Aerospace Daily & Defense Report

By Michael Bruno
Aerospace supplier Woodward is cutting the equivalent of 15% of its full-time workforce through the year as the COVID-19 pandemic’s effects ripple through the aerospace supply chain, the company quietly disclosed April 10.
Marketplace

The USS Gerald R. Ford conducted its first-ever fleet replacement squadron carrier qualifications for sailors and Marines while underway in the Atlantic Ocean.
Budget, Policy & Operations

By Bill Carey
Unmanned aircraft systems test sites in New York and Virginia will participate in the second phase of a UAS Traffic Management pilot program, the FAA announced on April 10.
Advanced Air Mobility

By Irene Klotz
A small helicopter flying as a technology demonstration with NASA’s Mars 2020 mission has been attached to the Perseverance rover in preparation for launch this summer.
Space

By Bradley Perrett
Nonignition of a third-stage engine caused the failure of a mission by a Calt Long March 3B rocket on March 9, according to a part owner of the Indonesian customer that lost its satellite.
Space

By Irene Klotz
NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, and the Katherine Johnson Independent Verification and Validation Facility in Fairmont, West Virginia, have joined the list of NASA facilities reaching Stage 4 of the agency’s Response Framework to COVID-19.
Space

By Mark Carreau
Significant changes in the oversight of the International Space Station’s (ISS) National Laboratory research and technology development operations may be imminent.
Space

By Michael Bruno
Supplier Triumph Group late April 10 announced furloughs for around 2,300 employees across its plants in the U.S. and Europe for two-four weeks to cut work along with the current suspension of all Boeing Commercial Aircraft programs, and the company is laying off up to 700 more workers.
Marketplace

By Guy Norris
Rocket company Virgin Orbit completed a major dress rehearsal of its LauncherOne vehicle launch system on April 12, marking the final test of the five-year development program and clearing the way for the first demonstration launch.
Space

By Steve Trimble
A TASS report offers the first timeline for fielding of the new weapon designed to strike maritime and land targets at up to Mach 9.
Missile Defense & Weapons

By Steve Trimble
A once-crippled B-1B bomber force has recovered significantly since structural and egress system problems grounded all but a handful for nearly a year, the head of Air Force’s Global Strike Command said April 9.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Steve Trimble
The U.S. Navy plans to stick with Airborne Tactical Advantage Company (ATAC) to provide fighter jet services as adversary air support for another year before opening the contract to competitive bids, the service announced on April 10.
Budget, Policy & Operations

By Lee Hudson
The Sikorsky CH-53K King Stallion completed an air-to-air refueling test this week, signaling the program is a step closer to wrapping up developmental testing.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Irene Klotz
Signs of the global pandemic caused by the novel coronavirus are clearly visible in satellite data that show a 30% drop in air pollution over the Northeast U.S. as residents bunker down to avoid contagion, NASA said.
Space

By Mark Carreau
Astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the International Space Station are those most typically considered to be isolated from friends, family, and the rest of humanity for extended periods. But the coronavirus pandemic may be altering that equation.
Space

By Bill Carey
Mistrusted by the federal government but appreciated by municipal authorities, Chinese drone manufacturer DJI is distributing 100 small unmanned aircraft systems to U.S. police, fire and public safety agencies to help combat the COVID-19 pandemic.
Advanced Air Mobility

By Lee Hudson
Despite the coronavirus pandemic, the first U.S. Army unit performed a demonstration with one vertical-takeoff-and-landing unmanned aircraft that will inform requirements for the Future Tactical Unmanned Aerial System replacement for the RQ-7B Shadow.
Aircraft & Propulsion

Calendar of upcoming events of interest to the aerospace & defense industry.
Defense

News in brief
Defense

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

Defense

By Thierry Dubois
France–The European Space Agency (ESA)’s BepiColombo, the probe it launched in 2018 to study the planet Mercury, is performing a flyby of Earth this week as a gravity-assist maneuver in its seven-year-long journey.
Space Symposium

By Steve Trimble
Gen. Timothy Ray, the head of Global Strike command, favors a concept not based on a modification to an existing aircraft.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Molly McMillin
Textron Aviation is extending furloughs for most employees in response to the impact of the novel coronavirus pandemic, the company said April 9.
Business Aviation

By Lee Hudson
The U.S. Army is aggressively upgrading its legacy AH-64 Apache, CH-47 Chinook and HH-60 Black Hawk fleets, but is encountering some delays in these efforts related to the spread of the novel coronavirus.
Aircraft & Propulsion