Aerospace & Defense Roundup: Oct. 13

USAF Completes Demos For New Ground-Based Radar

All three candidates for a new ground-based radar for the U.S. Air Force completed scheduled demonstrations of their technology last month, service officials announced Oct. 9. The live-fly demonstrations for the Three-Dimensional Long-Range Radar (3DELRR) keep the program on track for a follow-on integration and production contract early next year, the Air Force said. The new system is scheduled to be deployable by 2024. Credit: U.S. Air Force

U.S. Air Force Completes GBU-53/B Fielding On F-15E

Raytheon’s GBU-53/B, also known as StormBreaker, is now operational on the Boeing F-15E fleet, the U.S. Air Force announced Oct. 13. The 250 lb.-class weapon, originally called Small Diameter Bomb II, uses a tri-mode seeker to attack moving targets in any weather. The Air Force has referred to the GBU-53/B's mission as creating “no-drive” zones for enemies seeking to flee or move by road. Credit: Raytheon

CNO: Sixth-Gen Fighter May Not Be Manned

The U.S. Navy’s top officer is not convinced the sea service’s sixth-generation fighter needs to be a manned aircraft. “We also have to come to grips with what is required. What do we think the future is going to hold? If we continue to develop and invest in weapons that are more precise and that have range then one would argue we will be doing fewer everyday air-to-air combat type of scenarios,” Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Gilday said Oct. 13 during a Defense One event. Credit: Northrop Grumman

Zhuhai’s Airshow China ‘Postponed,’ No New Dates

Airshow China, due to be held at Zhuhai Airport on Nov. 10-15, has been postponed, the organizer said, without mentioning a new date. This follows contradictory announcements last month in which a spokesperson for the organizer, Zhuhai Airshow Co. Ltd., first said the show was canceled but then said this was only his personal view. Credit: Chinese Ministry of Defense

U.S. Army Starts Work On Transformation Strategy

The U.S. Army is taking the next year to craft a transformation strategy that builds off a modernization plan the service issued in 2016, according to the service’s acquisition executive. Credit: U.S. Army

Casc Tests Gear For Mid-Air Recovery Of Rocket Engines

Chinese engineers have designed and tested equipment for aerial recovery of space launcher main engines, which they regard as offering advantages over powered descent by fully reusable first stages. State space contractor Casc tested equipment on the ground for the final stage of the recovery process: snaring the descending propulsion unit using a helicopter. Credit: Casc

NASAMoon

Helicopter-Borne CT Scanner For Norwegian EMS

The Norwegian Air Ambulance Foundation is exploring the potential of fitting a computerized tomography (CT) scanner into a helicopter to treat stroke patients. The organization, which flies emergency medical service (EMS) helicopters from 12 locations in Norway, is working with Norwegian technology company Semcon on the evaluation. Credit: Airbus Helicopters

Blue Origin Resumes New Shepard Flight Tests

After a 10-month hiatus, Blue Origin on Oct. 13 resumed flight testing of its reusable New Shepard suborbital space transportation system. New Shepard’s liquid hydrogen- and liquid oxygen fueled-BE-3 ignited at 9:36 a.m. EDT/8:36 a.m. local time from Blue Origin’s West Texas spaceport. Credit: Blue Origin

Flexible Sample Collection Device Headed For Moon, Mars

NASA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) have selected a new technology for planetary sample collection and return for future missions to the Moon and Martian moon Phobos. Dubbed PlanetVac, the system was developed by Honeybee Robotics of Altadena, California, with support from the nonprofit Planetary Society. Credit: Bruce Betts / The Planetary Society

Canada Launches Research Into Advanced Air Mobility, Autonomy

With the second largest helicopter fleet in the world, Canada has launched a program to develop the technologies, supply chain and regulations for advanced air mobility, including urban and regional cargo and passenger transportation. Credit: National Research Council Canada

NASA, Boeing Target Nov. 14 For SLS Hot Fire

NASA and Boeing are targeting Nov. 14 for the long-awaited static test fire of the first Space Launch System (SLS) core booster. If the schedule holds, the SLS’s four Aerojet Rocketdyne RS-25 engines will ignite for a full-duration, 8-min. firing at NASA’s Stennis Space Center in Mississippi, Boeing SLS vice president and SLS program manager John Shannon told reporters Oct. 13. Credit: NASA