Tag: engineering

Ireland Plans to Buy First Fighter Jets in 50 Years

Aerotime reports, “Ireland’s planned purchase of combat jets and the development of a long-overdue national radar system mark a historic turning point in the country’s approach to air defence, ending decades of reliance on the United Kingdom to protect Irish skies. Since 1998, when the Irish Air Corps disbanded its Light Strike Squadron, which operated aging French Fouga CM170 Magister jets, Ireland has had no combat jets. The country also lacks a primary radar system. Without these capabilities, a ‘secret bilateral pact’ has seen the UK’s Royal Air Force (RAF) tasked with intercepting and responding to aerial threats in Irish airspace.”
Full Story (Aerotime)

Roscomos’ Progress MS-30 Cargo Spacecraft Docks at ISS

SPACE reports, “A new delivery of food, fuel and supplies has arrived at the International Space Station by way of a Russian supply ship. Roscomsos’ Progress MS-30 (or Progress 91, as referred to by NASA) cargo spacecraft autonomously docked to the aft port of the space station’s Zvezda service module on Saturday (March 1) as the two vehicles orbited 260 miles (418 kilometers) over the South Atlantic Ocean. The 6:02 p.m. EST (2302 GMT) link up came two days after the Progress launched from the Baikonur Cosmdrome in Kazakhstan.”
Full Story (SPACE)

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 Scheduled to Launch 10th Space Tourism Flight Today

SPACE reports, Jeff Bezos’ aerospace company, Blue Origin, “plans to launch its 10th space tourism mission this morning (Feb. 25), and you can watch the action live . Blue Origin’s suborbital New Shepard vehicle will lift off from the company’s West Texas site today during a window that opens at 10:30 a.m. EST (1530 GMT; 9:30 a.m. local Texas time).”
Full Story (SPACE)

First Asteroid Mining Prospector to Launch Aboard SpaceX Falcon 9 Wednesday

The New York Times reports, “A private company is aiming to heave a microwave oven-size spacecraft toward an asteroid later this week, its goal to kick off a future where precious metals are mined around the solar system to create vast fortunes on Earth. AstroForge’s second robotic spacecraft, called Odin, is bundled into a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket that will also launch a privately built moon lander and a NASA-operated lunar orbiter as soon as Wednesday from Florida. About 45 minutes after the launch, Odin will separate and begin its solo journey into deep space, while the moon missions — the Athena lander from Intuitive Machines and NASA’s Lunar Trailblazer — take off on their own separate journeys.”
Full Story (New York Times)

Aviation Organizations Favor ATC Enhancements Over Privatization

Aviation International News reports, “Nearly three dozen organizations across the aviation industry sent a letter yesterday to Capitol Hill leaders calling for investments that enhance safety both on the ground and in the air. The groups outlined a National Airspace Safety Initiative, providing steps they collectively believe should remain a high priority for lawmakers, such as ensuring “robust emergency funding for critical air traffic control technology and infrastructure and controller staffing and training.” The letter also stated, “We are aligned on not pursuing privatization of U.S. air traffic control services and believe it would be a distraction from these needed investments.”
Full Story (Aviation International News)

AIAA Releases Report Advocating for Certification of Advanced Air Mobility Vehicles

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

February 20, 2025 – Reston, Va. – With novel aircraft poised to usher in a global revolution in aerial operations and travel, the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) has released recommendations addressing regulatory and other hurdles that could hinder the certification and integration of novel aircraft in the National Airspace System (NAS).

The report, “Challenges to the Commercialization of Advanced Air Mobility,” is written by the AIAA Certification Task Force composed of technical aviation experts with public and private sector experience. The report is available for download here.

“The aerospace industry is on the cusp of an exciting new era of flight,” says AIAA CEO Clay Mowry. “New aerial vehicle technologies coming online today will enable capabilities we are only just imagining. We urge our lawmakers to work together to prioritize regulations and investments that ensure U.S. leadership in aviation innovation.”

The report notes that despite successes in meeting many technological challenges, regulatory and legal hurdles remain. Navigation, type and production certification, and urban traffic management present significant barriers in advanced air mobility becoming a commercial reality. Recommendations include:

  • Establishing a standing working group of government and stakeholder organizations to create a unified national plan for employing advanced air mobility vehicles, driving new standards to ensure safety and support innovation.
  • Revisiting current laws and regulations with an eye toward “future proofing,” or ensuring all laws are applicable to both legacy and emerging aircraft systems.
  • Creating a workforce development plan that sets a foundation of awareness about infrastructure, certification requirements, and NAS management for AAM vehicle startups as well as other professionals and decision makers involved in the development of regulations and operations involving novel aircraft in the National Airspace.

Media Contact: Rebecca Gray, [email protected], 804-397-5270 cell

About AIAA
The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is the world’s largest aerospace technical society. With nearly 30,000 individual members from 91 countries, and 100 corporate members, AIAA brings together industry, academia, and government to advance engineering and science in aviation, space, and defense. For more information, visit aiaa.org, and follow AIAA on X/Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

General Atomics Preparing for Massive MQ-9B Sale to Saudi Arabia

Defense News reports, “General Atomics is preparing to offer a package deal to Saudi Arabia to acquire a number of MQ-9B SeaGuardian drones, company executives said in an interview at the IDEX arms fair in Abu Dhabi. “We are still in the very early stages but are pursuing this hard as there is a huge interest coming from Saudi regarding the MQ-9B — we expect they have significant requirements [for these drones] that could result in many of tens of thousands of jobs in the U.S. if we were to close that sale,” Dave Alexander, president of General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, told Defense News.”
Full Story (Defense News)