Aerospace Daily & Defense Report

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

By Michael Bruno
No one uses the words apocalyptic or cataclysmic—yet—but without a doubt, the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on aerospace and defense manufacturing will
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Jen DiMascio
A network of wide-area persistent surveillance missions, executed in large part by unmanned aircraft systems, can help provide an affordable deterrent to Chinese and Russian aggression, a Washington think tank argues.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Steve Trimble
The U.S. Air Force has started a new phase of integration and electromagnetic interference testing on a $3 billion electronic warfare upgrade for the F-15E and F-15EX fleets, the service announced in an April 14 news release.
Sensors & Electronic Warfare

By Mark Carreau
Osiris-Rex, NASA’s first-ever asteroid sample return mission, successfully carried out a 4-hr. series of spacecraft maneuvers and deployments on April 14, preliminary data show.
Space

By Lee Hudson
The White House has selected the chief executives from General Dynamics, Honeywell, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and Raytheon Technologies to serve on the “Great American Economic Revival Industry Groups.”
Budget, Policy & Operations

By Michael Bruno
Howmet Aerospace has eight mostly smaller manufacturing plants that are closed because of the coronavirus, the company’s chief executive said late April 14, and more were shuttered in March when the Pittsburgh-based supplier was still part of Arconic.
Manufacturing & Supply Chain

By Michael Bruno
Spirit AeroSystems—the primary supplier to Boeing including for much of the 737 MAX and which does substantial defense industry work—warned Wall Street on April 14 it will record a roughly $160 million loss for the recently ended first quarter of 2020, as well as a pretax loss of around $102 million.
Aircraft & Propulsion

Air Transport

By Lee Hudson
The Department of the Air Force has conducted its first-ever Space Acquisition Council meeting and discussed the need for integration and synchronization across the national security space community, current and projected threats to U.S. interests in space, and the impact of the COVID-19 environment on the aerospace industry.
Space Symposium

By Sean Broderick
The latest version of the Boeing 737 MAX master minimum equipment list (MMEL) corrects a conflict between the original MMEL’s allowances and pilot troubleshooting steps that allowed flights with no functioning autopilot, even as a checklist calls for autopilot engagement to correct flight-control issue.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Guy Norris
Updated Boeing commercial airliner figures for 2020 through March reveal dramatic order cancellations and reduced deliveries as the air transport market continues to nosedive in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Steve Trimble
Boeing on April 13 completed the first flight of the F-15QA ordered by the Qatari Royal Air Force, passing a key milestone before a scheduled first delivery next year.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Graham Warwick
A startup producing hydrogen propulsion systems for unmanned aircraft is targeting the urban air mobility (UAM) market with a new type of fuel cell.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Lee Hudson
The Pentagon has issued a $415 million contract for N95 critical decontamination units to combat the spread of the novel coronavirus.
Budget, Policy & Operations

By Mark Carreau
Intuitive Machines has selected the planned date and landing site for its first mission to the Moon’s surface under its NASA Commercial Lunar Payload Services agreement.
Commercial Space

Brief news items of interest to aerospace & defense professionals.

Updated Boeing commercial airliner figures for 2020 through March reveal dramatic order cancellations and reduced deliveries as the air transport

Selected U.S. military contracts from the past week.
Defense

News in brief
Defense

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

By Jen DiMascio
Citing the bankruptcy of the OneWeb satellite communications company, the U.S. government should consider adding $2.5 billion in funding for space programs, along with multiple policy proposals to maintain the military space industrial base and U.S. strategic dominance in the domain in the face of threats posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, an industry trade group recommends.
Commercial Space

By Michael Bruno
CPI Aerostructures announced April 13 that it closed on a $4.8 million loan under the Payroll Protection Program (PPP) as part of the new Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act in the U.S.
Program Management

By Michael Bruno
Israel-based defense contractor Elbit Systems, which has a major U.S. subsidiary, acknowledged issues in its operations on April 13 and said it started carrying out unspecified “cost-control measures to help limit the financial impact on the company.”
Supply Chain

By Steve Trimble
A Lockheed Martin employee working at the Fort Worth facility where the F-35 is assembled died several days after informing the company he felt ill with COVID-19-like symptoms, Lockheed said on April 13.
Supply Chain