Defense and Space

Norway is to supply two Lockheed Martin F-16 fighters and a cadre of flight instructors to support the training of Ukrainian pilots in Denmark.

The Pakistan Air Force is planning to acquire the Chinese J-31/FC-31 combat aircraft.

The U.S. Army on Jan. 3 announced it ordered one Bombardier Global 6500, with options for two more.

DARPA has decided to move forward with a new X-plane designed by Aurora Flight Sciences.

A rapidly developed surface-to-air missile system based on MBDA’s Asraam has achieved hit rates of 90% against Russian targets in Ukraine.

The Japanese Ministry of Defense and the U.S. Air Force have announced a joint research program on AI for UAVs to operate alongside crewed fighters.

Korea Aerospace Industries announced that it has delivered all 12 FA-50GFs to the Polish Air Force, 15 months after contract signature.

The award to Raytheon/MBDA joint venture Comlog will supply GEM-T missiles to Germany, the Netherlands, Romania, and Spain initially, although NATO says other Patriot users are expected “to benefit from the conditions of the contract.”

New concepts are in the works, such as military areas that move with the activity along a defined trajectory.

EMBRAER signed follow-on support agreement with Hellenic Air Force for one ERJ-135LRs and four ERJ-145 AEW&Cs.

India kicked off the 2024 launch calendar with deployment of an X-ray astronomy satellite from the Satish Dhawann Space Center.

Led by SpaceX, the number of orbital launch attempts last year rose by 20% over 2022.

Rocket Lab has received a $489 million contract to design, build and operate 18 space vehicles on behalf of an undisclosed U.S. government customer.

Shield AI said on Dec. 29 that it raised an additional $300 million, adding to a previously announced $200 million through debt issuance, as part of the autopilot startup’s Series F round.

South Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration has announced a Maritime Operation Helicopter program.

Romanian airframer Avioane Craiova SA is getting ready to begin flight testing of an upgraded version of the IAR-99 Soim jet trainer.

NASA’s ISS oversight has been authorized by Congress through the end of fiscal 2030.

Ukrainian pilots are training to fly the F-16 fighter in Denmark ahead of potential transfers of the aircraft to Ukraine’s air force later this year.

All 367 passengers and 12 crew members on board the A350 managed to escape the burning aircraft, but five of the six on board the Coast Guard aircraft died.

The triple-core booster lifted off with the X-37B from Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39A at 8:07 p.m. EST.

The platform, which had been widely expected to fly this past summer, finally got airborne on Dec. 28.

DAPA said the deal was signed in early December, and that the F-35As will have “significantly improved performance” over its current 39 F-35As.

Japan will reportedly transfer an unspecified number of MIM-104 Patriot missiles to the U.S.

The White House on Dec. 27 announced a final package of $250 million in military aid to Ukraine under current authorities.

NASA believes it can leverage commercial service industries for deep-space exploration.