Aerospace & Defense Roundup: Aug. 20
August 21, 2020![](/sites/default/files/styles/crop_freeform/public/2020-08/blue_origin_lunar_lander_engineering_mockup-blue_origin_0.jpg?itok=0p32sjUK)
NASA To Evaluate Blue Origin Human Lunar Lander Hands-On
NASA took delivery Aug. 20 of a Blue Origin-led mockup of one of three commercial lunar Human Landing System proposals critical to achieving a White House directive of returning human explorers to the Moon in 2024. Blue Origin’s partners in the effort are Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and the Draper Laboratory. Credit: Blue Origin
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Urban Aeronautics Partners With Air Ambulance Operator On VTOL
Israel’s Urban Aeronautics has signed an agreement with U.S.-based emergency air transport provider Hatzolah Air to develop a version of its CityHawk air taxi for emergency medical service applications. Credit: Urban Aeronautics
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Five Companies Eligible To Sell Small UAS To U.S. Government
By the end of September, the Pentagon will have cleared five companies—Altavian, Parrot, Skydio, Teal and Vantage Robotics—to sell their small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS) to the U.S. government. For 18 months, the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) and the Army’s short-range reconnaissance program focused on purchasing sUAS worked together to clear an inexpensive, rucksack-portable, vertical-takeoff-and-landing system for small units. Credit: Skycatch
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Air BP, Neste To Quintuple SAF Offering
Air BP and Neste are to offer a vastly increased amount of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) to airport customers, the two companies said Aug. 19. Fuels provider Air BP and Finland’s Neste, which describes itself as the world’s largest producer of SAF, will offer five times the amount of SAF to airports in 2020 and 2021 than they did in 2019. Credit: Neste
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Credit: U.S. Air Force
F-16
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F-35A
Credit: U.S. Air Force
U.S. Air Force F-35As at Al Dhafra Air Base in the UAE
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Aerion Gets Space Florida Investment Boost
Florida’s aerospace and spaceport development authority Space Florida has agreed to invest in Aerion Supersonic in a deal aimed at supporting development of the high-speed aircraft manufacturer’s new production site in Melbourne on the state’s east coast. Credit: Aerion Supersonic
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Xwing’s Autonomous Caravan Aimed At Unmanned Regional Logistics Use
Startup Xwing is testing a Cessna 208B Caravan modified for autonomous flight and plans to begin a piloted regional cargo operation as a step toward introducing an unmanned air logistics service for distances up to 500 mi. Credit: Xwing
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European Aerospace Aluminum Firms Merge In Integration Play
AMAG Austria Metall said it is acquiring a 70% share of the German company Aircraft Philipp Gruppe (ACP)—more vertically aligning expertise in the machining of aluminum and titanium for the aerospace industry along with aluminum rolling, casting and recycling. Credit: AMAG Austria Metall AG
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Officials Back Establishing Space Mining Rules Of The Road
Participants in a webinar on the utilization of space resources this week expressed growing interest in establishing rules—akin to NASA’s proposed Artemis Accords—to ensure a conflict-free, reduced-risk approach to the human exploration of the Moon, Mars and other deep-space destinations.
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Rolls-Royce, Reaction Engines Team For High Speed And Hybrids
Rolls-Royce and Reaction Engines have entered a new strategic partnership to develop high-speed aircraft propulsion systems and study potential applications of Reaction’s heat exchanger technology for next-generation civil engines and hybrid-electric propulsion systems. The partnership, which comes in the wake of announcements earlier in August that Rolls-Royce is studying high speed technology for supersonic transport projects underway at Virgin Galactic and Boom Supersonic, marks a key step in Reaction’s quest to gain market traction by introducing its pre-cooler system into future propulsion systems. Credit: Rolls-Royce
Rolls Royce and Reaction Engines team for high speed and hybrids, AI dominates human F-16 pilot in mock dogfights, Air BP and Neste to quintuple SAF offering, F-35 sale to Poland may quicken future deal closings and more. A roundup of aerospace, space and defense news powered by Aerospace Daily & Defense Report.
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