Defense

Over the past 100 years, GE Aviation has grown into a global leader in aerospace propulsion.

The final, unpowered flight test of Virgin Orbit's two-stage, liquid-fueled LauncherOne expendable rocket clears the way for a trial run to space possibly by late summer.

Applying sanctions on Turkey remains an option if the Russian S-400 air defense system is delivered, a State Department official said on July 10.

The French government is under investigation for a possible violation of U.S. export control terms after a cache of Javelin missiles originally delivered to France were discovered inside a Libyan rebel compound, a State Department official said on July 10.

Bulgaria’s Council of Ministers has given the green light to the procurement of F-16 Block 70s from the U.S.

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s Hayabusa 2 asteroid sample return mission spacecraft initiated a three-day attempt late July 9 to collect a subsurface sample of Ryugu.

British defense ministers are hopeful that issues dogging the reliability and serviceability of the UK’s A400M airlifter fleet will be solved by the third quarter of 2020.

India’s defense research agency recently conducted four successful tests of the Nag anti-tank guided missile, moving closer to its induction into the country’s military.

The USAF continues to defend its middle-tier acquisition practices strategy for the Next Generation Overhead Persistent Infrared missile warning satellite.

Dynetics, Inc. will join Maxar Technologies in the development and demo of operations for the cornerstone power and propulsion element of NASA’s Gateway.

Britain has sent a student pilot to test the U.S. Air Force’s Pilot Training Next (PTN) experimental flight training program.

Electric-powered air taxis and a cargo delivery technique invented by a missionary could change the personnel recovery mission in combat zones.

The existence of a more powerful replacement for the AIM-120 is now acknowledged.

The lengthy statement of administration policy highlighting concerns in the areas of aviation, the nuclear enterprise and space, among others, was sent to the House Rules Committee July 9. Aerospace DAILY obtained a copy of the letter.

Germany has become the first A400M operator to deploy the airlifter overseas in the aerial refueling role.

The 344-sq.-foot, four-segment, reflective Mylar Light Sail 2 will undergo additional testing of the altitude control system and possible spacecraft software updates.

The update package, named LRASM 1.1, includes unspecified changes to the shape of the wing for better range, a Lockheed spokesman confirmed to Aerospace DAILY on July 9.

The world’s largest military institution—the Pentagon—“is a place with a strong compass or a deep keel,” former Defense Secretary Ash Carter said July 9. “No organization … can move forward without a leader.”

Skyworks Global has partnered with Scaled Composites to build a high-speed rotorcraft demonstrator, the Vertijet, based on a concept developed under DARPA’s Heliplane program and inspired by the late-1950s Fairey Rotodyne.

Britain is extending the deployment of Royal Air Force (RAF) Chinook helicopters in support of French troops in Africa by at least six months.

The U.S. Navy has declared the Northrop Grumman MQ-8C Fire Scout unmanned helicopter ready for war.

India’s first indigenously-developed seaborne aircraft carrier—INS Vikrant—is making headway and should be delivered to the country’s navy in two years.

The contract is funded through the ESA/OneWeb Sunrise project, part of the space agency’s long-running ARTES research program to support development of advanced products and services in satellite communications.

The Philippines will take delivery of 10 Sikorsky S-70i Black Hawk helicopters next year, its air force chief says.

NASA has awarded SpaceX a $50 million contract to launch an X-ray observatory designed to measure polarized light from black holes, neutron stars and other high-energy astrophysical objects.