Aerospace & Defense Roundup: May 12

Hubble

Plans to develop a British global navigation satellite system are facing cancellation over concerns the project would be too expensive. According to the London Daily Telegraph, civil servants are pressing ministers to halt the program, which was established after the UK was barred from access to the more sensitive precision capabilities of the Galileo GNSS system following the country’s decision to exit the European Union.

The National Aeronautical Company of Chile, Enaer, is offering a new version of the indigenous Pillan basic training aircraft. The state-owned manufacturer wants to supply up to 40 Pillan IIs to the Chilean Air Force (FACH) in a proposal to modernize the air arm’s training fleet.

Switzerland has given bidders in its CHF8 billion ($8.27 billion) Air2030 fighter and ground-based air defense tender additional time to deliver their proposals due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.

F-16

Drone manufacturer Matternet said it has reached a major milestone in obtaining FAA type certification of its M2 quadcopter.

Pentagon

U.S. Capitol

General Electric has shipped the first F414-100 engine to Lockheed Martin Skunk Works to power NASA’s X-59A QueSST low-boom supersonic flight demonstrator as an audit says the project is making progress but faces cost and schedule challenges.