Tag: November 2025

U.S. Army Apache Pilots to Train with Augmented Reality for First Time

Flying Magazine reports, “For the first time, U.S. military helicopter pilots will train using augmented reality (AR) technology that can recreate real-world scenarios within a digital space. On Monday, augmented reality flight training systems developer Red 6 said it has integrated its Advanced Tactical Augmented Reality Systems (ATARS) on Boeing’s AH64E Apache Crewstation Advanced Technology Testbed (CATT). That marks the company’s first integration with a U.S. Army platform and the first-ever integration of such a system on a rotorcraft platform, Red 6 said.”
Full Story (Flying Magazine)

Eastern Range Hosts 100th Orbital Launch of the Year

Aviation Week reports, “Less than a decade ago, the country’s primary spaceport was working on modernizing processes and equipment to support 48 rocket launches a year—more than double the annual flight rate at the time. This week, the Eastern Range hosts its 100th orbital launch of the year, with another 20-30 remaining on the 2025 flight manifest.”
Full Story (Aviation Week)

Archer Partners with Two Saudi Companies to Develop and Test Air Taxi Services

Reuters reports, “Archer Aviation said on Wednesday it has signed a deal with The Helicopter Company and luxury developer Red Sea Global, both owned by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, to develop, test and potentially deploy electric aircraft in the Kingdom. Western air taxi makers have been stepping up efforts to expand beyond their home markets, with the Middle East emerging as a key target thanks to its fast-growing tourism sector, supportive regulators and willingness to invest early in next-generation transport technologies.”
Full Story (Reuters)

Rocket Lab Successfully Launches HASTE Vehicle with Payloads for MDA and DIU

Defense Daily reports, “Rocket Lab [RKLB] on Tuesday announced the successful launch of a suborbital mission using its HASTE launch vehicle with missile defense technology payloads operating for the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) and Defense innovation Unit (DIU). The company said the launch took place at its Launch Complex 2 on Wallops Island, Va., on the morning of Nov. 18.”
Full Story (Defense Daily)

Video

Aerospace Award Winners to be Honored at AIAA SciTech Forum 2026

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 19, 2025 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) will bestow awards to aerospace innovators who made an impact on the industry over the past year during the AIAA SciTech Forum 2026, 12–16 January, Orlando, Fla. The awards will be presented during the forum at a special Awards Recognition Ceremony. Forum registration is available now. Journalists can request press credentials to cover the forum at [email protected].

“Congratulations to this year’s award winners! These remarkable individuals are highly regarded in their field and have been chosen by their peers. Their impressive contributions are advancing aeronautics and astronautics while also inspiring the next generation of aerospace professionals,” said AIAA CEO Clay Mowry. “They are truly shaping the future of aerospace.”

For more information about the AIAA Honors and Awards program, contact Patricia A. Carr at [email protected].

LITERARY AWARDS

2026 AIAA Gardner-Lasser Aerospace History Literature Award
The award is presented for the best original contribution to the field of aeronautical or astronautical non-fiction literature published in the last five years dealing with the science, technology, and/or impact of aeronautics or astronautics on society.

Sean Seyer
University of Kansas
Sovereign Skies: The Origins of American Civil Aviation Policy

2026 AIAA Elementary Children’s Literature Award
This award is presented to an outstanding, significant, and original contribution in aeronautics and astronautics literature for youth audiences.

Lauren Sánchez Bezos
The Fly Who Flew To Space

TECHNICAL EXCELLENCE AWARDS

2026 AIAA Aerodynamic Measurement Technology Award
This award is presented for continued contributions and achievements toward the advancement of advanced aerodynamics flowfield and surface measurement techniques for research in flight and ground test applications.

Mark P. Wernet|
NASA Glenn Research Center
For the continued advancement of LDV, PIV, Raman thermometry, and real-time BOS technology into facility-hardened techniques that provide validation data for CFD assessment.

2026 AIAA Aerospace Guidance, Navigation and Control Award
This award is presented to recognize individuals that have made important and substantial contributions in the field of guidance, navigation and control.

Kathleen Howell
Purdue University
For seminal contributions to the theory and practice of the trajectory design and operation of spacecraft in the Earth-moon system.

2026 AIAA Aerospace Power Systems Award
This award, established in 1981, is presented for a significant contribution in the broad field of aerospace power systems, specifically as related to the application of engineering sciences and systems engineering to the generation, storage, management, and distribution of electrical energy to aerospace power systems.

