Aerospace Daily & Defense Report

By Irene Klotz
SpaceX sent a batch of 60 Starlink satellites into orbit on Sept. 3 as the company looks toward public beta rollout of high-speed internet service this year.
Commercial Space

By Steve Trimble
A study contract will be awarded to P&W to identify a solution to a known thrust deficiency that affects Lockheed Martin F-35Bs in hover on hot days.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Steve Trimble
SOCOM officials have warned the program will be unaffordable if the Army sticks to its plan to defer upgrades for about 540 CH-47F Block 1s for five years.
Aircraft & Propulsion

On Sept. 1st the U.S. Department of Defense published the latest version of its annual report detailing recent developments in Chinese military
AWIN Knowledge Center

By Mark Carreau
The latest version of the Northrop Grumman solid rocket motor assigned to NASA’s Space Launch System Moon rocket roared to life Sept. 2 for a full-duration, 2-min. ground test firing at company facilities in Promontory, Utah.
Space

By Lee Hudson
Industry was anticipating an award for the Minuteman III replacement in August, but a Pentagon official said a contract announcement should occur before the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30.
Missile Defense & Weapons

By Bill Carey
Honeywell Aerospace has established an avionics integration lab for urban air mobility (UAM) vehicles at its Deer Valley facility in Phoenix.
Advanced Air Mobility

By Steve Trimble
The 28th Test and Evaluation Squadron dropped 10 BLU-136 Next Generation Area Attack Weapons (NGAAWs) Increment II from Lockheed Martin F-16Cs on the Nellis Test and Training Range from July 8-24.
Missile Defense & Weapons

By Mark Carreau
Three Mars mission launches in July kicked off a promising and challenging decade for the exploration of the red planet, one potentially setting the stage for a global human exploration campaign in the 2030s.
Space

By Tony Osborne
Tokyo’s Metropolitan Government is studying whether Leonardo’s AW609 commercial tiltrotor could be used to link the city with a remote island archipelago.
Airports & Networks

By Lee Hudson
The U.S. Air Force wants Congress to create a “global fight” account in the budget to pay for efforts like International Space Pitch Day in which the U.S. and UK intend to invest $1 million for cutting-edge space innovations.
Space

By Graham Warwick
The first of two aircraft fitted with a modular hybrid-electric propulsion system developed under a European research program is expected to fly in September.
Emerging Technologies

By Tony Osborne
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI) and Spain’s Sener Aerospacial are developing an underwing pod that will enable European customers of the MQ-9 Reaper and SkyGuardian to fit sovereign sensors to the unmanned air system.
Aircraft & Propulsion

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

By Steve Trimble
The Lockheed Martin and Raytheon variants of the Hypersonic Air-breathing Weapon Concept have completed captive carry tests, a military official said.
Missile Defense & Weapons

By Steve Trimble
Nuclear weapons figured prominently among the revelations contained in the Pentagon’s latest annual report on China’s military capabilities, which was released Sept. 1.
Missile Defense & Weapons

By Graham Warwick
Prevented from beginning flight testing by COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, startup Sabrewing Aircraft has begun using a flight simulator to verify the
Advanced Air Mobility

By Lee Hudson
The duo won firm-fixed price contracts for the Tranche 0 Transport Layer, which consists of 20 satellites that will feed into the U.S.’s missile warning system.
Space

By Steve Trimble
Raytheon will focus on developing the seeker for a naval gun-fired, guided missile interceptor.
Missile Defense & Weapons

By Graham Warwick
Even as it begins deliveries of its first certified electric aircraft, Slovenia’s Pipistrel has begun accepting orders for a family of unmanned cargo aircraft.
Emerging Technologies

By Tony Osborne
Norway has inducted its fleet of Leonardo AW101 search and rescue (SAR) helicopters into service.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Michael Bruno
Military training and C4ISR services provider Cubic has merged two defense business units into one and under the leadership of one veteran unit chief, while the other will leave the company.
Aircraft & Propulsion

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

Smallsat launch provider Rocket Lab has received a five-year Launch Operator License from the FAA for Electron rocket flights from its Launch Complex
Defense