Aerospace & Defense Roundup: Feb. 08

DARPA Awards Contracts For LongShot UAV Design

General Atomics, Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman won contracts to pursue preliminary design work for DARPA’s LongShot program to develop an air-launched UAV that can employ multiple air-to-air weapons, DARPA announced Feb. 8. DARPA wants to develop this new UAV to extend the range of and reduce the risk to manned aircraft. It would allow fighters and bombers to deploy LongShot to reduce standoff range and take more effective shots at enemy threats. Credit: DARPA

The Weekly Debrief: U.S. Freezes Saudi Munitions Sales In Wake Of Yemen War

The U.S. is freezing the sales of precision-guided munitions to Saudi Arabia as part of a broader Biden administration policy shift of not supporting the nation’s war in Yemen. President Joe Biden announced in his first foreign policy speech that the U.S. is ending support for offensive operations in Yemen. Credit: USAF

U.S. Army Seeks Tech To Reduce Sensor-To-Shooter Time

The U.S. Army has conducted an operational assessment with the Rafael Fire Weaver, also known as Smart Trigger, which the Israel Defense Forces fielded with combined arms units up to the battalion level to reduce sensor-to-shooter time. Fire Weaver integrates as an open and modular software application with existing battle management systems and other tactical computing devices. Credit: Rafael

Regulators Unaware Of Threats Prior To MH17 Shootdown, Report Says

An independent report has concluded that neither Ukrainian nor Russian aviation regulators were aware of any potential threats to civil airspace in the lead up to the shootdown of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine in July 2014. The report by the Flight Safety Foundation found there was insufficient evidence to suggest that Ukrainian authorities who controlled the airspace in the country’s east and the Russian authorities who ran neighboring flight regions were aware of a potential threat to the airspace. Credit: Yuriy Lapitskiy

British Antenna Startup Isotropic Lands $40M-Plus From SES, Boeing

British flat-panel satellite antenna systems maker Isotropic Systems, already a recipient of Boeing and venture capital funds, has landed at least $40 million more and plans to double in size as it races toward commercial rollout. In a Feb. 8 announcement, Isotropic said it plans to accelerate its production phase in time to support new commercial constellations and satellites launching in “all” satellite orbits from 2022 onwards. Credit: Isotropic Systems

Lockheed To Use ABL Space Systems Launcher For UK Pathfinder Flight

Lockheed Martin is to use a launcher provided by ABL Space Systems for its planned Pathfinder launch from the UK. Lockheed envisages a 2022 launch of ABL’s RS1 rocket from the Shetland Space Center, located on an archipelago north of Scotland. Credit: Lockheed Martin

UAE, China Poised For Mars Debuts

The first of a trio of new spacecraft headed to Mars is nearing a do-or-die 27-min. engine burn on Feb. 9 to trim speed so it can be swept into orbit around the red planet. The Emirates Mars Mission Hope orbiter is scheduled to begin firing its six thrusters at 10:31 a.m. EST, at an altitude of 1,490 mi. (2,400 km) above Mars. Credit: CNSA

Mars Likely Host To Plentiful Subsurface Water Ice, Findings Show

Two northern hemisphere regions on Mars appear to offer the best prospects for hosting generous deposits of subsurface ice that could serve as a key resource for future human exploration of the red planet, findings from multiple planetary science missions show. The regions are the broad plains of Arcadia and the glacial network Deuteronilus Mensae. Bold expeditions with astronauts to the red planet will seek scientific discovery while “living off the land” to moderate cost over the long term. Credit: NASA

Shelby Will Not Seek Re-Election To Senate

Senate Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) has announced that he will not seek a seventh term in 2022. During his time in the Senate, Shelby served as chairman for the appropriations, banking, intelligence and rules committees. Credit: U.S. Senate

France Orders Light Aircraft For Navy, Flight Testing Units

French defense materiel agency DGA has ordered six light aircraft from domestic manufacturers for training and flight testing. The four Daher TBM 940 single-engine turboprop aircraft will be used by the DGA’s flight test center, while two Cap 10 piston-engine trainers will be used by the French Navy for the selection of pilot candidates. Credit: Daher

European Demos Will Develop Conops For UAM

Large-scale flight demonstrations are planned in seven countries under a European program to expand its U-space concept of operations for unmanned traffic management to include urban air mobility (UAM). Credit: Volocopter