Aerospace & Defense Roundup: Feb. 19

Super Hornet Trio Participates In Finnish Fighter Challenge

Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornets have touched down in Finland to take part in its air force’s HX Challenge, under which each participant is being tested in the hunt to replace the country’s legacy fleet of Hornets.

Winning DARPA’s Launch Challenge A Daunting Task For Startup Astra

The two-week window for the first flight under DARPA’s Launch Challenge opened on Feb. 17. For California startup Astra, the sole competitor left in the responsive-launch contest, it will also be the first attempt to fly its latest rocket.

U.S. General Says China Testing Nuclear Hypersonic System

China is testing an intercontinental-range hypersonic glide vehicle (HGV) similar to Russian’s deployed Avangard system, U.S. Air Force Gen. Terrence O’Shaughnessy said in written testimony submitted to Congress.

NASAMoon

OHB Offshoot’s Mini-Launcher Heads Toward First Flight In 2021

Rocket Factory Augsburg (RFA), part of Germany’s OHB group, is progressing toward the first flight of its mini-launcher late next year.

Lessors Deferring Payments, Moving Aircraft To Combat COVID-19, MAX Issues

As airlines grapple with capacity shortages created by the Boeing 737 MAX grounding or a sudden over-supply because of COVID-19-related schedule reductions, lessors are supporting their mitigation plans, including matching customers in both categories and moving aircraft between them.

NASASoyuz capsule