Defense

The U.S. Air Force faces growing pressure to competitively select an airframe.

U.S. Marine Corps AV-8B Harriers flying from amphibious ship LHD 4 USS Boxer in the Arabian Gulf joined strike aircraft operating from aircraft carrier CVN 75 USS Harry S. Truman in the Mediterranean Sea earlier this month, the first naval aviation combat strike missions of Operation Inherent Resolve launched from Navy warships in two different operational theaters, the Navy says.

The Norwegian and Polish navies have conducted a series of live firings with the Kongsberg Naval Strike Missile.

The U.S. Navy installed a new AN/SPY-6 Air and Missile Defense Radar (AMDR) in its Advanced Radar Development Evaluation Laboratory (Ardel) at the Pacific Missile Range Facility (PMRF) off Hawaii earlier this month.

The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017 (NDAA) passed by the Senate includes language meant “to cut through acquisition red tape and provide more funding flexibility to develop electronic warfare technology,” according to the sponsoring lawmaker.

The premier British airshow may be more sedate than usual this year, with defense highlighted ahead of commercial endeavors.

Northrop Grumman’s newfound devotion to R&D spending is laudable, but hold off on the ticker tape parade just yet.

Rotorcraft industry leaders put safety as their top priority as they grapple with potential disruption of their markets by unmanned aircraft.

Helicopter makers show progress in increasing performance, cutting noise and improving safety. Speed is a challenge, but there are promising developments.

In recent years, big U.S. defense contractors tilted the balance way too far in favor short-term shareholder returns and value.

Boeing increases production of smart weapons for U.S. and allied forces to catch up with use in antiterrorism campaign.

Gen. David Goldfein, who is set to become the 21st Air Force chief of staff, told lawmakers June 16 that he expects Milestone A decisions from the Pentagon in the coming months for the new ICBM and cruise missile.

Controllers at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory are bracing for 35 min. of terror as the $1.1 billion Juno mission spacecraft enters polar orbit over Jupiter on July 4.

A bill to bolster support for NASA’s aeronautics research has been introduced in Congress even as lawmakers prove reluctant to support a boost in funding sought in fiscal 2017 to launch an ambitious 10-year program of X-plane flight demonstrators.

NASA is ethically obligated to provide its astronauts with lifetime health care, current and former U.S. spaceflight record holders and medical experts told the House Science space subcommittee June 15.

Swedish aerospace and defense company Saab says it is ready to partner with India’s state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL) to upgrade India’s indigenously-developed Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA).

As the U.S. Marine Corps continues to develop its own new large UAV, dubbed “MUX,” the service sees the Northrop Grumman MQ-8C Fire Scout as a good short-term gap-filler, says Col. John Barranco, the service’s unmanned systems cell lead.

Airbus Helicopters has begun the first firing trials of its Hforce generic weapons system.

Turkish industry has formally started work to pave the way for delivery of locally manufactured T-70 Black Hawks starting in 2021.

From Boeing’s difficulties on the tanker program to its shift toward fighter sustainment and upgrades, Aviation Week editors analyze their recent conversation with Leanne Caret, CEO of Boeing Defense, Space and Security.

U.K. missile maker MBDA has scored a small but significant victory in its long-running campaign to secure a U.S. customer for Brimstone.

Due to safety concerns about nearby urban areas—as well as increased public awareness following last year's Shoreham Airshow crash—the Red Arrows team will be limited to flypasts only.

Malaysia welcomes its third A400M airlifter; India prepares to export BrahMos missiles; U.S. Navy to complete communications satellite constellation; U.S. Apaches begin strikes in Iraq.

NASA’s Spacecraft Fire Experiment, Saffire-1, appears to have burned for several minutes June 14, long enough to generate thousands of images for researchers.

Due to safety concerns about nearby urban areas—as well as increased public awareness following last year's Shoreham Airshow crash—the Red Arrows team will be limited to flypasts only.