Defense

Investigators probing the crash of a Canadian Sikorsky CH-148 Cyclone naval helicopter in the Mediterranean in April say the aircraft “did not respond as the crew would have anticipated” as it maneuvered to land on its embarked warship.

The U.S. Air Force and Department of Energy have qualified the B61-12 tailkit for the F-15E.

An inadvertent disclosure on an Army social media site reveals an advanced new concept already in flight testing.

Korea Aerospace Industries is aiming to hand over the first LCH civil helicopter in 2023, the same year in which it will begin deliveries of the military LAH version to South Korea’s army.

As the commercial space market grows, how can industry incentivize efforts to clean up orbital debris?

The Canadian government is replacing two Challenger 601 utility aircraft with two Bombardier Challenger 650 jets for the Canadian Armed Forces for mission-critical roles in a contract valued at $105 million. The contract also includes training and spare parts.

The design concept for the habitation and logistics elements of the lunar-orbiting Gateway that NASA is pursuing under a $187 million contract with Northrop Grumman has a significant heritage in the evolving Cygnus resupply mission spacecraft that have so far launched and berthed successfully to the International Space Station 13 times since September 2013.

Brief news items of interest to aerospace & defense professionals.

Selected U.S. Military Contracts For The Week Of June 1 - 5, 2020 Selected U.S. military contracts for June 1. U.S. NAVY American Electronic Warfare

A more powerful version of China’s Long March 11 solid-propellant space launcher will fly in 2022, state manufacturer Casc has told government news agency Xinhua.

Videos posted on social media showed Airbus UH-72A Lakotas with medevac markings and a Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk apparently using their rotor downwash to disperse crowds of protesters.

The social media page of U.S. Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy shows details of a proposed new U.S. hypersonic concept.

A satellite laser communication terminal developed by General Atomics’ Electromagnetic Systems division will be demonstrated in orbit in 2021, the company says.

The 757-200s perform a variety of roles for the Air Force, including VIP transport. Their replacement begins phase two of the RNZAF’s mobility fleet recapitalization process.

The company used one of its six commercially configured Airbus A330-200s to make the trip, flying from RAF Brize Norton to Mount Pleasant airfield in the Falkland Islands.

The delivery to Korea Aerospace Industries comes three years ahead of scheduled flight tests of the first KF-X prototype.

The June 4 flight took place from Sigonella airbase, Sicily.

A planned, sole-source $9.9 million contract will support a new Missile Defense Agency High-Power Microwave Testbed with Raytheon’s technology.

The successful test was performed June 3 at Redstone Arsenal in Alabama, and collected data that will be used to refine signal processing algorithms.

The Balkan air arm has signed a purchase agreement for two Model 505s for training use, Bell announced June 5.

The Tunisian National Guard has formed an air unit equipped with three Bell 429 GlobalRanger helicopters, and this has now been declared operational, writes Jon Lake.

Western C4ISR Business Jet Aircraft MRO 2020-2029

Brief news items of interest to aerospace & defense professionals.

Arnold Aldrich, a 35-year NASA executive whose guidance touched U.S. human space exploration from the Mercury program through the space shuttle, died