a series of workups to prepare for the first deployment of the ship to the Far East in 2021.
Budget, Policy & Operations

By Graham Warwick
Wisk, the urban air mobility joint venture between Kitty Hawk and Boeing, has resumed flight testing of its Cora all-electric autonomous air taxi in the U.S. and New Zealand.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Steve Trimble
A month after warning of potentially dire budget cuts, the head of the U.S. Army’s Futures Command has softened his forecast about the fiscal impact of the global COVID-19 pandemic on top acquisition programs.
Budget, Policy & Operations

By Lee Hudson
Raytheon delivered the first production unit of the Joint Precision Approach and Landing System to the USS Carl Vinson roughly one month ahead of schedule.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Steve Trimble
The U.S. Air Force has closed a system-level critical design review for the Boeing T-7A trainer and ground-based training system, the service announced on June 9.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Kim Minseok, Bradley Perrett
South Korea is moving toward a decision on whether to develop a version of the Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) Surion utility helicopter for the marine corps’ attack mission.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Graham Warwick
Having learned first-hand the challenges of electric vertical-takeoff-and-landing vehicles, a group of former Airbus Vahana team members have launched a company to develop a hybrid-electric short-takeoff-and-landing aircraft for short-haul aerial logistics.
Aircraft & Propulsion

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

By Jen DiMascio
All but four Republicans on the House Armed Services Committee have signed a letter to President Donald Trump asking him to reject a reported proposal to reduce the U.S. military presence in Europe.
Budget, Policy & Operations

By Mark Carreau
The director of the White House National Space Council believes NASA’s push to return astronauts to the lunar surface by 2024 is helping the agency significantly streamline its decision-making, though there’s more to do.
Space

By Steve Trimble
The aircraft that replaces the General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. MQ-9 unmanned aircraft system within 10 years could look and operate very differently than the 13-year-old, medium-altitude, long-endurance platform now in service.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Steve Trimble
The U.S. Air Force’s acquisition chief on June 9 said the acquisition plan for the Next Generation Air Dominance program should be complete by the end of this summer.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Lee Hudson
A failure associated with the USS Gerald R. Ford’s (CVN 78) electromagnetic aircraft launch system (EMALS) forced the U.S. Navy to return the aircraft carrier to port, and a root cause investigation is ongoing.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Molly McMillin
Textron Aviation has received a construction permit for roughly $9.9 million for the rebuilding of its Plant 3 operation in Wichita.
Safety, Ops & Regulation

By Lee Hudson
The Senate on June 9 confirmed in a unanimous vote Gen. Charles Brown to serve as the next U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff.
Budget, Policy & Operations

By Bill Carey
A Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) helicopter and a police drone flying in the same area collided in midair earlier this year, forcing the helicopter pilot to make a precautionary landing on a road.
Advanced Air Mobility

By Tony Osborne
France will accelerate the introduction of new military aircraft and helicopter fleets as part of its €15 billion ($16.9 billion) support package for the country’s aerospace industry to help it through the novel coronavirus pandemic.
Budget, Policy & Operations

The Changhe Aircraft Industries Corporation Z-10 Thunderbolt is a Chinese attack helicopter whose prototype airframes were powered by two Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6C-67C turboshaft engines.
Defense

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

By Guy Norris, Steve Trimble
A scramjet-powered missile developed under the joint DARPA/U.S. Air Force Hypersonic Air-breathing Weapon Concept (HAWC) program was destroyed in a recent test accident, Aviation Week has learned.
Missile Defense & Weapons

By Steve Trimble
The U.S. Air Force has extended initial operational testing on the Boeing KC-46A for at least three years.
Aircraft & Propulsion