Aerospace

AIRBUS completed assembly of first A321XLR center wing box at Nantes for delivery to final assembly site in Hamburg.

IFPL GROUP, UK, an IFEC company, acquired UK-based COBALT AEROSPACE for LED lighting/floor path marking systems.

SEARCHLIGHT CAPITAL PARTNERS agreed to acquire TECHNICAL AIRBORNE COMPONENTS, Belgium (rods/struts) from TransDigm Group; TAC has presence in all

END STATE SOLUTIONS, WA and NEAR SPACE, OR teamed to provide flight testing and FAA certification services for unmanned aircraft systems (UAS).

AIRBUS made first flight of Beluga using sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).

VSE AVIATION announced 15-year, $1b engine accessories distribution agreement with unidentified OEM for >6,000 flight-critical components used in >100

Bell has created a team of potential suppliers in Germany as it offers its Model 525 helicopter as a platform for the Bundespolizei.

Blade Urban Air Mobility has struck a deal with Beta Technologies to secure up to 20 Alia electric air taxis.

The Aviation Africa Summit and Exhibition – Africa’s largest top-level conference and exhibition event – has been postponed until October following meetings between organisers Times Aerospace Events and the government of Rwanda.

Africa Travel Week 2021 has wrapped up its first virtual trade show and content programme with over 5,000 successful 1-on-1 meetings, 4,000 views of content sessions and over 4,300 minutes of speed networking.

LONDON—Babcock is mulling the sale of its emergency helicopter businesses as part of a streamlining effort after taking a £1.7 billion ($2.3 billion) hit to its profits.

With cargo demand rising since the beginning of the pandemic, Airbus sounds out the potential for A350 and A380 freighter versions.

The second Mission Extension Vehicle, MEV-2, autonomously docked with the Intelsat 10-02 satellite on April 12 in its operational GEO location at 1 deg. West longitude.

KF-21 fighter development will strengthen economy and national defense, says South Korea’s President Moon Jae-in.

EMPOWERED VENTURES, IN has acquired FIRSTAR PRECISION, OH (precision machined custom components).

Michael Walter to Chief Executive Officer of AFG Holdings, Houston.

Michael Schoellhorn to Chief Executive Officer-Defence and Space of Airbus (effective July 1).

Sabine Klauke to Executive VP Engineering-Defence and Space and Chief Technical Officer of Airbus (effective July 1).

Alberto Gutiérrez to Chief Operating Officer of Airbus (effective July 1).

Jean-Brice Dumont to Executive Vice President-Military Aircraft of Airbus (effective July 1).

CAUSEWAY AERO GROUP, Northern Ireland acquired PITCH AIRCRAFT SEATING SYSTEMS, UK; terms were not disclosed.

Electric aircraft pioneer Pipistrel is to develop a vertical-lift unmanned cargo aircraft for Chinese delivery company SF Express.

Sanad Capital, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Mubadala Investment Company and the global aerospace engineering and leasing solutions leader, has closed a US$ 55 million debt financing deal with the Commercial Bank of Dubai, one of the UAE’s leading financial institutions.

Do SPACs herald a brave new world for space dreamers or a repeat of the dot-bomb era of the early 2000s and the space flops of the 1990s?