Defense

Sustainable energy company Velocys says it will be able to produce “negative-emissions” fuels, after striking a deal to capture and store the carbon dioxide that will be generated by the biomass-to-fuel plant it is planning to build in Mississippi.

A crude plastic mockup of an improbable doughnut-shaped military helicopter was displayed at the China Helicopter Expo, held here Oct. 10-14.

Avic’s project to produce the Advanced Heavy Lifter (AHL) helicopter should soon be ready to present to the state group’s head office for launch approval, an industry source said.

The U.S. Air Force and aircraft manufacturer Sikorsky turned around the troubled HH-60W search-and-rescue helicopter program in 12 months and shepherded the new aircraft into production on time.

Taiwan has begun early research on fighter engine development in support of a possible program for a potential indigenous combat aircraft.

The first on-orbit servicing spacecraft, Northrop Grumman subsidiary SpaceLogistics LLC’s Mission Extension Vehicle (MEV-1), is sending back telemetry following its Oct. 9 launch.

Bell unveils its 360 Invictus, which is the latest contestant in the Army’s Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft competition.

India accepts first Rafale fighter; Collins’ ACES 5 wins ejection seat contest; Netherlands plans for more F-35s, and the U.S. Navy’s last active duty F/A-18C flight.

William H. Gregory, a World War II naval aviator, joined Aviation Week in 1956 and served as editor-in-chief from 1979 to 1984.

Stormy weather forced NASA to postpone an Oct. 9 attempt to launch the Ionospheric Connection Explorer (ICON).

Ireland will increase its defense budget as the country gears up for a modernization of its air arm.

Boeing says preparations are on track for an initial uncrewed Orbital Flight Test of the CST-100 Starliner on Dec 17.

Airbus has cited clear air turbulence as the cause of an accident involving one of its solar-powered Zephyr high-altitude pseudo-satellite unmanned air systems in Australia.

Italy’s Guardia di Finanza (Financial Police) has ordered three more ATR-72MP maritime patrol aircraft.

The Dutch government has confirmed it will purchase an additional nine F-35s for its air force, making it the first European air arm to increase its F-35 order.

Thailand wants full access to the core software of the fighters it plans to buy in 3-5 years to replace some Lockheed Martin F-16s.

The Army seems to have best of both worlds—Congress backs continued Chinook Block 2 helicopter production and Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft development.

NASA’s Ionospheric Connection Explorer spacecraft is poised to launch Oct. 9 on a Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems Pegasus XL rocket from Cape Canaveral.

With Britain once again close to a no-deal Brexit, the government has started issuing guidance to the aerospace industry to get ready.

Boeing delivered nine KC-46A tankers to the U.S. Air Force in the third quarter and 21 overall so far this year despite a series of quality control issues and a newly discovered design flaw, the company announced on Oct. 8.

A senior House Democrat has warned that U.S. withdrawal from the Open Skies Treaty would only benefit Russia and be harmful to allies, partners and national security interests.

In a ceremony at Dassault Aviation’s Bordeaux, France, factory, the government of India on Oct. 8 officially received the first of 36 Rafale fighters it ordered from France under a 2016 intergovernmental agreement.

Finland has capped the procurement budget for its HX future fighter program at €10 billion ($10.95 billion) and will allow tenders to offer fewer than the specified 64 aircraft.

Elbit Systems Ltd. has been awarded a $153 million contract to supply battlefield and medium-altitude drones to “an Army of a country in Southeast Asia,” possibly Vietnam.

Spanish defense electronics firm Indra has taken the lead in a European project to develop technologies for the traffic management of unmanned air systems.