U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)

Instead of shooting down the next buoyant airspace intruder, DARPA wants to find a way to haul high-altitude balloons down safely from up to 75,000 ft.

Launch risks, cryogenic and uranium fuel are among the challenges facing the agencies’ ambitious DRACO space nuclear thermal propulsion orbital demonstration.

The latest awards advance DARPA's Liberty Lifter program into Phase 1b, with a preliminary design review scheduled by the end of fiscal 2024.

L3Harris reported revenue of $4.69 billion in the second quarter, up 13.5% annually, while its earnings per share (EPS) of $2.97 beat analysts’ estimates.

The contract award is targeted at tests of a nuclear thermal rocket engine vehicle in space by 2027.

Our roundup of the main aerospace and defense stories making the news this week.

Sikorsky’s tailsitter eVTOL; X-59 on the flight line; autonomous in Alaska; and unlocking biomass for SAF.

The $94.2 million deal for the LongShot program allows GA-ASI to move beyond the critical design review phase.

A decades-old idea for fuel-efficient, high-speed propulsion is moving closer to reality with these latest industry investments.

DARPA picks nine for Ancillary; China’s drive/fly eVTOL; Alef’s flying car; and hydrogen future for training aircraft.

The companies will produce initial conceptual designs for operational and demonstration systems.

For future surveillance satellites, the service seeks new thrusters and in-space refueling so it can “burn gas at will.”

Piasecki Aircraft plans to convert the former Lockheed Martin Sikorsky Heliplex into an R&D center for next generation VTOL and UAS aircraft systems.

The Organic Tactical Unmanned Systems (OTUS) program intends to “bring taskable autonomy squad-relevant UAVs,” SCCI said in a May 31 news release.

A request for information published May 31 adds both technologies to a narrower, previous SDA description of the Tranche 2 experimental program.

A Boeing MQ-28 Ghost Bat has arrived in the U.S. for testing.

BAE Systems will continue developing a ramjet-powered, 155-mm artillery shell for the U.S. Army.

A new DARPA aircraft designed by Aurora Flight Sciences to experiment with active flow control technology has been designated the X-65.

DARPA is looking for information from companies that already have radars in orbit or that will be operational by Dec. 31, 2024.

U.S. startup RapidFlight has emerged from stealth mode to launch the M2, a Group 3 uncrewed aircraft system that is 3D-printed.

Scramjet testing has scored several breakthroughs, but the path forward for the Pentagon’s portfolio of hypersonic glide vehicle projects is unclear.

DARPA’s interest in platforms waxes and wanes but is entering a cycle of renewed focus based on a fiscal 2024 budget request.

One or more experimental aircraft could start flying in 2027 to prove the feasibility of a transporter that can speed up like a jet and land like a helicopter.

Momentum for in-space servicing, space logistics and manufacturing is building.

Lockheed Martin Ventures has invested in electric seaglider startup Regent to speed up the development of a military variant of the company’s aircraft.