For Arianespace, the mission is a milestone, since it is the 100th launch of an Ariane 5 since its inception in 1996. The two satellites are the 206th and 207th launched by the heavy-lift vehicle.

Inmarsat and Panasonic Avionics said they will combine their broadband inflight connectivity (IFC) services in a “landmark” deal to offer IFC to commercial aviation customers.

Demand for broadband connectivity aboard business aircraft is booming. Passengers expect seamless Wi-Fi access to the internet as much as they count on other services.

Northrop Grumman is to flight test an RF comm link that can provide fiber-like data capacity from high-altitude surveillance aircraft direct to FOBs.

United Technologies has bought a predictive analytics boutique as part of the Tier 1 supplier’s corporate push into becoming a software-industrial giant.

French space agency CNES has tapped Zodiac Data Systems for the development of an autonomous range safety system at its Kourou, French Guiana launch site.

Thales has evolved its Avionics 2020 cockpit electronics demonstrator into a still-unnamed conceptual flight deck that will make the most of growing data processing capabilities.

Cyberdefense presents a series of difficult problems for governments, not least that of deciding which branch of the state should lead the response.