Jeffrey Hojnicki
NASA Glenn Research Center (retired)
For exceptional technical contributions in spacecraft power systems analysis and for outstanding leadership in the design of photovoltaic power systems for multiple human spaceflight programs.

2026 AIAA Air Breathing Propulsion Award
This award is presented to an individual for sustained, meritorious accomplishment in the arts, sciences, and technology of air breathing propulsion systems.

Eric J. Ruggiero
GE Aerospace
For shaping propulsion technology starting with fundamental research in cooling features of gas turbines leading to product development of propulsion systems for advanced military platforms.

2026 AIAA Atkinson-Ball Survivability Award
This award is presented to an individual to recognize outstanding achievement or contribution in design, analysis, implementation, and/or testing of survivability in an aerospace system.

Timothy L. Williams
Boeing Defense, Space, and Security
For visionary leadership advancing multi-domain platform survivability, integrating resilient technologies across global defense systems, and shaping the next generation of aerospace engineers through mentorship & innovation.

2026 AIAA de Florez Award for Flight Simulation
This award is presented for an outstanding individual achievement in the application of flight simulation to aerospace training, research, and development.

Bruce Jackson
Adaptive Aerospace Group, Inc.
For leading standards for check-cases and model exchange of six-degree-of-freedom simulations, and for developing software frameworks for crew training, handling qualities, and vehicle subsystems development.

2026 AIAA Energy Systems Award
This award is presented for a significant contribution in the broad field of energy systems, specifically as related to the application of engineering sciences and systems engineering to the production, storage, distribution, and conservation of energy.

 Kemal Hanjalić
Delft University of Technology
University of Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
For pioneering and outstanding contribution to the modelling of turbulent flows, heat, mass transfer, and its application for the advancement of energy and process technologies.

2026 AIAA Intelligent Systems Award
This award is presented to recognize important fundamental contributions to intelligent systems technologies and applications that advance the capabilities of aerospace systems.

Mary “Missy” Louise Cummings
George Mason University
For outstanding and sustained contributions to human supervision and control of intelligent autonomous aerospace vehicles.

2026 AIAA Mechanics and Control of Flight Award
This award is presented for an outstanding recent technical or scientific contribution by an individual in the mechanics, guidance, or control of flight in space or the atmosphere.

Michael Bolender
Air Force Research Laboratory, AFRL/RQQA
For outstanding contributions to the development of control-oriented models and flight control methods for air-breathing hypersonic vehicles, which serve as the foundation of many computational models used in research and industry.

2026 AIAA Microgravity and Space Processes Award
This award is presented for significant contributions in microgravity science, space processing, or in furthering the use of microgravity for space processing.

Steven Collicott
Purdue University
For unique leadership in research, advocacy, and education supporting spaceflight activities in ISS, commercial sub-orbital rockets, parabolic flights, drop-towers, and commercial satellites.

2026 AIAA Propellants and Combustion Award
This award is presented for outstanding technical contributions to aeronautical or astronautical combustion engineering.

Fokion Egolfopoulos
University of Southern California
For outstanding contributions in studies of flames, including flame theory and fundamental flame property measurements and simulations especially at engine-relevant conditions.

2026 AIAA Wyld Propulsion Award
This award is presented for outstanding achievement in the development or application of rocket propulsion systems.

Vladimir J. Hruby
Busek Co. Inc.
In recognition of outstanding technical contributions in the field of spacecraft electric propulsion, and foundational influence on the industry.

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 www.aiaa.org, and follow AIAA on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and X/Twitter.

Got a Payload for Space? Call Front Door

From the Institute
Companies that have a product suitable for space or defense often have a problem – “who ya gonna call”? There is no “Ghostbusters”-like hotline for engaging with the U.S. government procurement apparatus – but there may be an answer. Victor Vigliotti, director of the U.S. Space Force’s Front Door initiative, described a new effort to streamline doing business with the government during a Hub session at AIAA AVIATION Forum and ASCEND in July.
Full Story (Aerospace America)

Boeing KC-46 Performs First Flight Test Using New Vision System

Breaking Defense reports, “Boeing has flown a new vision system on the company’s troubled KC-46 Pegasus air refueler for the first time, the firm’s defense chief revealed today, a key step toward resolving an issue that has plagued the platform for years. Speaking during a roundtable with reporters ahead of the Dubai Airshow, Steve Parker also disputed that cost increases influenced the US Air Force’s decision to ditch Boeing’s E-7 Wedgetail.”
Full Story (Breaking Defense)