Defense

By Graham Warwick
Japanese suborbital spaceflight startup PD AeroSpace plans to fly the latest in a series of the subscale company’s first suborbital test vehicles.
Space

By Jen DiMascio
The strategy aims to correct a longstanding problem for the Pentagon—that its communication networks use thousands of disparate terminals that are not compatible with each other.
Budget, Policy & Operations

Late last year, H3 Grob Aircraft completed the delivery of a first batch of Grob G 120TPs to the Ethiopian Air Force. As African Aerospace was going to press, a second batch was expected to be delivered to fulfil the EAF’s requirement for 12 aircraft. Alan Warnes reports.
Defense

By Lee Hudson
The U.S. Marine Corps now is pursuing an unmanned family of systems for its Marine Air-Ground Task Force Unmanned Aircraft Expeditionary (MUX) effort.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Graham Warwick
The U.S. Marine Corps is joining the U.S. Air Force’s Agility Prime program to accelerate commercial development eVTOL vehicles, with a view to using them for logistics.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Steve Trimble
The F-15 fleet is expected to enter qualifications by the end of 2021, to be followed by the F-16, F-22, A-10 and B-1.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Steve Trimble
Boeing has started delivering a new version of the Joint Direct Attack Munition tail kit with improved resistance to GPS jamming.
Missile Defense & Weapons

By Thierry Dubois
Record deliveries of the Rafale fighter helped Dassault Aviation’s revenues reach unprecedented heights last year.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Steve Trimble
The Russian private military company used a “sophisticated Russian air defense system,” according to U.S. Africa Command chief Gen. Stephen Townsend's testimony to the HASC.
Budget, Policy & Operations

By Lee Hudson
“Soon we will release an inaugural doctrine” for the Space Force, Air Force Secretary Barbara Barrett said March 10 in Washington.
Space

By Irene Klotz
"Unless we improve our rate of innovation dramatically, then there is no chance of a base on the Moon or a city on Mars,” SpaceX Founder Elon Musk says.
Space

By Jen DiMascio
Rocket Lab will launch its second mission for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office during a 14-day launch window that opens March 27.
Space

By Graham Warwick
DARPA’s Air Combat Evolution (ACE) program aims to use dogfight automation as a crucible to give pilots confidence that AI “can handle a high-end fight.”
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Lee Hudson
The U.S. Space Force has a new launch goal, dubbed “Set the Pace for Space,” which aims to make launch on demand available for commercial and military customers.
Space

By Tony Osborne
MBDA says it has completed the first qualification firing trial of its Anglo-French Sea Venom/Anti-Navire Leger anti-ship missile.
Missile Defense & Weapons

By Graham Warwick
The Launch Challenge, intended to show “anywhere, anytime” capability to launch smallsats to LEO, ended without the prize money claimed.
Commercial Space

Selected U.S. military contracts from the past week.
Defense

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

By Irene Klotz
"Ames Research Center is temporarily on mandatory telework status with restricted access to the center until further notice,” NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said March 9.
Space

By Steve Trimble
A top F-35 program official shared an operational anecdote highlighting the aircraft’s latent capability against surface-to-air missile systems.
Defense

By Lee Hudson
Sikorsky has sent CH-53K King Stallion training devices to a U.S. Marine Corps base in preparation for receiving students to learn how to fly and repair the heavy-lift helicopter.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Steve Trimble
BWX Technologies, Westinghouse Government Services and X-energy each received contracts to start a two-year design phase under Project Pele.
Budget, Policy & Operations

MADISON DEARBORN PARTNERS and COVANT MANAGEMENT agreed to acquire AEVEX AEROSPACE (ISR solutions) from Trive Capital.
Defense

By Mark Carreau
Thanks to an emerging global geostationary satellite alliance among NASA, ESA and South Korea, experts will be able to obtain hourly measurements of atmospheric pollutants.
Space

By Mark Carreau
SpaceX’s final Dragon 1 capsule reached the International Space Station (ISS) early March 9 to deliver a 4,300-lb. cargo.
Space