Aviation Week & Space Technology

Sandia lab management contract is up for grabs; F-35 arrives in Netherlands for noise tests; U.S., Germany train against electronic threats.

The head of India’s space research agency predicts a reusable rocket could lead to a 10-fold drop in launch prices.

Despite some automated messages indicating smoke in a lavatory and electronics bay sent just before the crash, investigators are no closer to understanding what brought down EgyptAir Flight 804.

At this year’s European Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition in Geneva, our editors note much optimism in the market, with a busier show floor and static display than in recent years.

Future times are upon us, with everything from advanced data analysis to robots gone rogue discussed at the opening of The Washington Post’s new conference center.

To handle explosive growth and the potential for more, Asian LCCs are continuing major aircraft orders and the smaller carriers are creating alliances.

UCAV technologies pose new challenges for flight testing, including safety and security.

Boeing moves into development of the Active Parallel Actuator Subsystem to enable Chinook helicopters to be flown to their performance limits while improving safety and reducing wear and tear on components.

The HIFiRE program is designed to explore the fundamental science of hypersonic flight and pave the way for future generations of high-speed propulsion systems, vehicles and weapons.

The first squadron of Tejas light fighters is expected to begin operations later this year.

Technicians at Virginia’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport erected an Antares first stage outfitted with two Russian RD-181 rocket engines.

Alitalia is on track to finally be in the black, largely with help from its biggest stakeholder, Etihad Airways.

Vertical flight in the news: Boeing’s Phantom Swift looks ahead; Lilium unveils electric VTOL; AVX and Karem advance FVL designs; AHS and Sikorsky announce new prize; Closer look at Leonardo’s AW169.

Senior India air force officers stress that a permanent solution is needed for the country’s out-of-date VVIP helicopter transport situation.

Declining European business aviation activity in 2015 and early 2016 could signal the start of a downturn like those in 2009 and 2012-13.

The world of commercial aviation propulsion is in the midst of change, upheaval and dramatic new developments. Aviation Week’s senior editor Guy Norris recently visited General Electric, Pratt & Whitney and Rolls-Royce to see first-hand the production ramp ups and developments of new turbofans about to enter service. Listen in as he discusses his behind-the-scenes visit.

A compendium of comments about Aviation Week's 100th Anniversary issue.

Michael Watkins (see photo) has been appointed director of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, and vice president at Caltech. Watkins served as mission system manager for the Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity Rover. He succeeds Charles Elachi, who is retiring and will move to the Caltech faculty.

For big production increases, including for the PW1000G, Pratt is investing in manufacturing initiatives such as “intelligent” or automated production cells and advanced materials.

Aerospace Calendar And Aviation Week Events (May 23, 2016)

Certification criteria for new aircraft include protecting against the ice crystal phenomena, the culprit in a significant number of incidents and accidents, but what about legacy aircraft?

GE and Boeing plan to put the behemoth engine—GE9-X—through the rigors of flight testing on the wing of an aircraft for which it was not designed.

The Berlin ILA air show is trying to promote its new focus on innovation, but A400M issues threaten to dominate instead.

Rolls-Royce’s Trent 1000 TEN is designed to improve fuel burn by 2% over the current Package C production standard and is therefore crucial to the company’s long-term competitiveness battle against GE’s GEnx-1B, the alternate engine for the 787.

Saab is targeting countries not cleared to purchase the JSF, but that can comfortably justify the higher upfront cost of the Gripen E/F.