Aerospace & Defense Roundup: Oct, 2

October 03, 2019

U.S. Air Force Stands Up New NGAD Design Office

Credit: U.S. Air Force

U.S. Air Force Col. Dale White, who formerly led surveillance and special operations acquisition programs, will lead the new Advanced Aircraft office.

 

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Pratt To Reduce F-35 Engine Cost

Credit: F135: Pratt & Whitney

Pratt & Whitney will reduce the unit recurring flyaway (URF) cost of the F135 engine by 3% over a three-year ordering period for Lockheed Martin F-35s scheduled for delivery from 2020 to 2022, the company says. 

 

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Italian Air Force Buys Virgin Galactic Flight For Research Mission

Credit: SpaceShipTwo: Virgin Galactic

Virgin Galactic and the Italian Air Force signed a contract Oct. 2 to train and carry three Italians into suborbital space aboard SpaceShipTwo to conduct research experiments in flight as soon as next year. 

 

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Avic Plans To Fly Operational Near-Space Drone In 2021

Credit: China State-Owned Assets Supervisory and Administration Commission

Avic is working toward flying an operational near-space, solar-powered drone in 2021, following a decision this year to proceed with a demonstrator of 50-m (164-ft.) wingspan.

 

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Inmarsat, ESA Agree To Start Iris Phase 2 Effort

Credit: The Alphasat geostationary satellite will support the Iris data link: European Space Agency

Inmarsat has signed a contract with the ESA to begin the second phase of the Iris development program to create a satellite data link capability for aircraft flying in Europe.

 

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Air And Missile Defense Radar In Chinese Parade

China exhibited a new radar system for air and missile defense in its Oct. 1 National Day parade.

 

Above: Four radar vehicles, each vehicle being the fourth and last in its air-and-missile-defense radar unit in the parade: Hefei provincial government.

 

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Intel Agency Studies MQ-25 For Surveillance Role

Credit: MQ-25: U.S. Navy

The U.S. Navy’s MQ-25 is being developed as a carrier-based aerial refueler, but an intelligence agency is showing interest in the unmanned aircraft system for a maritime surveillance role.

 

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DART Acquires Simplex Aerospace

Credit: H225: Airbus Helicopters

Helicopter component developer DART Aerospace has acquired aerial firefighting equipment developer Simplex Aerospace.

 

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