Defense

By Michael Bruno
Heico leaders said late April 15 they have laid off “some” employees across their aerospace and defense supplier portfolio and have cut work hours and pay at subsidiaries, but they are trying to avoid mass-layoffs as the COVID-19 pandemic rolls back the worldwide aerospace business.
Aircraft & Propulsion

BOEING has $84m contract modification from USAF to update VC-25B (747-8I) technical publications for two aircraft being manufactured to replace
Defense

By Maxim Pyadushkin
Russia has adjusted the dates for resumption of its Moon exploration efforts, an official says.
Space

By Maxim Pyadushkin
Russia’s space activity is likely to be limited due to coronavirus restrictions, officials say.
Space Symposium

By Tony Osborne
A review of Britain’s defense capabilities has been paused in the wake of the novel coronavirus pandemic.
Budget, Policy & Operations

By Craig Caffrey
South Korean military equipment acquisition spending will suffer from a shift in allocations from the defense budget to COVID-19 relief efforts.
Budget, Policy & Operations

By Daniel Urchick
AVIATION WEEK NETWORK forecasts that from 2020 to 2029, Western-built aircraft performing military C4ISR (command, control, communications, computers
Defense

By Lee Hudson
The U.S. Army plans to beef up legacy aviation platforms for future multidomain fight.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Irene Klotz
With automated flight safety systems, polar orbits from Florida are back in the offing.
Space Symposium

By Steve Trimble, Lee Hudson
A linchpin of the Army’s aviation modernization is still on track, but pressure is growing.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Steve Trimble
A 20 mm cannon, 360-deg. visibility in brownout conditions and a sensor-fused cockpit are among the items on the U.S. Army’s wish list for the Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft.
Missile Defense & Weapons

By Jen DiMascio
U.S. Space Command is tracking a Russian direct-ascent anti-satellite missile test, it said April 15.
Space

By Irene Klotz
With the country focused on stemming the spread of the coronavirus, legislators have asked the Federal Communications Commission to suspend work on proposed rulemaking for mitigating orbital debris.
Space

FLIGHTSAFETY INTL has $25m contract to provide KC-46 aircrew/maintenance training to International Military Students (IMS) at Altus AFB, OK through
Defense

By Steve Trimble
A new electronic warfare upgrade for the U.S. Air National Guard and Reserve F-16 fleets establishes Elbit Systems of America in the U.S. market for fixed-wing aircraft survivability equipment and opens the door to follow-on sales, the company’s CEO said during an April 14 interview.
Sensors & Electronic Warfare

News in brief
Defense

Morocco is seeking 10 BOEING AGM-84L Harpoon Block II air-launched missiles at a cost of about $62 million, to equip its F-16 fighters. The Foreign
Defense

Brief news items of interest to aerospace & defense professionals.
Defense

By Michael Bruno
No one uses the words apocalyptic or cataclysmic—yet—but without a doubt, the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on aerospace and defense manufacturing will
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Jen DiMascio
A network of wide-area persistent surveillance missions, executed in large part by unmanned aircraft systems, can help provide an affordable deterrent to Chinese and Russian aggression, a Washington think tank argues.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Steve Trimble
The U.S. Air Force has started a new phase of integration and electromagnetic interference testing on a $3 billion electronic warfare upgrade for the F-15E and F-15EX fleets, the service announced in an April 14 news release.
Sensors & Electronic Warfare

By Bill Carey
More than a dozen companies and government agencies are seeking to use drones in ways that are beyond what is currently allowed by FAA regulations to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, the agency said April 15.
Safety, Ops & Regulation

By Mark Carreau
Osiris-Rex, NASA’s first-ever asteroid sample return mission, successfully carried out a 4-hr. series of spacecraft maneuvers and deployments on April 14, preliminary data show.
Space

By Lee Hudson
The White House has selected the chief executives from General Dynamics, Honeywell, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and Raytheon Technologies to serve on the “Great American Economic Revival Industry Groups.”
Budget, Policy & Operations

By Michael Bruno
Howmet Aerospace has eight mostly smaller manufacturing plants that are closed because of the coronavirus, the company’s chief executive said late April 14, and more were shuttered in March when the Pittsburgh-based supplier was still part of Arconic.
Manufacturing & Supply Chain