Aerospace & Defense Roundup: Sep. 30

AirbusA400M

Delta IV Heavy Launch Scrubbed With Seconds To Spare, Again

For the second time, launch of the latest United Launch Alliance (ULA) Delta IV Heavy rocket was halted seconds before liftoff, extending a month-long series of delays in sending a classified payload for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office into orbit. Credit: United Launch Alliance

Bristow Gets SAR Helicopter Contract Extension

The UK’s Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) has extended its contract with helicopter operator Bristow for two more years as the agency paves the way for a follow-on agreement. Credit: AgustaWestland

NASA Delays Dragonfly Mission To Titan

The financial impacts of COVID-19-related work delays have resulted in a one-year postponement in the launch of the Dragonfly astrobiology mission to Saturn’s intriguing moon Titan. Credit: NASA

Bell, Xwing Demo Autonomous Drone Flight In Controlled Airspace

Bell has completed a demonstration of its APT 70 unmanned cargo aircraft equipped with Xwing’s detect-and-avoid system under NASA’s Unmanned Aircraft Systems in the National Airspace System (UAS in the NAS) project. The demo showcased the integration of a large UAS into controlled airspace using a detect-and-avoid (DAA) system combining radars, cameras and automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) to alert the ground operator to the presence of other air traffic. Credit: Bell/Xwing

USAFF/A-18

Israel Delivers First Iron Dome System To U.S. Army

The Israel Missile Defense Organization (IMDO) delivered the first of two Iron Dome defense system batteries ordered by the U.S. Army on Sept. 30 during a ceremonial event at Rafael’s production line, Israeli officials said. Credit: Wikicommons

Saab Delivers Second GlobalEye To UAE

Saab has delivered a second GlobalEye airborne early warning platform to the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The aircraft, the second of three currently on order, completed its ferry flight from Sweden via Bulgaria on Sept. 30. Credit: Saab

F-35B, KC-130J Collide During Refueling Attempt

A U.S. Marine Corps F-35B and a KC-130J collided on Sept. 29 during an air refueling attempt, causing the F-35B to crash and the KC-130J to make an emergency landing in a field, the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing (MAW) said. Credit: U.S. Marine Corps

U.S. Air Force Testers Double MQ-9 Hellfire Capacity

For the first time, the U.S. Air Force has conducted a flight test of the MQ-9A Reaper carrying eight live AGM-114 Hellfire missiles, which doubles the capacity that the unmanned aircraft was originally designed to hold.

DOD Modifying RQ-4s For Hypersonic Telemetry Role

The U.S. Defense Department has started modifying Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawks with sensors and telemetry for monitoring flight tests by hypersonic glide vehicles and cruise missiles, a senior Pentagon official said on Sept. 30. Credit: USAF

Volocopter First To Sign Up For Paris UAM Test Site

Paris is to create an urban air mobility test area, with the goal of showcasing air taxi operations during the 2024 Olympics if implementation is successful. Germany’s Volocopter is the first manufacturer to sign up to test its electric vertical-takeoff-and-landing (eVTOL) vehicle in the Paris region. Credit: Volocopter