Aerospace Daily & Defense Report

By Lee Hudson
The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter full-rate production decision, which is slated for December, may be put off for up to 13 months because of delays with integrating the Joint Simulation Environment (JSE).
Defense

By Bradley Perrett, Steve Trimble
The U.S. has approved a possible sale to South Korea of AIM-120D Amraams, foreshadowing introduction into Asia of the latest standard of the Raytheon air-to-air missile.
Defense

By Graham Warwick
Japanese startup SkyDrive has raised $14 million to advance development of its fly/drive electric vertical-takeoff-and-landing (eVTOL) vehicle.

By Mark Carreau
NASA is plotting a manned return to the Moon and then on to Mars and deeper into the Solar System, a theme evident this week at a meeting of the Association of Space Explorers.
Defense

By Steve Trimble
The U.S. Army has confirmed the funding amount and status of the new Multi-Domain Sensing System (MDSS) program.
Defense

By Thierry Dubois
Exploration activities will include continuing funding of the International Space Station, European cooperation with NASA for lunar missions and possibly a Mars sample return mission.
Defense

By Bradley Perrett, Guy Norris
A cruise missile featured in China’s Oct. 1 National Day parade appears to be designed for high-supersonic flight.
Defense

SIKORSKY has $7.9m U.S. Navy contract for 36 improved nacelle production kits for CH-53Es.

The National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) has taken over commercial remote sensing provider Planet’s subscription service from the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency.

By Lee Hudson
The U.S. Army says its biggest challenge in addressing the global pilot shortage is retaining pilots who are mid-career level warrant officers.
Defense

By Bill Carey
The National Security Council will soon release a strategy for preventing drone disruptions at major metropolitan airports, the FAA says.

By Steve Trimble
Testing how an AI “brain” can control a fighter-sized aircraft remains the goal of the Skyborg program. But the first prototype will also serve as a guinea pig for a new approach to aircraft design and production, the AFRL says.
Defense

By Tony Osborne
Britain’s aerospace industry is carefully examining the details of a revised agreement for the country’s exit from the European Union (EU).
Defense

By Bradley Perrett
Lockheed Martin expects South Korea to order another batch of PAC-3 MSE surface-to-air missiles within two years, adding to 64 that the country decided to buy in 2018.
Defense

By Thierry Dubois
Europe’s Ariane 6 launcher program, on time for a first launch next year but facing a dearth of firm orders, has received renewed support from France and Germany.
Defense

By Bradley Perrett
South Korea’s defense tech organization and Hanwha have flight tested a tech-demo fighter radar in cooperation with Elta, while proceeding in parallel with full-scale development of the sensor for the KF-X fighter.
Defense

By Lee Hudson
The U.S. Army has acknowledged that it will not know the costs of modernizing key aviation assets until the service begins negotiations with select companies.
Defense

By Irene Klotz
NASA and Boeing are negotiating a contract worth up to about $2 billion to begin production of a third Space Launch System core stage and order long-lead items for additional boosters.
Defense

NORTHROP GRUMMAN has $9.4m U.S. Air Force contract for B-2 Crystal Oscillator Replacement Engineering Services.

Aero Engine Corp. of China (AECC) has produced turbine-engine parts in ceramic matrix composite (CMC), a material that offers low weight and high resistance to temperature.

By Steve Trimble
The U.S. Army’s next tactical missile could more than double the range of the weapon it replaces in a smaller form factor, with the theoretical ability to strike targets at ranges up to 500 mi.
Defense

By Jen DiMascio
In its attempt to ensure that soldiers have access to GPS-like info, even when access to those USAF sats may be compromised, the U.S. Army is in the process of fielding an alternative system on certain ground vehicles.
Defense

By Steve Trimble
The U.S. Army’s intel branch has started laying out a new vision for replacing the fleet of turboprop aircraft now performing the ISR mission with several layers of platforms stacked from tree-top level to low Earth orbit by 2028.
Defense

By Irene Klotz
Virgin Galactic and Boeing expect to finish a design for a point-to-point suborbital plane over the next few months, Virgin founder Richard Branson told Aerospace DAILY.
Defense

By Tony Osborne
An Anglo-French technology program to develop new components and systems for missiles is set to undergo significant change next year.
Defense