Aerospace Daily & Defense Report

By Mark Carreau
Artemis II mission crewmembers conducted a translunar injection maneuver on April 2 that placed their Orion capsule on a trajectory around the Moon.
Space Exploration

Aviation Week Staff
News in brief.
Aerospace_Daily_departments

Aviation Week Staff
BOEING gets $900m T-38 award... PHANTOM SPACE acquires satellite component maker... HAWKEYE 360 grows board of directors...
Aerospace_Daily_departments

By Vivienne Machi
The French and Japanese governments have committed to developing a satellite deorbiting mission in the next five years through a joint industry agreement.
Satellites

By Steve Trimble
As a new class of low-cost cruise missiles nears the development stage, the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) is proposing to push the technology further by adding swarming behaviors.
Missile Defense & Weapons

By Steve Trimble
DARPA has revealed interest in developing a new class of air-to-air missiles in which the top design requirement is mass production rather than maximizing performance.
Missile Defense & Weapons

By Brian Everstine
The U.S. Air Force has taken another step toward a major production extension for its KC-46A tanker, notifying Boeing on April 1 of an upcoming contract for 75 of the aircraft.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Vivienne Machi
With launch costs slashed in recent years, one startup is targeting what it sees as the next barrier in space: making it cheaper—and easier—to actually operate there.
Commercial Space

By Tony Osborne
A Ukrainian pilot program that has opened the country's air defense to the private sector has resulted in the first successful engagements of Russian drones.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Irene Klotz
Astronauts aboard the Orion spacecraft Integrity awoke midway through their first sleep cycle since launch on April 1 to oversee an orbit-raising maneuver.
Space Exploration

By Brian Everstine
The U.S. Air Force’s new electronic attack aircraft has joined operations against Iran before it is formally declared operational.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Graham Warwick
The FAA has published the special conditions for certification of ZeroAvia’s ZA601 electric propulsion unit.
Advanced Air Mobility

By Tony Osborne
Eighteen years after securing the contract to provide the UK Royal Air Force’s aerial refueling capability, Airtanker has launched efforts to secure a follow-on deal into the 2030s.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Tony Osborne
The government organization running the tri-national Global Combat Air Program (GCAP) has awarded a long-awaited contract to push forward with the development of the future fighter.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Robert Wall
Sweden has awarded Saab an SEK2.6 billion ($270 million) contract to act as lead systems integrator for a new counter-uncrewed aircraft system initiative.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Robert Wall
Finland’s Patria Group says it has begun making forward fuselages for Lockheed Martin F-35s as part of an agreement by Helsinki to order the single-engine fighter.
Supply Chain

By Chen Chuanren
The U.S. State Department has approved Singapore to acquire alternative warhead guided munitions for its Lockheed Martin M142 Himars launchers.
Missile Defense & Weapons

By Mark Carreau
Artemis II crewmembers took manual control of their spacecraft for a series of planned proximity maneuvers in Earth orbit late April 1 before their journey around the Moon.
Space Exploration

By Anna Sliwon-Stewart
The Kazakh Air Assault Forces, and soon the rest of the army, will be equipped with hundreds of uncrewed systems in groups 1, 2 and 3 to give the troops on the ground enhanced surveillance and strike capabilities.
AWIN Knowledge Center

Aviation Week Staff
LOCKHEED gets $1.36b CPS award... COLLINS ELBIT gets F-35 HMD award... New bizav president for STANDARDAERO...
Aerospace_Daily_departments

By Irene Klotz
CAPE CANAVERAL—After decades of development and false starts, NASA on April 1 launched the first crew in more than 50 years on a mission to leave Earth orbit and travel to the vicinity of the Moon.
Space Exploration

By Vivienne Machi
As Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman prepares for the end of his time leading the U.S. Space Force, he is looking 15 years into the future and 232 years into the past.
Budget, Policy & Regulation

By Tony Osborne
The UK and France are to launch studies on the development of a successor to the Meteor beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile.
Missile Defense & Weapons

By Vivienne Machi
The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) has awarded Vantor—formerly Maxar Intelligence—a new contract to surveil high-interest objects in space.
Satellites

By Robert Wall
Switzerland says it will continue to withhold foreign military sales (FMS) payments related to the Patriot missile systems ordered by Bern.
Missile Defense & Weapons