Aerospace & Defense Roundup: Feb. 24

Sierra Nevada on Feb. 22 filed a protest with the Government Accountability Office (GAO) of the U.S. Air Force’s decision to award a sole-source upgrade contract to Sikorsky for the HH-60W Combat Rescue Helicopter. On Feb. 11, The Air ForSierra Nevada on Feb. 22 filed a protest with the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) of the U.S. Air Force’s decision to award a sole-source upgrade contract to Sikorsky for the HH-60W Combat Rescue Helicopter. Credit: Sikorsky

Hard on the heels of its billion-dollar investment deal, urban air mobility startup Archer has committed to launch its first air-taxi network in Los Angeles by 2024. Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) is a hub for United Airlines, which has placed a conditional order for up to 200 of Archer’s electric air taxis. Credit: Archer

Spirit AeroSystems is growing the defense part of its revenue streams faster than expected, which is mildly helping to offset lost work in making airliners, the company’s CEO said Feb. 23. Spirit saw 20% defense growth in 2020, according to financial results released Feb. 23, and the leading Tier 1 expects another 15% in 2021. In the end, defense could account for 18% of this year’s revenue, almost reaching its goal of 20%. Credit: Spirit Aerosystems

HAWC concept

F-16

The U.S. government and Lockheed Martin are negotiating a scaled back version of the performance-based logistics contract the company previously pitched for F-35 sustainment, with the aim of getting the flying hour price to $25,000 by 2025. Lockheed pared down the scope of the F-35 performance-based logistics contract “to get something that the customers were comfortable with, and what we’re pressing forward with is a supply support and demand-reduction capability,” Ken Merchant, F-35 sustainability vice president at Lockheed Martin, told reporters Feb. 23. The current F-35 cost per flying hour is $36,000. Credit: USAF

While the U.S. Air Force has yet to acknowledge the existence of an operational program for the long-retired Lockheed Martin F-117A, the reappearance of two of the stealthy attack aircraft over Los Angeles in plain sight on Feb. 19 further confirms the type’s expanding role in fifth-generation aggressor training, as well as test and development. Credit: Matt Hartman

NASA is reviewing updated proposals from three companies vying for funding to continue development of human lunar landing systems for the Artemis program, and expects to select two bidders for Option A follow-on contracts “within the next few weeks,” Deputy Associate Administrator Mark Kirasich said on Feb. 24. NASA has “three completely different ... very good, well-thought-out [lunar lander] concepts,” Kirasich said during the 47th Spaceport Summit (formerly Space Congress), held virtually Feb. 23-25. “The contractors did their job and [that] made our job hard now.” Credit: NASA

Joby Aviation is going public in a transaction that will provide the urban air mobility (UAM) startup more than $1.5 billion to complete aircraft development and begin air taxi services. The deal comes with a long-term commitment from investors to back the company through the scaling up of its operations. Credit: Joby Aviation

KC-46

Italian flagship aerospace and defense (A&D) company Leonardo has reiterated its intent to sell off its Arlington, Virginia-based U.S. operations called DRS, marking the second time since last fall that the company has commented on the sales effort. Credit: Leonardo

European publication of certification rules for road-capable gyroplanes has cleared the way for the Netherlands’ PAL-V to complete development of its Liberty flying car. The startup is aiming to begin commercial deliveries in 2022. Credit: PAL-V

Advanced air mobility startup Lilium has selected Spanish aerostructures supplier Aciturri to build the composite airframe for its electric vertical-takeoff-and-landing (eVTOL) air taxi. Munich-based Lilium has already selected Toray to provide the carbon-fiber composite materials for the Lilium Jet. Credit: Lilium

Thirty years since the U.S. Army retired the Sikorsky CH-54 Tarhe, Erickson is looking to offer a more capable version of the helicopter for use by the U.S. military. Oregon-based Erickson, which owns the type certificate for the Sikorsky-designed S-64 Skycrane—known as the CH-54 in Army service—is currently developing an upgraded version that it believes could fit a niche role as a logistics heavylifter, allowing types such as Boeing’s CH-47 Chinook and Sikorsky’s CH-53E/K Stallion helicopters to move to the front lines. Credit: Erickson

Russian Helicopters is on its way to securing the first foreign investment in its VTR500 light single rotorcraft program run through its VR-Technologies subsidiary. The Russian government disclosed Feb. 19 that it had approved a joint venture between the Russian manufacturer and the United Arab Emirates’ Tawazun Strategic Development Fund. Credit: Italdesign