Defense

The flagship James Webb Space Telescope has begun its 14-day journey from the coast of California through the Panama Canal to the Guiana Space Center in French Guiana, program scientist Eric Smith told NASA’s Astrophysics Advisory Committee on Sept. 29.

A half-dozen NASA Mars rovers, landers and orbiters will cease or in some cases curtail their transmission and reception of data with Earth as the Solar System’s two most hospitable planets experience a two-week, once-every-two-year solar conjunction beginning Oct. 2.

Raytheon has demonstrated a new manned-unmanned (MUM-T) teaming technology in a flight test sponsored by the Strategic Capabilities Office, the company said Sept. 29.

The UK Royal Air Force has formally retired its Boeing E-3 Sentry airborne early warning aircraft from service.

The UK Royal Navy has launched unmanned air systems from the flight deck of its new carrier HMS Prince of Wales.

India-based Fokker Elmo SASMOS Interconnection Systems Limited (FE-SIL) will make electrical interconnections systems for the Boeing-Saab T-7A trainer aircraft.

Turkey’s new Bozdoğan (Merlin) within visual range air-to-air missile (WVRAAM) has been live fired from a Turkish Air Force Block 40 F-16C.

Germany is the third European nation to choose the P-8 following the UK and Norway after awarding a $756 million contract to Boeing for five of the maritime patrol aircraft.

New data and trends indicate private-sector U.S. A&D employment topped out on the eve of pandemic and MAX crises.

As the service makes progress on its pilot shortage, it still faces racial disparities in the flying ranks.

North Korea says that it successfully launched a hypersonic missile, designated Hwasong-8, on the morning of Sept. 28.

Airbus Helicopters has been extolling the virtues of its H175 super-medium helicopter as a platform for the UK’s New Medium Helicopter with a series of demonstration flights.

RE2 Robotics has received U.S. Air Force funding to develop an autonomous system to automate certain flight line maintenance tasks during aircraft turnarounds.

CRESTVIEW AEROSPACE acquired KEMCO AEROSPACE MANUFACTURING, MO (machined components); KAL Capital advised.

KAMAN COMPOSITES-WICHITA delivered its 1,500th inlet unit for the CH-47.

The U.S. Navy recently flew its first exercise using a new Collins Aerospace-produced air combat training system, combining real-world aircraft and ships with virtual threats.

BOEING has US Navy contract to manufacture five P-8A Poseidon aircraft for GERMANY for delivery starting in 2024.

Aerospace and defense electronics specialist Mercury Systems, which is rejiggering its operations after a string of bolt-on acquisitions, has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Avalex Technologies.

Griffon of New York City is looking to sell its defense electronics division, Telephonics, the company announced late Sept. 27.

Three International Space Station crewmembers inaugurated spacecraft dockings at the orbital lab’s new Russian segment Nauka Multipurpose Laboratory Module on Sept. 28 as they separated from the 11-year-old Rassvet Mini Research Module-1 in their Soyuz MS-18 to redock at Nauka.

China has again flexed its domestic fighter-development capabilities at the Zhuhai Airshow, this time flying the Chengdu J-20 with the locally built WS-10C turbofan as well as rolling out the Shenyang J-16D electronic warfare aircraft.

September’s Defence Monthly has Jon Lake and Alan Peaford at the world’s largest international defence event – DSEI – in London’s Docklands.

China unveiled its new Cai Hong-6 jet-powered high-altitude long-endurance (UAS, along with a number of other unmanned technologies at the 2021 Zhuhai Airshow on Sept. 28.

Requests for Quotation (RFQs) for major military aircraft program parts for the week of September 19 - September 25.

U.S. Air Force leaders signal new interest in F-35 reengining, as Pratt & Whitney and GE Aviation start testing adaptive turbofans.