Aerospace & Defense Roundup: Mar. 31

Aircraft, Engine Build Proposed In Finnish Typhoon Offer

The UK’s bid to propose the Eurofighter Typhoon for Finland’s HX future fighter tender includes local assembly of both the aircraft and the engine as well as participation in the development of an active electronically scanned array radar for the platform. Detailing the proposals to Finnish media on March 31, UK Defense Procurement Minister Jeremy Quin said a Finnish choice of the Eurofighter would allow Helsinki to join the four partner nations in “managing all aspects of the program,” and would lead to an “enduring relationship between the Finnish and [UK] Royal Air Force.” Credit: UK Royal Air Force

Australia Re-Establishes Domestic Missile Manufacturing Base

Australia’s government will invest $761 million (AUS$1 billion) to create an industrial capability to manufacture missile and guided weapons for delivery to the domestic military and export markets, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said March 30. The Department of Defense will now select a foreign industry partner with an Australian presence to operate a manufacturing complex for a wide range of ground- and air-launched munitions, Morrison said. Credit: HIFIRE: Australia Ministry of Defense

Amazon Web Services, Seraphim Launch Space Accelerator

Tapping into the crosscurrents of the commercial space boom and advanced technologies such as cloud computing, Amazon is opening an AWS Space Accelerator to assist and network with related startups, with applications due April 21. British investment group Seraphim Capital will back the accelerator, and the two companies will choose an initial cohort of 10 startups for a four-week program in June for Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud and technical training. Selected startups may also receive up to $100,000 in AWS Activate credit at Amazon, and startups will have access to the AWS Partner Network. Credit: Amazon

ST Engineering Walks Away From Unsolicited Bid For Cubic

San Diego-based Cubic, a provider of military training and C4ISR systems, will go ahead with a takeover by Veritas Capital and Evergreen Coast Capital, an affiliate of Elliott Investment Management, after the buyers raised their price in the face of an unsolicited foreign bid. Credit: Cubic

Lift Joins Joby In Gaining USAF EVTOL Imprimatur

Lift Aircraft, maker of the Hexa electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) multicopter, has joined Joby Aviation in gaining U.S. military flight release via the U.S. Air Force’s Agility Prime program, according to the Air Force director of AFWerx. Credit: Lift Aircraft

Backed By BA, ZeroAvia To Develop Hydrogen Propulsion For 50-Seaters

Hydrogen propulsion pioneer ZeroAvia has secured an investment from British Airways (BA) and kicked off development of a fuel-cell power train for 50-seat-plus regional aircraft. The company already is developing a zero-emissions hydrogen fuel-cell propulsion system for 19-passenger aircraft. Credit: ZeroAvia

RAF Wants To Bring Drone Swarms, Loyal Wingman Online By 2030

The UK Royal Air Force (RAF) wants to bring its Mosquito loyal wingman and Alvina swarming drone system into service before the end of this decade to operate alongside its Eurofighter Typhoon and F-35 Joint Strike Fighter fleets. Mosquito, the UK’s proposed Lightweight Affordable Novel Combat Aircraft (LANCA), and Alvina, a drone swarming system designed to confuse enemy air defenses, are part of a “game-changing mix” of future capabilities, Air Chief Marshal Sir Mike Wigston, the RAF’s Chief of Staff, told the UK Air Power Association. He spoke March 30 about the outcomes of the Integrated Review of Foreign Security, Defense, Development and Foreign Policy earlier this month. Credit: UK Royal Air Force

Orbital SAR Services Provider Iceye To Launch More Satellites

Finland-based Iceye, an Earth observation data analytics provider with its own constellation of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellites, said March 31 it plans to launch more satellites this year than previously planned, with the next launch booked for midyear. The news came as Iceye trumpeted having received $50 million in signed contracts last year for radar satellite imaging services and satellite missions, or tenfold its 2019 revenue. Customers include a mix of government and commercial-sector clients. Earlier this month, Iceye announced a strategic partnership with a key existing customer, global reinsurer giant Swiss Re. Credit: Iceye

ABMS Set To Open Bidding For KC-46 Networking Pod By June

A request for proposals (RFP) will be released by the end of June to install a network gateway pod on a Boeing KC-46 as part of Capability Release 1 of the Advanced Battle Management System (ABMS), a U.S. Air Force official said May 31. The RFP calls for designing and integrating a prototype of a pod and a pylon, along with installation on the KC-46 wing, said Renee Sauerland, ABMS program manager, during a virtual Industry Day event. Credit: Boeing/Paul Weatherman

U.S. Marine Corps Envisions Arming Loyal Wingman With LRASM

The U.S. Marine Corps envisions arming autonomous unmanned aircraft with Long-Range Anti-Ship Missiles (LRASM) in a future war with China. These aircraft either would operate independently or team up with manned aircraft, according to an internal service document obtained by Aerospace DAILY. Credit: Lockheed Martin

German Firms Team For Short-Range Air Defense Requirement

German defense companies Diehl, Hensoldt and Rheinmetall Electronics have teamed up to offer a short-range air defense system for the country’s armed forces branded ARGE NNbS. The three companies say they want to offer a “national, low-risk solution” using “commercially available systems and systems components” to meet the German defense ministry’s requirement for a homegrown short-range and very-short-range system under LVS NNbS. Credit: Rheinmetall

Webb Telescope Receives Early Observation Assignments

The Space Telescope Science Institute (STSI) has selected 286 proposals for the initial cycle of observations planned with the NASA-led James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), which is planned for launch from French Guiana on Oct. 31. Credit: NASA

Korea’s Hanwha Boosts Investment In UAM

South Korea’s Hanwha Systems plans to invest 450 billion won ($400 million) in urban air mobility over the next three years. The aerospace electronics giant is already the largest investor in U.S. startup Overair, a spinoff from Karem Aircraft developing the Butterfly quad-tiltrotor electric air taxi. Credit: Hanwha Systems