Industry News

Aerospace America reports that US Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson announced a reorganization of the Space And Missile Systems Center (SMC) on Tuesday, “with the aim of getting missile warning satellites to orbit years sooner than she said today’s acquisition processes and bureaucratic structure would permit.” The service is developing the Next Generation Overhead Persistent Infrared

Bloomberg News reported that India announced Friday it would accept proposals from industry to provide 110 single- and twin-seat fighters that would “be mostly manufactured locally” in the world’s “biggest such order currently.” The order could be worth as much as $15 billion, and will require manufacturers to produce at least 85 percent of the jets

Reuters reports that the International Air Transport Association (IATA) is backing the development of a “United Nations-led” global UAV registry. According to IATA Director of Air Traffic Management Infrastructure Rob Eagles, the database also could be used to track incidents involving UAVs and jets. IATA also would consider “collaborating with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)

The AP reports that NASA is planning to conduct “sonic boom tests” over the Gulf of Mexico off Galveston, Texas, as part of a new study to “produce a quieter boom.” NASA Commercial Supersonic Technology Project Manager Peter Cohen explained that the study will help in the design of supersonic commercial aircraft that can break the sound

CNET News reports that Lockheed Martin, Stratasys, and Phoenix Analysis & Design Technologies (PADT) announced Tuesday that they will manufacture and deploy 3D-printed parts for NASA’s Orion spacecraft, the agency’s first spacecraft to include such parts. Orion’s unmanned test flight, Exploration Mission-1 (EM-1), is planned for December 2019, to be followed by the manned EM-2 mission

Bloomberg News reported that a joint US, French, and British “missile barrage on Syria” late Friday night also included the “battlefield debut of a stealthy new Lockheed Martin Corp. air-launched cruise missile produced as part of a $4.6 billion defense program.” Nineteen Joint Air to Surface Standoff Missiles (JASSMs) were fired from two B-1B bombers outside

Inside Defense reported that the US Air Force plans to invite up to four companies to demonstrate that their directed-energy weapons systems can defend military bases against small UAVs in an experiment this fall. The service plans to hold the trials for two to three weeks at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico beginning October

Aerospace America reported that the US Navy plans to deploy its first two Northrop Grumman MQ-4C Triton UAVs by the end of 2018 “without sense-and avoid radars that would give the planes limited autonomy to avoid other aircraft, says a rear admiral who hopes that upgrade will be ready by 2021.” US Navy Unmanned Aviation and

Air Force Times reports that in recent Congressional testimony, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis “warned Congress that the deep cuts to pilot hours and lack of ready aircraft that are partly to blame will not find a quick fix.” Mattis told members of the House Armed Services Committee Thursday, “We cannot repair our way out of the

Aviation Today reports that the US Coast Guard has issued a draft solicitation “related to a forthcoming technology demonstration of long-range, ultra-endurance unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) for potential use finding and tracking illegal drug and migrant activities in the transit zone.” The demonstration will help the Coast Guard “determine the operational utility of long-range, ultra-endurance UAS

ExecutiveGov reports that according to US Navy Fire Scout Program Manager Capt. Jeff Dodge, the service’s Northrop Grumman-built MQ-8C helicopter is on track to reach initial operating capability (IOC) status by the end of this year. The helicopter is scheduled to undergo an initial operational test and evaluation this month. More Info (ExecutiveGov)

Aerospace America reports on the upcoming Space Symposium that will be held “in Colorado Springs, Colorado, April 16 through 19,” highlighting some of the event’s featured exhibits and speakers. Sierra Nevada’s Dream Chaser test vehicle will be displayed “front and center outside the event center’s Broadmoor Hall with history factoids and a selfie station,” while Deloitte

Reuters reports that Scandinavian airline SAS “said on Tuesday it will add 50 Airbus A320neo aircraft to bolster its short and medium-haul fleet with deliveries to begin in the first half of next year.” The deal concludes “lengthy talks” between Airbus and the airline. The carrier “said it was buying 35 aircraft and leasing an additional

Space News reports that SpaceX is seeking permission from the FAA to “perform splashdowns of its Dragon spacecraft in the Gulf of Mexico, part of a shift in spacecraft recovery operations from the Pacific Ocean.” In a draft environmental assessment drawn up by the agency, SpaceX proposed up to six Dragon landings annually in the Gulf

CNET News hosts a NASA video released Monday that “takes Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter imagery and turns it into a 4K tour of the moon that will make you want to go for a visit.” The footage includes standard images of the moon as well as “colorful digitally enhanced footage that shows off some the moon’s fascinating

Politico reported that Steve Isakowitz, the CEO of government-funded think tank The Aerospace Corp., is warning that “war is coming to outer space, and the Pentagon…is not yet ready, following years of underinvesting while the military focused on a host of threats on Earth.” In an interview, Isakowitz said that the US is “approaching a point

