Aviation Week & Space Technology

With Brazilian upgrades under its belt, Helibras looks for more work in Latin America.

The combined company will be a super supplier of buyer-furnished equipment poised to ride the wave of aircraft interior retrofits.

Zee’s electric VTOL aircraft is spotted; Boeing’s commercial tiltrotor is patented; Japan’s Fquroh is quieter; NASA’s NEAT is tested.

Wholesale changes put in place by Boeing for 777X production have strategic implications for the company’s future effectiveness.

Air Force Materiel Command still has concerns about the quality of Northrop’s maintenance work on the aging J-Stars jets and may need to expand safety inspections to the entire fleet.

Boeing’s first 777X full-size composite wing skin test panel is being built as its robotic fuselage line picks up speed.

The Boeing 777X folding wingtip is designed for reliability and simplicity, with no moving parts or even wingtip lights beyond the hinge line.

Aviation Week editors recently saw a demonstration of the folding wingtip at Boeing’s plant in Everett, Washington. The target time for extending and/or retracting the wingtip is 20 sec. Watch and listen closely when it reaches the selected position to hear the locking mechanisms engage.

Airbus Group’s Silicon Valley outpost A3 is building a full-size prototype to fly at the end of 2017 and plans a demonstrator to lift an 800-kg payload in 2020.

Despite potential schedule and cost growth, the service is “comfortable” that Northrop’s B-21 will meet the technical requirements at a reasonable price.

The Hanwha Hyunmu 2 short-range ballistic missile is a likely basis of the submarine weapon that South Korea has reportedly begun developing.

At Priester Aviation, it’s all in the family.

In this week’s Washington Outlook: companies create new ways to contain potential battery fires; the hunt for new space policy champions; and a recommendation for changing remote-sensing regulations.

New runway condition code could avoid overruns like 2005 accident involving Southwest Airlines 737 at Chicago Midway, answering NTSB recommendations.

From the SR-71’s “pie panels” to the B-2’s silver coatings and the F-35’s “magic” layer, an up-close look at stealth technology’s materials.

Readers comment on demise of FastJet; empowering young female talent; carry-on woes; airport adequacy and abandoned routes.

The next U.S. presidential administration will face major nuclear deterrent challenges, not the least of which will be to understand nuclear myths—which must be avoided—and what nuclear truths must be embraced.

Exercise Bersama Lima 16, held in Malaysia Oct. 4-21, provided the first opportunity for RAF Typhoons to be pitched against the Su-30MKMs of the Royal Malaysian Air Force.

South Korean Massive Punishment and Retaliation is a plan to go after Kim Jong Un and other top North Korean leaders if they launch a nuclear attack.

The Pentagon is updating its nuclear triad as Russia and China prepare to field nuclear-capable hypersonic glide vehicles and maneuverable warheads.

Although an expansion of Heathrow Airport has been approved, political and legal hurdles remain.

Uber is ready to take ridesharing into the air, detailing its vision for networks of electric VTOL aircraft providing urban air transport at prices close to ground transportation but at much higher speeds

The deal comes at a price but adds a portfolio of popular cabin-interior products to Rockwell’s highly regarded avionics and connectivity systems.

Brexit and terrorism-related concerns are prompting several European LCCs to lower their profit outlook, though overall they are still performing strongly.

In this week’s roundup, the CH-53K is poised for production; an Indian and French company create a joint venture for helicopter maintenance; Embraer pays at least $205 million to settle corruption charges and a U.S. weather satellite breaks up in space.