Aerospace Daily & Defense Report

Lockheed Martin on April 23 reported first-quarter 2019 financial results that far beat Wall Street’s expectations, with all its divisions showing double-digit revenue growth individually and the company popping 23% over revenue reported a year ago.

A package of Block 4 upgrades and other updates for the Lockheed Martin F-35 will cost an estimated $22.3 billion.

The U.S. Air Force lifted a nearly month-old grounding order on a fleet of more than 60 B-1B bombers on April 23.

Safran is to develop an engine derived from the M88 powering the Rafale as the powerplant for a tech demo for the Franco-German Future Combat Air System program.

The U.S. Air Force is conducting research before holding a ground demonstration to streamline the Advanced Extremely High Frequency mission control segment.

Key aerospace and defense supplier Collins Aerospace expects up to $0.10 of “headwind” on its earnings per share (EPS) this year.

A first test of the new DeepStrike missile rocket motor validated the expected performance for the proposed medium-range surface-to-surface missile, Raytheon announced on April 23.

NASA is seeking ideas for reliable and secure communication, navigation and surveillance (CNS) systems to enable urban air mobility (UAM).

Vertical takeoff and landing rocket vehicle developer Masten Space Systems says it is on track to fly a terrestrial testbed version of its XL-1 lunar lander within 12 months.

Belgium will receive its first F-35 Joint Strike Fighters in 2023, although the first aircraft will not be based in-country until 2025.

Armed with its Part 135 operator’s certificate, Wing now plans to engage with communities and businesses in Blacksburg and Christiansburg in southwest Virginia, close where it has been testing its delivery drones.

Boeing is working with satellite customer Intelsat to figure out why Intelsat 29e failed after the spacecraft was declared a total loss.

The USAF is standing up a gateway comm system at an operational base to enable certain front-line fighters, including the F-35A, to transmit data to other aircraft types without compromising its stealth signature.

The U.S. Air Force’s Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) program delivered the fifth satellite to Cape Canaveral after successfully completing a battery of tests.

Government services provider Jacobs is buying cybersecurity specialist KeyW for $815 million, including $272 million in debt, the companies announced April 22.

An Italian startup developing micro-turbines to power unmanned aircraft has won the $1 million grand prize in New York state’s Genius NY accelerator competition.

Japanese industry is discussing the creation of a joint company for fighter development.

A directive that accelerates NASA’s plans to return to the Moon’s surface with humans from 2024-2028 has also created an urgency that it return first with rovers.

India hopes to expedite work on its much-delayed Intermediate Jet Trainer after resuming test flights of a modified version of the aircraft.

Australia has received the first of three Dassault Falcon 7X business jets that will re-equip the VIP squadron based at Canberra.

A test of abort thrusters destroyed the capsule that had returned from an unmanned test flight to the International Space Station.

A photographer captured a dramatic image of dark smoke rising from the southern tip of Cape Canaveral AFS.

NORTHROP GRUMMAN has $44.4m U.S. Air Force contract for the production of electronic attack pods.

A German military Global 5000 VIP transport suffered an avionics failure at Berlin-Schönefeld Airport that resulted in a crash landing April 16.

uAvionix, a developer and manufacturer of miniature avionics for communications, navigation and surveillance applications, says it is testing a prototype control radio for unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) and urban air mobility vehicles.