Defense

BAE Systems has taken delivery of and is preparing flight tests for a Pipistrel Electro Velis electric-powered light aircraft as part of an arrangement with the Slovenian manufacturer. The UK defense company announced in March that it was working with Pipistrel to examine military training applications for electric aircraft. The work is continuing after Textron’s acquisition of the light aircraft manufacturer.

Axiom Space and Italy’s minister for Technological Innovation and Digital Transition have signed a memorandum of understanding to advance existing collaboration, the Houston-based firm announced May 25.

Leonardo is set to deliver components for the first Radar 2 variant of the active electronically scanned array radar for the Eurofighter Typhoon by year’s end,

The Sigonella, Italy-based fleet of five Northrop Grumman RQ-4Ds conducted surge operations May 11-18 along NATO's eastern front.

The mission prompted the scramble of Japanese and South Korean fighters, as it skirted territorial airspaces.

The Singapore military has contracted Airbus to deliver its new batch of H225M helicopters from France, ferried on the company’s BelugaST transporter.

B-21’s loads calibration about half complete; rollout still expected this year.

NHIndustries partners are taking steps to boost in-service rates, but it may be too little too late for some operators.

A NASA robotic spacecraft designed to investigate the metal asteroid Psyche will miss its August launch date due to a software issue.

Another lunar buggy contender is emerging, this time with an autonomous explorer angle: Lunar Outpost on May 24 unveiled a $12 million seed round, promising a new class of autonomous Moon rovers.

Astronauts aboard the International Space Station secured hatches between Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner and the seven-person orbital laboratory May 24, preparing the uncrewed capsule for departure and a return to Earth at White Sands, New Mexico, weather permitting.

The U.S. Navy will select a mission integrator in fiscal 2023 to convert the Lockheed Martin C-130J-30 airlifter into the next Take Charge and Move Out (TACAMO) platform.

The U.S. Space Force’s Space Rapid Capabilities Office has awarded BlueHalo a $1.4 billion contract to increase the capacity of the Satellite Control Network as the service projects an increase in demand.

BRAZILIAN AIR FORCE is expected to further reduce its KC-390 order from 22 to 15; original order was for 28.

A potential electronic warfare add-on for the Lockheed Martin F-35 could originate from the Saab Gripen fighter.

There are three broad scenarios for Russia’s future and supply chain considerations for the West.

France and Spain have committed to an upgrade that will keep Airbus’ Tiger relevant until the 2050s. However, Germany has yet to follow.

The Outpost Mars Demo-1 payload, an on-orbit metal cutting robotic arm, is being prepared to launch aboard SpaceX’s Transporter 5 rideshare flight on May 25.

Kaman is to acquire the aircraft wheel and brake business of Parker Hannifin, enabling Parker to proceed with its acquisition of UK-based Meggitt.

Opening a window into internal decision-making over the final requirements for a new interceptor against hypersonic missiles, the head of the U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA) has cited the significance of, in fact, an actual window.

Boeing’s automated Orbital Flight Test-2 (OFT-2) Starliner has delivered some NASA spacesuit water absorption pads to the International Space Station to help address a worrisome helmet leak experienced by European Space Agency astronaut Matthais Maurer at the conclusion of a March 23 spacewalk.

More than 20 nations announced new packages of military aid for Ukraine following a meeting of more than 40 countries on May 23, the Pentagon announced.

Honeywell is developing a suite of alternative navigation technologies to combat increasing disruption of GPS signals, intentional and unintentional, with the first products planned to be on the market in 2023.

The EU is concerned that member states are not coordinating their procurements, leading to further fragmentation of the defense industry.

Airbus has received a U.S. Army contract worth potentially more than $1.5 billion to provide logistics support to the UH-72A/B Lakota fleet over the next 5 years, the company said on May 23.