The New York Times reports that the Hubble Space Telescope, “NASA’s jewel of the skies, is temporarily out of service.” The telescope “stood down from observing” and entered into a “safe mode” Friday after one of its gyroscopes failed. NASA has “appointed a review board to investigate the gyroscope problem.” Hubble carries six gyroscopes in total, “but

FlightGlobal reports Boeing Phantom Works’ MQ-25 unmanned aerial vehicle prototype “is powered by a single, 9,000lb-thrust Rolls-Royce AE3007N turbofan, Boeing disclosed on 5 April.” Boeing “said the engine has powered its prototype on tarmac manoeuvres meant to simulate the sort of taxiing the drone would be expected to perform on an aircraft carrier deck, such as

SPACE reports Virgin Galactic successfully tested its SpaceShipTwo VSS Unity suborbital vehicle Thursday. It “was the company’s first powered flight in nearly 3.5 years, following the tragic loss of SpaceShipTwo VSS Enterprise on Oct 31, 2014.” More Info (SPACE)

ExecutiveGov reports that the US Air Force will deploy five CV-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft to Yokota Air Base in Japan “earlier than previously anticipated” as part of the service’s “efforts to help address regional security concerns within the Pacific Command’s area of responsibility and comply with the 2018 National Defense Strategy.” The Air Force originally planned

The AP reports that a SpaceX Dragon capsule carrying 6,000 pounds of “food, experiments and other goods for NASA has arrived at the International Space Station after a two-day journey.” The refurbished Dragon spacecraft visited the ISS two years ago, and remained attached to the space station “for about a month, returning to Earth in May.” More

Bloomberg News reported that due to the design of their communication systems, the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II fighters “have a difficult time communicating with each other” – despite the fact that they “both function as airborne shepherds of America’s flock of older combat aircraft.” The F-22’s Intra-Flight Data Link (IFDL) is “much

SPACE reports that a “flying, amphibious robot” called Shapeshifter designed to “cruise through Titan’s atmosphere, go spelunking in caves or dive into the moon’s many seas” is among the 25 “early-stage technology proposals selected in the 2018 round of NASA’s Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) Phase 1 concepts.” Other concepts proposed include “space telescope swarms and meteoroid

Bloomberg Government reports that NASA is seeking flight directors to “lead manned spaceflight missions to the International Space Station, including the return of American-made commercial crew spacecraft,” as well as the unmanned Orion lunar missions. Interested persons can apply through April 17, and final selections are expected by mid-year. More Info (Bloomberg Government)

TIME reports that a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched Monday carrying supplies for the ISS as well as “an experimental system known as RemoveDEBRIS, which scientists hope will help clean up Earth’s space junk-littered upper atmosphere, CBS reports.” The spacecraft was co-funded by the European Commission and developed by Britain’s University of Surrey Space Center (SSC),

Aerospace America reported that automated industrial devices “can damage assembly lines if infected by malware, say US cybersecurity analysts.” Some experts are worried about what they see as a “lax cybersecurity culture in the manufacturing sector that includes insufficient sharing of information about malware.” Because, according to former National Security Agency (NSA) cybersecurity analyst Jake Williams,

USA Today reports that launch teams are “ready to kick off a busy month for the Space Coast with the Monday afternoon liftoff of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral with supplies destined for the International Space Station.” According to the US Air Force’s 45th Weather Squadron, conditions should be 80 percent “go” during

FlightGlobal reported that the US Navy “demonstrated for the first time the ability to remotely take control of an aircraft and land it on an aircraft carrier’s deck.” Officers aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln landed an F/A-18 Super Hornet using the aircraft terminal approach remote inceptor system “developed at NAS Patuxent River, Maryland by Naval Air

The Financial Times reports that the risk posed by space debris is increasing as companies plan to launch record numbers of satellites in coming years. More Info (Financial Times)

Airforce Technology reported that AeroVironment has upgraded its Puma 3 “all-environment” UAV to be “operational in more challenging radio frequency (RF) environments.” The upgraded version supports the effective operation of the UAV’s “i45 electro-optical / infrared (EO / IR) sensor suite with signals intelligence (SIGINT) payloads in harsh and demanding environments.” The UAV also received “security

Aviation Today reports that the first F-35 Lightning II fighter produced for South Korea’s order of 40 fighters “was unveiled Wednesday morning at a joint ceremony between manufacturer Lockheed Martin, the Korean Air Force and the US government.” South Korea is the ninth country to take possession of the F-35. The jet will be delivered to

Public Radio International reported on the possible privatization of the ISS due to the fact that President Donald Trump has “hinted at the possibility of the US ending its part in the funding of the ISS by 2025.” Former NASA astronaut and AIAA Executive Director Emeritus Sandra Magnus is quoted, and “says it is important to