Reuters reports, “RTX said on Tuesday its enine making subsidiary Pratt & Whitney has developed an additive manufacturing repair process for its geared turbofan (GTF) engine components, which would reduce process time by more than 60%. The unit is currently navigating an issue with the GTF engines and is conducting an inspection drive for potentially flawed components, which has led to the grounding of hundreds of planes in recent months.”
Full Story (Reuters)
Tag: aerospace engineering
X-37B Spaceplane Lands Ending 434-Day Mission
Ars Technica reports, “The US military’s robotic mini-space shuttle dropped out of orbit and glided to a runway in California late Thursday, ending a 434-day mission that pioneered new ways of maneuvering in space. The X-37B spaceplane touched down on Runway 12 at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, at 11:22 pm local time Thursday (2:22 am EST Friday), capping its high-flying mission with an automated reentry and landing on the nearly three-mile-long runway at the West Coast’s spaceport.”
Full Story (Ars Technica)
Prices Increase After 27 March for AIAA DEFENSE Forum
Join leaders from the U.S. government and military, experts from industry, and hundreds of your peers at the 2025 AIAA DEFENSE Forum. Register by 27 March for the best rate and take part in the conversations shaping the present and future of national security.
AIAA DEFENSE Forum to Feature an Extensive Program
The 2025 AIAA DEFENSE Forum will feature hundreds of technical briefings on 16 of the most important topics shaping the present and future of defense and national security, including digital engineering, hypersonics, test and evaluation, and guidance, navigation, and control.
USAF’s Autonomy Effort Focusing on Air-Launched Swarms
Aviation Week reports, “U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command is looking to go big with a new autonomy effort, moving from solely focusing on using MQ-9 Reapers as host to its C-130 variants. The command for the past two years has been working on its Adaptive Airborne Enterprise (A2E) effort, which would use Reapers to air-launch smaller uncrewed air vehicles (UAV) to allow one service member to operate multiple UAVs at once.”
Full Story (Aviation Week)
South Korea Unveils Loyal Wingman Air Combat Drone
Yahoo News reports, “South Korea today unveiled a new stealthy loyal wingman-type drone, the Low Observable Unmanned Wingman System, or LOWUS, which it plans to operate alongside the locally developed KF-21 Boramae next-generation fighter. The new drone is part of a growing fleet of low-observable drones being developed in South Korea as the country seeks to introduce new uncrewed technologies for a range of missions.”
Full Story (Yahoo News)
Blue Origin Successfully Launches New Shepard on NS-30 Mission
Space News reports, “Blue Origin conducted the tenth crewed flight of its New Shepard suborbital vehicle Feb. 25, carrying six people. The New Shepard vehicle lifted off from Blue Origin’s Launch Site One in West Texas at 10:49 a.m. Eastern. The vehicle’s crew capsule reached a peak altitude of 107 kilometers above sea level before making a safe landing 10 minutes and 8 seconds after liftoff. The booster made a powered landing about two and a half minutes earlier.”
Full Story (Space News)
More Info (AIAA Statement)
Video
New Shepard Mission NS-30 Webcast
(The Launch Pad; YouTube)
Japan’s ANA Orders Company-Record 77 Jets from Boeing, Airabus, and Embraer
Reuters reports, “Japan’s ANA Holdings said on Tuesday it planned to place a company-record order for up to 77 aircraft to replenish its fleet and take advantage of growing demand for travel. The order was its largest ever in terms of aircraft numbers and was worth more than 2.1 trillion yen ($14 billion) at catalogue prices before any discounts, ANA said.”
Full Story (Reuters)
X-37B Has Become Critical Tool for U.S. Space Force
Aviation Week reports, “As the Pentagon explores how to fight future wars in space, it is leaning on a mysterious platform that has logged a record-setting number of years quietly operating in space. The X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle—a 29-ft.-long experimental spacecraft that can reenter the Earth’s atmosphere autonomously—has emerged as a critical tool for the U.S. Space Force’s future planning.”
Full Story (Aviation Week)