Aerospace & Defense Roundup: Feb. 25

B-52

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

Israel’s Ministry of Defense on Feb. 25 selected the Sikorsky CH-53K heavy-lift helicopter over the Boeing CH-47F Block II to replace a fleet of 23 CH-53s. “The new helicopter is adapted to the [Israel Air Force’s] operational requirements and to the challenges of the changing battlefield,” Defense Minister Bennie Gantz said. The selection ends a lengthy competition within Israel between the two U.S. heavy-lift helicopter options. Credit: Sikorsky

The Boeing E-7 Wedgetail, an Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS), would be an “attractive” near-term replacement for the U.S. Air Force’s increasingly unreliable fleet of E-3A Sentrys, the commander of Pacific Air Forces (PACAF) said Feb. 24. “The reliability you get out of the E-7—and the fact that it’s basically available nearly immediately—is why that’s so attractive,” Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach told reporters during the Air Force Association’s virtual Air Warfare Symposium. E-7 Wedgetail

Kitty Hawk has partnered with European health care company Falk to evaluate use of the Heaviside electric vertical-takeoff-and-landing vehicle in emergency response operations. Heaviside is a high-performance, single-seat aircraft with eight tilting propellers. Kitty Hawk has completed more than 700 test flights with 13 prototypes, demonstrating a 100-mi. range and 180 mph maximum speed on battery power. Credit: Kitty Hawk

Navigation satellites broadcast their signals toward the Earth, but spacecraft in low Earth orbit are also able to take advantage of the signals to improve localization and enable advanced orbital capabilities. But with most global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) using medium Earth orbit, it is much harder for spacecraft at higher altitudes, including geostationary (GEO) and highly elliptical orbits, to use their Earth-facing signals. But with growing activity in cislunar space and lunar orbit, there is growing interest in using the weak and intermittent signals that are available from existing GNSS constellations for positioning and timing. Credit: JAXA

MQ-9

Europe could lead global defense spending growth if nations continue current spending trajectories, analysis by the London-based International Institute of Strategic Studies (IISS) has suggested. Although only nine NATO members met the alliance target of spending 2% of GDP in 2020, average defense spending across Europe represented 1.64% of gross domestic product in 2020. That is up from just 1.25% in 2014 and 1.52% in 2019 and was further boosted by commitments from countries such as France, Germany and the UK to increase defense budgets. Overall, defense spending across the continent has increased by 20% since 2014 and grew by 2% in 2020. Credit: NATO

Weather service startup ClimaCell on Feb. 24 declared its intent to launch and operate a constellation of small satellites in the coming years to power its aspiration of becoming “the largest weather enterprise in the world.” In a statement, ClimaCell claimed its upcoming satellites—each the size of a “mini-fridge”—would offer comparable performance to NASA’s Global Precipitation Measurement Mission (GPM) to measure Earth’s rain and snowfall. The two-satellite GPM was budgeted for nearly $1 billion. Credit: ClimaCell

Blue Origin is targeting the fourth quarter of 2022 for the first flight of its reusable orbital New Glenn launch system, a delay of about one year, the company said on Feb. 25. The company revised the schedule for New Glenn’s debut flight in light of not winning a U.S. Space Force Phase 2 Launch Services Procurement, Blue Origin noted in a statement. Credit: Blue Origin

Turkish Aerospace (TAI) has reimagined its T-629 attack helicopter as an unmanned platform. A model of the aircraft in an unmanned configuration was on static display at TAI facilities in Ankara on Feb. 25 as part of a ceremony marking the delivery of the first T129 ATAK attack helicopter to Turkish security forces. Credit: TAI

BAE Systems CEO Charles Woodburn says he expects a “positive” result for the company’s long-term programs in the British government’s upcoming Integrated Review of defense. Speaking as the company released its full-year results for 2020 on Feb. 25, Woodburn said he anticipated that the major long-term programs such as the Tempest Future Combat Air System, production of the Type 26 frigate and the development of new-generation ballistic missile submarine would be “strongly supported through the Integrated Review.”