Defense

India’s Rustom-II UAV successfully completed its first flight on Nov. 16, “meeting all expectations,” a defense ministry official says.

The U.S. Air Force is looking to introduce more automation into its UAV operations to deal with growing manpower challenges.

Embraer has begun negotiations with its metalworkers union for a temporary employment suspension affecting up to 2,000 workers in Brazil.

The Trump administration’s stance toward Russia, uncertain Pentagon allocations and geopolitical surpise could roil the U.S. defense industry in 2017.

Two companies offering airborne aggressor services vie for 10-year contract from Canadian Armed Forces.

In this week’s roundup: Singapore air force’s unusual runway, Poland receives two of eight new trainer aircraft, MBDA tests laser technology and Rolls-Royce partners with the U.S. Air Force to maintain Global Hawk engines.

To meet immediate training and evaluation needs, Nellis AFB in Nevada has turned to contractor agressor fleets, a trend others may follow.

SpaceX envisions building a massive constellation of 4,425 small spacecraft in low Earth orbit (LEO) over the next decade to provide satellite-internet with “full and continuous global coverage,” according to the company’s application for FCC approval.

Naval Air Systems Command’s Precision-Strike Weapons office is making preparations to more than double the range of the Boeing AGM-84 Harpoon and Raytheon AGM-154 Joint Standoff Weapon.

The maritime surveillance capacity of the Royal Australian Air Force looks likely to at least double over the next decade or so.

The U.S. Air Force’s push to regenerate its red air aggressor capability is part of a wider move to improve the fidelity and quality of training for the pilots of fifth-generation aircraft, the commander of Air Combat Command says.

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems has modified the payload bay of its semi-stealthy, unmanned Avenger aircraft—now dubbed “Angel One”—to deliver humanitarian relief.

Straightline Aviation (SLA), launch customer for Lockheed Martin’s LMH-1 heavy-lift cargo hybrid airship, has signed an agreement to provide dedicated shuttle services for Canadian rare-earth mining company Quest Rare Minerals.

Since releasing its Part 107 Small Unmanned Aircraft System rule on Aug. 29, the FAA as of Nov. 9 had received more than 30,000 new aircraft registrations from commercial operators and more than 22,500 remote pilot applications.

The head of U.S. Pacific Forces Command is calling for the U.S. Army to field a land-based, ship-killing missile to defend the Asia-Pacific region.

Two of the aircraft touched down Nov. 14 at Deblin airbase near Warsaw, where the aircraft will be operated by the air arm’s flight training wing.

A high-speed demonstrator designed by Russian Helicopters has reportedly achieved a speed of 405 kph. (251 mph).

Aerospace control system and parts provider Woodward is combining its Engine and Industrial Turbomachinery systems groups into a new Industrial Systems unit.

Flight activity in North America during October rose, with gains in all operational and aircraft categories.

Defense training by commercial operators is commonplace in Europe, but aerial aggressor work has yet to take off.

The first operational F-35A squadron’s participation in an upcoming theater security package will signal the U.S. military’s capability and credibility.

Space-policy advisers to the nascent administration of President-elect Donald Trump see a revived National Space Council under incoming Vice President Mike Pence coordinating civil, military and intelligence space activities from the White House to avoid costly duplication of effort.

The U.S. Air Force’s first operational F-35A squadron is getting ready for its inaugural overseas deployment.

The NTSB determined that air traffic controllers failed to safely separate aircraft involved in two fatal 2015 midair collisions—one, near Charleston, South Carolina, involved an Air Force F-16.

The Spanish air force has exited the four-nation Eurofighter development plan in a bid to provide more timely upgrades for its fleet of Tranche 1 aircraft.