Aerospace & Defense Roundup: Jul. 1

In a surprise industrial coup, Sierra Nevada on July 1 captured a $700 million program to develop and install an advanced suite of radio frequency countermeasures (RFCM) bolstered by machine learning algorithms for the U.S. Special Operations Command's (SOCOM) fleets of Lockheed Martin AC-130J and MC-130J aircraft.

Reorienting national strategy toward greater self reliance in response to rising Chinese power, Australia says it will acquire long-range ground-attack missiles with which it could hold at risk enemy forces and infrastructure. An expected order for Lockheed Martin AGM-158C anti-ship missiles has been approved, according to a strategy policy issued July 1.

The FAA envisages creating dedicated corridors in airspace over cities to enable urban air-taxi services to scale up. These corridors are a key feature of the agency’s first concept of operations, ConOps 1.0, for urban air mobility (UAM).

Manufacturers are advancing 12 drone models toward FAA type certification, according to the head of the agency’s Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Integration Office. Type certification (TC) represents the FAA’s stamp of approval of an aircraft’s design, something that has not been required for small drones. But with an exemption policy nearing expiration, the agency is pushing drone manufacturers to go through an exacting process to prove their models are airworthy, said Jay Merkle, executive director of the UAS Integration Office.

The House Armed Services Committee is prodding the U.S. Air Force to improve the beloved A-10 Warthog by outfitting the aircraft with a synthetic aperture radar to help aircrew perform close air support in adverse weather and low-visibility conditions.

The manufacturer says it will work with 13 partners and subcontractors from five EU countries on the LynkEUs, a European Defense Industrial Development Program (EDIDP) that will contribute to a French-led Permanent Structured Cooperation project with Belgium and Cyprus for future BLOS Battlefield Missile Systems.

Spacewalking NASA astronauts Chris Cassidy and Bob Behnken made significant progress July 1 in their month-long effort to upgrade bulky batteries on the International Space Station’s (ISS) 360-ft.-long solar power truss. Cassidy and Behnken began the effort June 26 with the first of four anticipated six -to seven-hour spacewalks planned to continue well into July.

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NASA is seeking industry partners interested in participating in its first advanced air mobility National Campaign in 2022. The request for proposals to exchange information in preparation for flight demonstrations is open to U.S. and foreign vehicle developers.