Aerospace & Defense Roundup: Jun. 23

Textron Aviation Issues 60-Day Layoff Notices To 250 Workers

Longitude Credit: Textron AviationAbout 250 Textron Aviation employees received 60-day layoff notices June 23, including 70 in Wichita, as the company adjusts to the economic uncertainty brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, the company told employees.

U.S. Navy Delivers First CMV-22 To Operational Squadron

Artist's concept of CMV-22. Credit: U.S. NavyThe U.S. Navy on June 22 delivered the first Bell Boeing CMV-22 Osprey to an operational squadron at Naval Air Station North Island in San Diego.

IAU Names Asteroid Earth Defense Mission Dimorphos

Credit: NASAThe target of two joint upcoming NASA/European Space Agency (ESA) planetary defense demonstration missions—the Double Asteroid Re-direction Test (DART) and Hera—has received an official name, Dimorphos.

Kopter Restarts SH09 Flight Tests After Three-Month Hiatus

SH09 Credit: Kopter GroupSwitzerland’s Kopter Group has resumed flight-test activities in Sicily after a three-month hiatus caused by the novel coronavirus pandemic.

LeonardoMerlin

Rostec Reshuffles UAC Management

MiG-29 Credit: MiG-29: Vitaly V. KuzminRussia’s industrial giant Rostec Corp. is speeding up the restructuring of United Aircraft Corp. (UAC) to increase its efficiency. Since the beginning of June, it has changed the top management at several UAC key subsidiaries and expedited the merger of jet makers Sukhoi and MiG into a single combat aircraft division.

Made In Space Joins Redwire Group

ISS Credit: NASARedwire, a venture capital-backed family of space technology companies, has added Florida-based Made In Space to its portfolio, the companies announced June 23.

Michael Griffin Credit: NASA

ZeroAvia Completes First UK Electric Flight

Piper Malibu Credit: Alan LebedaElectric flight startup ZeroAvia has completed its first electrically driven flight in the UK as it gears up its operations to demonstrate a 250-300-nm flight with its hydrogen fuel cell technology.

Tupolev Releases Specs, Timeline For Supersonic Business Jet

Tu-160 Credit: Alex BeltyukovTupolev has released specifications and a seven-year schedule for completing design of a 30-seat, supersonic business jet, which includes flying a testbed aircraft possibly derived from the Tu-160 bomber.