Aerospace Daily & Defense Report

Astronauts are prepared to embark Nov. 15 on a complex sequence of spacewalks outside the ISS to overhaul the cooling system on the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer.

An ongoing legal dispute between the U.S. government and Lockheed Martin over intellectual property rights has emerged as the source of a 2.5-year-long delay in activating a key F-35 system required to complete initial operational testing and make a full-rate production decision.

Avionics engineering firm L2 Aviation on Nov. 11 announced a subcontract from Collins Aerospace to install automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) capability on the U.S. Air Force fleet of KC-10 Extender aerial refueling tankers.

Germany is looking pursue the development of an airborne electronic attack (AEA) capability to meet a standing NATO commitment.

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s (JAXA) Hayabusa 2 asteroid sample return spacecraft ended its lengthy stay at distant Ryugu late Nov. 12 U.S. time.

The German military is not accepting the latest delivery of two Airbus A400M aircraft because they do not meet contractual guarantees, the German Air Force said Nov. 13.

Liberty Hall Capital Partners, a private equity firm focused on global aerospace and defense, has acquired engine parts maker Numet Machining Techniques to add to its growing Bromford Industries aftermarket company.

Airbus has completed the first flight of its VSR700 diesel-powered rotary-wing unmanned air system.

Singapore is due to receive its sixth and final A330 MRTT tanker within a few months following retirement of the country’s four KC-135R Stratotankers.

The Philippines expects to buy more Airbus C295s following delivery of its fourth aircraft of the type on Nov. 11.

European missile manufacturer MBDA looks set to take a leading role in a European project to develop a counter to advanced ballistic and hypersonic weapons.

White House senior officials hedged late on Nov. 12 on the potential to achieve “enormous deliverables” in scheduled meeting on Nov. 13 between U.S. President Donald Trump and Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

GENERAL DYNAMICS MISSION SYSTEMS has $731.9m U.S. Navy contract for Mobile User Objective System satellite ground system sustainment.

The U.S. Congress is back in session this week, with the Senate continuing to focus on nominations.

Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems, Portsmouth, Rhode Island, has been awarded a maximum $24,942,879, firm-fixed-price contract for receiver transmitters

Ryan Aerospace Australia has been awarded a contract to supply the U.S. Army with 31 Helimod Mark III helicopter simulators.

RUSSIAN AEROSPACE FORCES will receive first serial Su-57 fifth-gen fighter before the end of the year.

A program that could lead to the development of a European capability to intercept hypersonic weapons has been granted funding by the European Union’s Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO).

The U.S. Air Force admits that the service and Northrop Grumman underestimated the complexity of the software upgrades required for the B-2 Defensive Management System Modernization.

The head of U.S. Air Force acquisition says one lesson learned from the light attack experiment is the need for special operators to have an armed overwatch capability.

The 24-year-old aircraft, previously operated by leisure airline TUI Airways, was delivered to 2Excel’s MRO facilities at Lasham, England, on Nov. 11.

Following a two-month delay, the USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) is ready to deploy after receiving emergency maintenance.

The storied UAV manufacturer has gone public on the Canadian Stock Exchange and soon may trade over-the-counter in the U.S.

The network will use satellite-based quantum communications to securely distribute quantum encryption keys over long distances.

“If I can enable that debate because we’ve got a bomber that’s continuing to deliver on time and on cost, then that’s wonderful,” U.S. Air Force acquisition chief Will Roper says.