Aerospace & Defense Roundup: July 26

NDIA Sets Up New Think Tank For Emerging Technologies

A new think-tank formally introduced on July 26 by the National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA) will seek to bring industry’s voice to help accelerate the deployment of new technologies by the U.S. Defense Department.

Bezos Adds Big Fee Cut To Lunar Lander Proposal

Fresh off Blue Origin’s first human spaceflight, founder Jeff Bezos is offering to cut his company’s fee for a human lunar landing demonstration mission dramatically and add—at company expense—an orbital flight test. Credit: Blue Origin

Lockheed Reports $225 Million Charge On Classified Program

A classified program with “significant” long-term potential caused a $225 million charge due to cost overages above the contract value, Lockheed Martin announced as part of its second-quarter earnings on July 26. Credit: Lockheed Martin

Harvard Scientists Kick Off UAP Survey Program

With nearly $1.8 million in private donations, two Harvard University scientists have unveiled a project to use civilian science observatories and instruments to scout for unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP) in Earth’s skies and beyond. Credit: ESO/K. Meech et al

Pirs Departs ISS, Making Way For Russia’s Nauka Laboratory

Russia’s near two-decade-old Pirs docking compartment and airlock left the International Space Station (ISS) in the grasp of the Progress MS-16 cargo capsule early July 26. Credit: NASA

Gazprom Signs As Launch Customer For Mi-171A3 Offshore Helicopter

Russian Helicopters has secured a launch customer for the Mi-171A3, the new offshore variant of the Mil Mi-171 heavy-transport rotorcraft, signing an agreement with Russian gas monopoly Gazprom for the helicopter at the recent MAKS 2021 airshow. Credit: Maxim Pyadushkin

British Watch As Cobham Takes Another Try At Ultra Electronics

Officials are watching as two British aerospace and defense (A&D) suppliers are in talks again to merge, with Cobham making a £2.58 billion ($3.56 billion) non-binding offer for Ultra Electronics. Credit: Wikipedia

Chinese Electric Carmaker Showcases Latest EVTOL

XPeng Huitian, a startup backed by Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer XPeng Motors and its cofounder and CEO He Xiaopeng, has flown the Voyager X2, a two-seat multicopter described as its fifth generation of electric vertical-takeoff-and-landing vehicle. Credit: XPeng Huitian