Aerospace & Defense Roundup: July 22

FARA

Bristow Helicopters, the provider of the UK’s Search and Rescue (SAR) helicopter service, is set to operate a rotary-wing unmanned aircraft system for SAR duties this summer. Credit: Ian Black, HM Coastguard, Bristow Helicopters, 2Excel Aviation

The UK Ministry of Defense has completed its planned purchase of the General Atomics Protector medium-altitude, long-endurance uncrewed air system, signing an order for 13 aircraft. Credit: General Atomics

Data scientists and the UK air navigation service provider (ANSP) NATS have teamed up to develop capabilities that could pave the way for artificial intelligence to support air traffic controllers. Credit: NATS

The Bremerton Aviation Center for Education (BACE) in Washington State and the CAFE Foundation, based at Sonoma County Airport in California, are jointly proposing the creation of an evaluation center for electric aircraft tasked with producing test reports similar to those CAFE generated decades ago on kitplanes. Credit: CAFE Foundation

Its focus may be on kickstarting hydrogen in commercial aviation by retrofitting regional turboprops with fuel-cell propulsion systems, but startup Universal Hydrogen is also eyeing the next generation of electric vertical-takeoff-and-landing (eVTOL) vehicles. Credit: Universal Hydrogen

A Sikorsky-Boeing team has proven that the SB-1 Defiant demonstrator can lift a 5,300-lb. underslung load on an external hook. A video released on July 22 by the contender for the U.S. Army’s Future Long Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA) shows the SB-1 lifting to a hover an external load that the Sikorsky-Boeing described as 5,300 lb., simulating the weight of a 5,000-lb. infantry squad vehicle or thousands of rounds of ammunition. Credit: Sikorsky-Boeing

Ad Astra Rocket Co. has reached another milestone in its long-running quest to develop an electric propulsion capability to hasten the human exploration of Mars and other space activities. Credit: Astra Rocket Co.

The same day Blue Origin made its first human spaceflight, sending four passengers into suborbital space, the FAA issued new Commercial Space Astronaut Wings eligibility requirements. Among the passengers aboard Blue Origin’s New Shepard was pioneering aviator Mary Wallace “Wally” Funk, who cast her eye on spaceflight more than 60 years ago. At 22, Funk was among a group of female pilots who participated in rigorous medical evaluations as part of a study to determine if women could physically and mentally fly in space. Credit: Blue Origin