Aerospace Daily & Defense Report

A raging debate over how much a new Space Force will cost taxpayers intensified with the release of a new estimate.

LOCKHEED MARTIN has $348.9m U.S. Navy contract for infrastructure to support laboratory facilities and flight testing for cost-plus-incentive-fee contract to provide the infrastructure to support F-35 developmental laboratory facilities and flight test activities.

TEL AVIV—The StarLiner UAS, the Swiss version of the Elbit Systems Hermes 900, is in the last phases of certification to fly in Swiss civil airspace.

NASA has selected Jezero Crater, an ancient dry lake with diverse landscapes, from among 64 candidates on the red planet as the landing site for its Mars 2020 rover.

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Captive carry tests of Virgin Orbit’s LauncherOne low-cost space launch system began on Nov. 18.

European missile manufacturer MBDA has carried out the first firing of its new Marte ER anti-ship missile.

Smaller aerospace fasteners, parts and supply chain services provider Wesco Aircraft is racing to restructure but may already be seeing the effects of the giant acquisition.

Industry is being asked to provide ideas for a key part of the USAF's plan to replace its E-8C J-Stars ground-surveillance fleet with a distributed airborne battle-management system.

Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works has cut metal on the X-59 QueSST, beginning manufacture of the first part for NASA’s low-boom flight demonstrator.

The International Space Station’s (ISS) small crew successfully finished greeting back-to-back U.S. and Russian cargo missions early Nov. 19.

The future successor to Northrop’s B-2A and Boeing’s B-1B will be maintained and upgraded from the Air Logistics Center at Tinker Air Force Base outside of Oklahoma City.

L3 TECHNOLOGIES VERTEX AEROSPACE LLC has $35m U.S. Air Force contract for contractor logistics support of Air Force C-12 fleet.

NASA and Northrop Grumman have delayed for a second day the company’s 10th resupply launch to the International Space Station (ISS).

View the Fleet Snapshot: Bangladesh Air Force chart in PDF format.

The F-35A is expected to join NATO’s extended deterrence mission with the Boeing F-15E. After being modified to receive a B61-12 nuclear bomb, he F-35A will replace the Lockheed Martin F-16 now performing the same mission.

Britain’s decision to pursue a potential sole-source purchase of Boeing’s E-7 Wedgetail airborne early warning aircraft was based on the risks and incompatibilities associated with the potential competitors.

The operational addition of the Raytheon-built derivative of the 500-lb. Paveway series improves the F-35’s ability to hit moving targets.

Bahrain has become the second export customer for the Bell AH-1Z Viper attack helicopter after firming up a $916 million Foreign Military Sale.

Australia has chosen the General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper for an armed drone requirement intended to support expeditionary operations.

Russia’s Progress MS-10 cargo capsule is on course for a Nov. 18 docking with the International Space Station.

NASA’s looming top management and performance challenges are hardly unfamiliar, according to an annual assessment provided by the agency’s inspector general.

India’s national space agency has issued a global call for proposals to perform experiments on its Venus probe scheduled for launch in mid-2023.

NorthStar Earth & Space, which aims to provide satellite-based Earth observation and orbital debris tracking, has raised C$52 million ($39.5 million).

Days after delivering a payload of cubesats into orbit, U.S. smallsat launch firm Rocket Lab has closed on an additional financing round of $140 million.