Defense

Six weeks after deciding not to submit an independent proposal to the U.S. Air Force, Boeing has opened discussions with Northrop Grumman to create a combined team to win the $85 billion Ground-Based Strategic Deterrent (GBSD) program.

Russia’s unpiloted Soyuz MS-14 test spacecraft departed the International Space Station on Sept. 6, headed for re-entry and a parachute-assisted landing in south central Kazakhstan.

The U.S. Air Force will offer more than $500 million in pricing credits for bidders on a B-52 re-engining program that can achieve maximum targets for fuel consumption and unscheduled removal rates.

Dassault Aviation is ready this month to deliver the first of the 36 Rafale fighters India has ordered, and a date is being considered with the French and Indian governments, CEO Eric Trappier says.

The U.S. Air Force plans to start testing within six weeks Boeing’s proposed fix for the flawed Remote Vision System (RVS) on the KC-46A tanker, the service’s acquisition chief says.

India and the U.S. Air Force are discussing co-development and production of a small unmanned air system, a U.S. spokesman says.

Satellites, cyber and networks become key parts of future air superiority strategy to replace the F-22.

The U.S. Army has released a solicitation to formally kick off risk reduction for the Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft and intends to host a competitive demo in March 2020.

A thermo-structural failure, prompting a violent event in the second-stage engine, most likely caused the premature termination of the Vega VV15 launch from French Guiana, an independent commission says.

Engineering contractor iAccess Technologies has nearly completed deliveries of Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast Out kits for USAF C-130H Hercules turboprops under an Avionics Modernization Program 1 contract awarded in 2017.

Shortfalls in the 30-year reliability of a handful of electrical components for the B61-12 nuclear weapon will delay completion of the first production unit by 16-18 months.

Saab has promoted Deputy CEO Micael Johansson to take the helm of the Swedish aerospace and defense company.

Iraq is to buy five armed Bell 407GT helicopters to offset the combat losses of seven of its armed Bell IA-407s in recent years, writes Jon Lake.

Aviation Week caused an international incident of sorts in September 1994 when it published a cover image of two Dassault Rafale fighters superimposed over an artist’s rendering of the French flag. The problem: the flag's colors were in the wrong order.

After years of discussions, a military plan to automate and distribute command-and-control authority is starting to become tangible.

The U.S. Air Force is open to a teaming arrangement as a response to the solicitation for the Ground-Based Strategic Deterrent (GBSD) competition, according to the service’s acquisition executive.

The U.S. Air Force has added the obscure category of “single-use aircraft” to the list of technologies being pursued to form the next generation of air superiority capabilities.

A drop-off in space business challenged French aerospace and defense prime Thales during the first half of 2019, the company acknowledged Sept. 4.

Embraer delivered the first production KC-390 airlifter and tanker to Wing 2 of the Brazilian Air Force (FAB) during a Sept. 4 ceremony at Anápolis air base.

The UK defense ministry has been criticized by auditors because its £3.2 billion ($3.85 billion) Military Flying Training System (MFTS) has failed to meet contractual obligations.

Satellite-based internet company OneWeb declared Sept. 4 that it will be the first connectivity provider in the Arctic starting next year.

European missile manufacturer MBDA is proposing a magazine-launched, ground vehicle-mounted derivative of its Brimstone air-to-surface missile to meet a Polish requirement for a tank destroyer.

The South Korean defense ministry is proposing a 20.7% surge in the budget for indigenous weapon development in 2020, with the Korea Aerospace Industries KF-X program a key reason for the rise.

Each concept is being funded for a nine-month, $400,000 evaluation. After that the agency will select one of the concepts for a mission capped at $55 million.

The U.S. Navy is growing its Naval Expeditions (NavalX) office by launching the first five regional Tech Bridges across the nation to better connect the military and the private sector.