Aerospace & Defense Roundup: Jul. 30
July 31, 2020![](/sites/default/files/styles/crop_freeform/public/2020-07/6._t-7a_boeing_0.jpg?itok=ZLlFqAPF)
Australia Emerges As Boeing's First Export Target For T-7A
Boeing has formally offered the T-7A trainer in response to an Australian request for information for a new Lead-In Fighter Training system (LIFTS), the company said on July 30. The T-7A won the U.S. Air Force contract to replace the T-38 in September 2019, but Boeing’s response to Australia’s emerging requirement to replace a fleet of aging BAE Hawk 127 jets is now the type’s first move on the market.
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EHang Expands EVTOL Production, Gets OK In Canada
Chinese urban air taxi developer EHang is to expand its production capacity for autonomous air vehicles as it works to develop domestic and international markets for the passenger-capable aircraft. Expansion of an existing facility at Yunfu city near Guangzhou in Guangdong province is expected be ready for production to begin in early 2021, with a planned initial capacity of 600 units a year.
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AeroTEC Working With MagniX, Eviation Advance Electric Aircraft
The next prototype of Eviation’s Alice all-electric, nine-passenger aircraft will undergo final assembly and flight test at AeroTEC in Moses Lake, Washington. Integration testing is planned to begin this fall, AeroTEC President and CEO Lee Human told a July 29 webinar.
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Garmin Restores Systems Following Cyberattack
Garmin said it was returning to normal operations following a cyberattack that disrupted its web-based aviation and consumer applications for several days. The outage was widely suspected to have been caused by ransomware—a type of malicious software that encrypts a user’s computer files, then conveys a ransom demand to restore access to the data. Citing cybersecurity firms, the website ZDNet said a Russia-based hacker group known as EvilCorp was thought to be behind the attack, which started on July 23.
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MHI To Upgrade F-15Js Under Contract With Boeing
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) will act as prime contractor for the upgrade of up to 98 Japanese Boeing F-15J fighters, the U.S. company said, announcing the signing of an agreement on the program between the two sides. Boeing referred to the new configuration as “Super Interceptor” but supplied an illustration showing the aircraft carrying air-to-air missiles and what appeared to be a Lockheed Martin AGM-158 air-to-surface missile.
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Credit: U.S. Navy
MQ-25
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B-21, GBSD Remain On Track Through Q2 At Northrop
Development of a new stealth bomber and contract award for the next intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) remain on schedule despite COVID-19 workplace disruptions, Northrop Grumman CEO Kathy Warden said July 30 on a teleconference about second-quarter earnings.
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Credit: U.S. Department of Defense
Pentagon
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HAPSMobile Flies Stratospheric UAV From Spaceport America
The HAPSMobile venture involving Japan’s SoftBank and AeroVironment has completed a fourth test flight of its solar-powered stratospheric unmanned aircraft, flying for longer and reaching a higher altitude than previous tests. The aircraft is being developed as a flying cell tower for mobile communications.
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Tropical Storm Adds Uncertainty To Demo-2 Splashdown
Hours after the Demo-2 spacecraft was cleared to splash down along the Florida coast this weekend carrying two NASA astronauts home from the International Space Station (ISS), a tropical disturbance heHOUSTON—Hours after the Demo-2 spacecraft was cleared to splash down along the Florida coast this weekend bringing NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley from the International Space Station (ISS), a tropical disturbance headed for the Sunshine State was upgraded to a tropical storm.
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Airbus Proves Remote Carrier Links To Combat Aircraft
Airbus has demonstrated how it could connect unmanned remote carrier platforms in a multi-data link environment. The capability, which forms part of the planned European Future Combat Air System (FCAS), was proved during a German Air Force exercise—Timber Express—using Eurofighter Typhoon and Panavia Tornado combat aircraft.
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Commercial Spaceport Plan For Vandenberg AFB
The U.S. Space Force’s 30th Space Wing, the state of California and other involved parties have entered into an agreement to develop a commercial spaceport facility at Vandenberg AFB, California, the federal government’s Western launch range.
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Textron Sees Recovery At Light End Of Bizav
Textron Aviation is seeing a pickup in orders for light turboprops and jets from private buyers, but demand from corporations for larger business jets has yet to show signs of recovery, parent company Textron told analysts on July 30. “The level of activity and orders that are closing have been stronger on the light side,” CEO Scott Donnelly said on Textron’s second-quarter (Q2) results call with analysts. “King Air 250s right now are very strong. [Citation] M2s are strong. So they’re more the private-business, high-net-worth-individual sort of customers,” he said.
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Dawn Unveils Reusable Suborbital Spaceplane Demonstrator
New Zealand-based startup Dawn Aerospace has rolled out its Mk-II Aurora reusable suborbital spaceplane. Designed to use runways for takeoff and landing, the rocket-powered, delta-winged vehicle is a subscale technology demonstrator for a planned reusable orbital launch vehicle capable of making multiple flights per day.
Airbus proves remote carrier links to combat aircraft, B-21, GBSD remain on track, Dawn unveils reusable suborbital spaceplane demonstrator, Australia emerges as Boeing's first export target for T-7A, MHI to upgrade F-15Js under contract with Boeing and more. A roundup of aerospace, space and defense news powered by Aerospace Daily & Defense Report.
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