Aviation Week & Space Technology

Scottish cargo UAS; JAXA lift-fan VTOL; long-endurance drones; simpler solar UAS; Frigate FreeJet airliner; designer’s take on airliners

Full-scale development of a new Taiwanese fighter could probably begin in early to mid-2020s. Taiwan has 343 front-line fighters that will need replacing.

Who will dominate the coming urban air mobility market? At least one industry investor thinks he has a clue and has a list of startups to watch.

The collapse of what once was Germany’s second-largest airline triggers fundamental change throughout the air transport market in Europe’s largest economy.

When it comes to the advent of pilotless commercial aircraft, just follow the money, a new report says.

In this week’s Washington Outlook, General Atomics is trying to “educate” lawmakers to keep U.S. UAS technology at the forefront; the CBO scores the cost of ATC reform, and GAO sizes up the potential sale of old ICBM motors.

H225s have been cleared to return to service by British and Norwegian regulators, but Airbus finds demand from operators is frustratingly muted.

The U.S. is striving to make its electronic warfare systems agile and flexible to offset advances made by potential adversaries.

First used in 2013 by British forces in Afghanistan, ultraportable nano-UAVs are growing in capability and applications.

A new name for Sukhoi’s T-50 fighter; Thailand seeks weapons for new frigate; Bahrain will join the ranks of C-130J-flying nations and Lockheed wins a major special operations logistics contract.

Traditionally France uses expeditionary forces, while Germany stresses a defensive role and interoperability with NATO.

Super-smooth touchscreen control, unique human-machine interfaces and connections to “open world” applications highlight Thales’ new flight deck.

Orbital ATK’s medium-lift booster to put space surveillance satellite into orbit for U.S. Air Force.

Recent Thai acquisitions are evidently part of a 10-year military modernization plan lifting defense spending to 2% of GDP.

The aircrews that help move and sustain troops in battle hope to learn crucial lessons from the U.S. Air Force’s first-ever large-scale mobility exercise.

Avionics used to be closed systems, but the coming of broadband connectivity on board has prompted a rebirth of new architectures to reap the benefits of an open system.

Malaysia Airlines is moving closer to reaching deals for additional leased A330s and a new order for widebody aircraft.

Leonardo and other companies are working to integrate their electronic warfare technologies onto a variety of aircraft.

Generation Orbit Launch Services is preparing for a critical series of hot-fire and captive-carry flight tests of its hypersonic flying testbed.

Analysts say that aerospace manufacturing investments in low-cost countries peaked in the 2008-13 and declined significantly in the past three years.

U.S. Air Force Research Lab prepares for lasers; DARPA wants safe autonomy; Air Force tests diesel aero-engine; Ad Astra advances Vasimr.

President Trump’s military options against North Korea range from offensive cyber to thermonuclear strikes.

Low-cost satellite constellations provide alternative systems for gathering key weather and other data.

Tighter regulations for carry-on electronic devices provide an opportunity for manufacturers of carry-on baggage scanners.

In this week's Washington Outlook: The U.S. can intercept missiles bound for Guam, and it can launch offensive strikes, say Pentagon leaders.