Aerospace Daily & Defense Report

Estonia has become the first customer of the Proteus Advanced Systems’ Blue Spear anti-ship missile, opting for the land-based variant.

Switzerland’s defense minister has warned that an initiative by political opponents to prevent the country from buying the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter could leave the country without a fighter jet capability.

Inmarsat and U.S. startup Xwing have signed a memorandum of understanding to pursue development of a dedicated satellite communications terminal and associated services for autonomous aircraft.

The U.S.-Spanish startup completed a series of closed-loop autonomous-control flight tests as it continues development of a long-endurance unmanned aircraft based on the Solar Impulse 2 (SI2) solar-powered round-the-world aircraft.

Speaking at the AviationWeek Asia Aerospace Leadership Forum, the Executive Vice President of Singapore’s Economic Development Board (EDB) said the country has “tremendous interest” in eVTOL development.

IARPA's Resilience program aims to develop power sources to extend the function of vertical-takeoff unmanned aircraft by providing a burst of power for vertical landing at the end of a long flight.

The upgrades should help prevent issues encountered during previous flights, including a debris strike that damaged a drogue parachute used during the descent of the Crew-1 mission in May.

The fifth-generation “Anthem” suite represents a step change in integrated avionics systems, the manufacturer says.

Some jurisdictions are over-reacting when civil aircraft lose communications with air traffic control (ATC), holding operators accountable for costs associated with military intervention and creating a culture of blame, rather than one that fosters learning lessons and improving protocols, the International Federation of Air Line Pilots’ Associations (IFALPA) warned.

Already an early mover in converting waste gases to renewable fuels, LanzaTech plans to demonstrate two new pathways for producing sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) with funding from the U.S. Energy Department.

The United Arab Emirates plans to follow its ongoing Mars mission with a second spacecraft, slated to launch in 2028, to explore seven asteroids in the main asteroid belt, culminating with a landing attempt in 2033.

The Air Force Research Laboratory will meet this month with industry on Project Kaiju, its recently announced effort to develop new, high-tech countermeasures to protect high-value aircraft in contested environments.

Turkey’s Roketsan has revealed the development of a guided, small-diameter, air-to-ground missile designed to be fitted to multicopter unmanned aircraft systems and operated by frontline troops.

The U.S. has expressed growing concern about the increasing number of Chinese military aircraft incursions near Taiwan.

The Czech Republic has contracted with the Israeli government for four batteries of the Rafael Spyder ground-based air defense system.

Wing-in-ground-effect vehicle developer Regent Craft has selected Paris-based maritime certification specialist Bureau Veritas to evaluate its 12-passenger Viceroy.

Most of the work so far on the electrification of aviation has involved propeller-driven aircraft and the development of electric propulsion units that can replace turboprop engines.

French airship developer Flying Whales has selected Thales’ FlytX certifiable avionics suite and fly-by-wire flight control computer for its LCA60T large-capacity cargo airship.

Russia’s Soyuz MS-19 sprinted from launch to docking with the International Space Station early Oct. 5, delivering film actress Yulia Peresild, producer Klim Shipenko and veteran cosmonaut commander Anton Shkaplerov in the latest of a rapid-fire sequence of missions exposing nonprofessionals to the opportunities and challenges of human spaceflight.

Airbus’ former chief technology officer (CTO) Grazia Vittadini is heading to Rolls-Royce where she will take on the CTO role for the aero-engine manufacturer.

The test marked the first time since the end of World War II that a fixed-wing aircraft has operated from a Japanese warship.

The CAA-led eVTOL Safety Leadership Group includes potential operators, manufacturers, rotorcraft experts and aviation companies which have been brought together to foster understanding of the aviation safety implications of advanced air mobility.

The stratospheric balloon operator is jumping into the space tourism industry, announcing Oct. 4 it is accepting $500 deposits for its “edge-of-space” trips to an altitude of 100,000 ft.

Already a major market for helicopters, Brazil is shaping up as a potential promising region for advanced air mobility if conditional aircraft orders are a guide.

Boeing has received another $1.1 billion to extend production of the active seeker for the Patriot Advanced Capability-3 missile system, the company announced Oct. 4.