Aerospace Daily & Defense Report

Rolls-Royce will supply the engines and infrared suppression system for the Bell V-280 tiltrotor proposal to the U.S. Army for the Future Long Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA) program, the engine manufacturer announced on July 21.

The U.S. Army is testing two quadcopters at Fort Benning, Georgia, with the aim of selecting one later this year as its Short-Range Reconnaissance (SSR) drone.

Safran Helicopter Engines and Germany’s ZF Aviation Technology have signed agreements to take forward the development of a turboprop engine based on Safran’s Ardiden turboshaft.

The modernized version of the Russian Rockot light launch vehicle is gradually taking shape, as the technical design of the new Rockot-M variant is complete, according to Russian media reports.

Europe’s new Multinational Multi-Role Tanker Transport Unit (MMU) will fly its first aerial refueling training missions in August.

Hydrogen propulsion could play a key role in a complete rethink of long-haul aviation to reduce its environmental footprint, a study by German aviation think-tank Bauhaus Luftfhart has concluded.

Brief news items of interest to aerospace & defense professionals.

The U.S. Senate has confirmed U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Michael Loh to serve as the 13th Air National Guard director. A 1984 graduate of the U.S. Air

An $862 million contract award ends the year-old mystery over the disposition of F-35As ordered by Turkey since the country's expulsion from the international fighter program.

Fifty-two days after launching a crewed capsule to space on May 30, SpaceX recovered the first stage again during a mission to deliver a South Korean military communications satellite to space

The House fiscal 2021 defense policy bill is on the floor this week, featuring 407 new amendments approved by the Rules Committee.

SpaceX is aiming for its quickest turnaround between reflights of a Falcon 9 booster, with launch of a South Korean military communications satellite poised to fly as early as July 20 using the same first stage that carried NASA astronauts into orbit on May 30.

Nationalizing the industrial base to design, manufacture and sustain new fighters and bombers is not currently official Trump administration policy. But the topic dominated headlines last week anyway.

Boeing’s MAX backlog, already hit hard as lessors re-shuffle their commitments, could erode even more as airline financial situations deteriorate amid

The appearance of a test airframe for the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) ASM-3 this month shows that the Japanese have worked through at least five configurations for the supersonic anti-ship missile.

The UK has launched a government-backed project to help the country’s aerospace industry develop a zero-carbon commercial aircraft by 2030.

The Netherlands has suspended operations with its NH90 naval helicopters following a fatal accident in Aruba.

Indonesia has approached Austria as a potential buyer for the country’s unwanted Eurofighter Typhoons.

The UK has brought another seven aerospace companies into the Team Tempest consortium to develop technologies for a future UK-led combat air system.

The British government has signed a long-awaited contract with Airbus for the next-generation Skynet communications satellite.

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

News in brief

Brief news items of interest to aerospace & defense professionals.

The United Arab Emirates’ first interplanetary spacecraft began a seven-month journey to Mars on July 20 following a successful launch aboard a Mitsubishi Heavy Industries’ H-IIA rocket.

NASA has resumed preparations for a key hot fire test of the first Space Launch System (SLS) core booster, but the agency is keeping a wary eye on coronavirus cases striking members of the Mississippi-based test team, Administrator Jim Bridenstine said on July 17.