Defense

AST SpaceMobile aims to deploy its first mid-band satellites early next year. It also now expects to reach a delayed milestone of 45 satellites in orbit.

The U.S. Space Force has awarded Denver-based Voyager Technologies a contract to develop an advanced space-to-space communications capability.

Albany Engineered Composites (AEC) will provide a 3D-woven, composite aeroshell for the Lockheed Martin Next Generation Glide Body (NXGB), Lockheed announced on Aug. 10.

Lockheed Martin and L3Harris Technologies on Aug. 10 announced that they had completed a successful test for of the second stage solid rocket motor for the Next Generation Interceptor program.

The U.S. Army plans to adapt its XM913 50mm chain gun for counter-UAS, with new ammunition and systems showcased at the Space and Missile Defense Symposium.

Raytheon on Aug. 10 announced that it received a $745 million contract for its Standard Missile-3 Block IIA interceptor as part of the Pentagon’s broad push to increase its stock of air defenses.

DARPA is preparing to launch a new demonstrator program for a “revolutionary” hypersonic cruise missile, telling industry that the agency is seeking radical advances in speed, range and possibly altitude.

Idaho-based Titan Batteries says it stands to benefit from having its name in the running of contracts with companies involved in military drone orders.

The U.S. Army has awarded Siemens Government Technologies an $80 million contract to set up an advanced manufacturing facility for drone components at Anniston Army Depot in Alabama.

UK air defense startup Cambridge Aerospace has secured an extra $300 million investment to support its growth and manufacturing capabilities.

Turkish development of an indigenous fighter engine for the Kaan combat aircraft is to be led by a new company called TEI Technology.

Defense technology startup Lyntris is aiming to go public in a listing that could generate $107 million.

Rheinmetall plans to establish a systems integration facility for the Boeing MQ-28 Ghost Bat collaborative combat aircraft in Germany as part of a push to convince Berlin to adopt the system.

Geopolitical uncertainties have led defense planners to speed up decision cycles, Embraer CEO Francisco Gomes Neto says, as the Brazilian aircraft-maker looks to add to its backlog for the KC-390 tanker/transport.

Contract records show that the U.S. Air Force has selected the first base to operate the Boeing F-47 fighter, but the location remains secret.

China suffered the loss of a Long March 7A rocket on launch in a rare setback for the country’s launch operations.

DARPA’s Lift Challenge pushes drone payload-to-weight limits, with Avidrone winning by carrying 3.84 times its weight over a 5-mi. course.

The UK has launched a long-awaited tender to replace the BAE Systems Hawks jet trainers used for advanced training and by the Red Arrows aerobatic team.

The U.S. Marine Corps has ordered a new vehicle-mounted high-power microwave system from Epirus for point defense from drones as the Pentagon continues to expand its defensive systems for deployed troops.

The U.S. Navy plans to field 31 of its next-generation nuclear command-and-control aircraft to replace a current fleet of about half that number.

Shield AI and Taiwan’s National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology demonstrated three drones working together as part of an autonomous search mission in Taiwan.

Not much is known about the new engine for the trinational Global Combat Air Program fighter aircraft, but a detailed model suggests it will be unlike any propulsion system yet developed.

The Canadian government on Aug. 7 announced the conditional sale of 10 retired Lockheed Martin C-130Hs to British Columbia-based Coulson Aviation.

The U.S. Army has opened a new website to make reserving space on its test ranges as easy as grabbing a table at a restaurant.

Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey have signed a three-way defense pact declaring that any aggression on one country will be considered an attack against all three.