Aerospace & Defense Roundup: May. 27

May 28, 2021

Flawed KC-46 Boom Design Slipped Through Acquisition System: IG

Credit: USAF



Boeing changed the off-the-shelf design of the original refueling boom a year after the KC-46 contract award, but the U.S. Air Force’s acquisition office never updated system’s assessed technology risk level, the Defense Department’s Inspector General (IG) said May 27 in a critical new report. 



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Human U.S. Return To Moon In 2024 Unlikely, GAO Says

Credit: NASA



NASA is unlikely to achieve the 2024 goal of returning human explorers to the Moon’s surface set by the Trump White House in 2019, according to a second doubtful assessment from the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) within a week.



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German EMS Operator Flies Retrofitted Five-Blade H145

Credit: DRF Luftrettung



Airbus Helicopters has performed the first retrofit to convert a four-blade H145 twin-engine light rotorcraft into a five-blade model. 



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Spanish Firms Form Joint Venture For Remote Carrier Development

Credit: Airbus concept



Three Spanish companies have established a joint venture to develop the remote carrier unmanned air vehicles that will form a component of the European Future Combat Air System (FCAS). 



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Near Earth To Enable Autonomous Logistics With VoloDrone

Credit: Volocopter



Volocopter and Near Earth Autonomy are to test autonomous flight technology on the VoloDrone unmanned cargo aircraft. The team plans a beyond-visual-line-of-sight (BVLOS) capability demonstration in Munich in 2022.



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Russia And Saudi Arabia Collaborate On Crewed Spaceflight

Credit: Saudi Space Commission



Russia and Saudi Arabia are preparing a joint crewed space mission, according to Russian Vice Premier Alexander Novak.



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Skyports To Help Develop Vertiports In Ireland, South Korea

Credit: Hanwha Systems



UK vertiport developer Skyports has signed agreements to help develop infrastructure for advanced air mobility in Ireland and South Korea.



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Senate Confirms Wormuth For U.S. Army Secretary

Credit: DOD



The Senate confirmed Christine Wormuth for U.S. Army Secretary with unanimous consent on May 27 after OKing her nomination and then rescinding the decision last night.



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EU Court Drops Galileo Contract Suspension Order

Credit: Thales Alenia Space



The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) has dismissed OHB System’s request to reverse the European Space Agency’s (ESA) decision to exclude the company from a program creating the second generation of Galileo navigation satellites.



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Credit: OneWeb
OneWeb satellite.

FAA Plans Service Entry Of Space Data Integrator

Credit: Bill Carey



The FAA plans to transition a new rocket tracking capability from test to operational status in June, providing a way to reduce flight disruptions as the pace of commercial space launches increases.



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EP Systems Launches Certified Electric-Aircraft Battery System

Credit: NASA



With more than 20 projects under its belt and six aircraft having flown using its battery packs, Electric Power Systems has unveiled its first certified commercial battery system for electric-powered aircraft.



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Flawed KC-46 boom design slipped through acquisition system, Skyports to help develop vertiports in Ireland, South Korea, German EMS operator flies retrofitted five-blade H145 and more. A roundup of aerospace, space, and defense news powered by Aerospace Daily & Defense Report. 

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