Aerospace Daily & Defense Report

Brief news items of interest to aerospace & defense professionals.

Spanish startup Dante Aeronautical has conducted wind tunnel testing of configuration options for its planned 19-seat hybrid-electric commuter

By Lee Hudson
As Boeing begins to manufacture T-7A Red Hawk engineering and manufacturing development (EMD) aircraft for Air Force testing, the company still is using its two production-representative jets to collect data.
Air Warfare Symposium

By Mark Carreau
After December's troubled flight test, Boeing says it will adopt a more thorough approach as it continues to pursue certification for its Starliner capsule.
Space

By Lee Hudson
An operational flight test trainer will reside at Moody AFB in Georgia and a weapon system trainer in Kirtland AFB in New Mexico.
Air Warfare Symposium

Upcoming Events in the Industry

By Molly McMillin
WICHITA—Spirit AeroSystems missed 2019 fourth quarter profit expectations, marred by production cuts on the Boeing 737 MAX and a loss on the 787 widebody jet pr
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Lee Hudson
“The really dangerous future” is autonomous drone warfare, SpaceX Founder Elon Musk said Feb. 28 during the annual Air Warfare Symposium in Orlando.
Air Warfare Symposium

By Tony Osborne
Britain is to develop a new nuclear warhead with the U.S. to arm its submarine-based deterrent.
Missile Defense & Weapons

By Steve Trimble
The U.S. Air Force terminated one of two hypersonic missile prototypes a year before a planned decision point to divert funding for other priorities and preserve funding for the more advanced high-speed missile, the top acquisition official said Feb. 28.
Air Warfare Symposium

By Steve Trimble
Small Diameter Bombs and Miniature Air-Launched Decoys will demonstrate a new semi-autonomous weapon technology later this year, an Air Force Research Laboratory official says.
Air Warfare Symposium

By Jen DiMascio
Despite ongoing problems with the Boeing KC-46, the U.S. Air Force is likely to continue to purchase the flawed aircraft at a rate of 15 per year, the service’s acquisition chief says.
Air Warfare Symposium

By Guy Norris
Additively manufactured launch vehicle specialist Relativity Space has announced plans to establish a new headquarters and manufacturing facility in Long Beach, California, where it will produce the Terran 1 3D-printed rocket.
Space

By Tony Osborne
The British Royal Air Force is to test Saab’s digital air traffic control technology at a Scottish airbase.
Air Warfare Symposium

By Tony Osborne
Rolls-Royce has reported losses of £852 million ($1.1 billion) as the company continues to tackle issues around the Trent 1000 engine.
Aircraft & Propulsion

U.S. Special Operations Command has proposed to revive a former U.S. Air Force requirement for a light attack aircraft fleet in the fiscal 2021 budget request, but that does not mean a traditional fighter is on the shopping list, the chief of Air Force Special Operations Command said Feb. 28.
Air Warfare Symposium

By Tony Osborne
The first prototype of Lilium’s electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft has been damaged in a fire, the latest in a spate of incidents impacting electric aircraft technology developers.
Business Aviation

By Lee Hudson
Signing a five-year performance-based logistics contract for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter by the start of fiscal 2021 is going to be a “challenge,” a Lockheed Martin executive says.
Air Warfare Symposium

By Guy Norris
NASA says it is still “pressing” toward launching the James Webb Space Telescope on schedule in late March 2021.
Space

Brief news items of interest to aerospace & defense professionals.

Chinese electric vertical-takeoff-and-landing vehicle manufacturer EHang has participated in coronavirus epidemic control exercises organized by local

By Graham Warwick
Microturbine pioneer UAV Turbines (UAVT) has launched a lightweight, compact turbogenerator for on-demand ground power and auxiliary power applications.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Irene Klotz
Northrop Grumman conducted a 139-sec. static test fire of its Omega rocket’s solid-fuel second stage on Feb. 27, the last of two full-scale engine firings prior to the rocket’s debut launch next year.
Commercial Space

By Tony Osborne
The UK will face a gap of at least nine months in its airborne early warning capability after deciding to retire its Boeing E-3 Sentry fleet by December 2022.
Air Warfare Symposium

By Daniel Urchick
AVIATION WEEK NETWORK forecasts that over the next decade 888 new, Western-designed aircraft performing military transport missions will be built
Defense