Aerospace & Defense Roundup: Oct, 8
October 09, 2019
NASA On Brink Of Overcoming ICON Delay
After a perplexing delay of nearly two years, NASA’s Ionospheric Connection Explorer (ICON) spacecraft is poised to launch late Oct. 9 on a Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems (NGIS) Pegasus XL rocket carried aloft by the company’s L-1011 Stargazer aircraft from Cape Canaveral.
Subscribers can access the full article here. Not a subscriber? Sign up here.

House Dem Warns Against U.S. Open Skies Withdrawal
A senior House Democrat has warned that U.S. withdrawal from the Open Skies Treaty would only benefit Russia and be harmful to allies, partners and national security interests.
Subscribers can access the full article here. Not a subscriber? Sign up here.

Britain Publishes No-Deal Brexit Prep Advice
The UK government appears to be moving toward a goal of exiting the European Union (EU) without an agreement on Oct. 31. A no-deal exit has been described as a potential nightmare scenario for aerospace and British industry in general.
Subscribers can access the full article here. Not a subscriber? Sign up here.

India Takes Delivery Of Its First Rafale
In a ceremony at Dassault Aviation’s Bordeaux, France, factory, the government of India on Oct. 8 officially received the first of 36 Rafale fighters it ordered from France under a 2016 intergovernmental agreement.
Subscribers can access the full article here. Not a subscriber? Sign up here.

Finland Caps Future Fighter Procurement Budget At €10B
Finland has capped the procurement budget for its HX future fighter program at €10 billion ($10.95 billion) and will allow tenders to offer fewer than the specified 64 aircraft.
Subscribers can access the full article here. Not a subscriber? Sign up here.

Elbit To Supply Drones To Southeast Asian Army
Elbit Systems Ltd. has been awarded a $153 million contract to supply battlefield and medium-altitude drones to “an Army of a country in Southeast Asia,” possibly Vietnam.
Subscribers can access the full article here. Not a subscriber? Sign up here.

Indra Leading EU Autonomous Drone Project
Spanish defense electronics firm Indra has taken the lead in a European project to develop technologies for the traffic management of unmanned air systems.
Subscribers can access the full article here. Not a subscriber? Sign up here.

Improved Gearbox Opening Kopter Flight Envelope
Swiss helicopter manufacturer Kopter says it has restarted flight tests of its third prototype SH09 single-engine light helicopter with a new, improved gearbox.
Subscribers can access the full article here. Not a subscriber? Sign up here.