Aerospace Daily & Defense Report

By Tony Osborne
Leonardo Helicopters has completed the first flight of the fourth prototype AW609 commercial tiltrotor.
Business Aviation

By Steve Trimble
The first Russian missile regiment armed with the Avangard hypersonic glide vehicle became operational Dec. 27.
Defense

By Bradley Perrett
Japan’s defense ministry has proposed to start working with a foreign partner on the country’s Next Generation Fighter.
Defense

By Bradley Perrett
The Calt Long March 5 heavy space launcher returned to flight on Dec. 27.
Defense

By Bradley Perrett
COMAC flew the sixth and last C919 prototype on Dec. 27, achieving an unpublished target that had begun to look doubtful.
Air Transport

By Steve Trimble
Embraer has demonstrated the ability of the KC-390 to drop heavy cargo loads at low speed.
Defense

By Bill Carey
The FAA on Dec. 26 released its long-awaited proposed rule outlining requirements for drones to transmit identifying information to the ground.
Business Aviation

By Lee Hudson
The U.S. military has conducted its first field test of the Advanced Battle Management System (ABMS) technology to identify and defeat a simulated cruise missile threat
Defense

By Steve Trimble
The Netherlands, United Arab Emirates and U.K. have signed orders for Boeing to remanufacture a total of 47 AH-64 Apache helicopters to the E-model standard.
Defense

By Michael Bruno
Textron will not become a pure aerospace and defense company in the near term.
Defense

By Steve Trimble
The U.S. Navy has formed an F-35 maintenance team that can respond to a crisis at a moment’s notice.
Defense

By Steve Trimble
A key piece of the EA-18G’s first major upgrade since the airborne electronic attack aircraft entered service a decade ago is now under contract
Defense

By Steve Trimble
Russian President Vladimir Putin referred for the first time in a speech on Dec. 24 to the “land- and sea-based” versions of the Zircon weapon.
Defense

By Molly McMillin
Italian manufacturer Piaggio Aerospace has signed a $221 million contract with the Italian Ministry of Defense for nine P.180 Avanti EVO turboprop aircraft.
Defense

By Maxim Pyadushkin
The first delivery of Russia’s Sukhoi Su-57 fifth-generation fighter is likely to be postponed after the aircraft crashed Dec. 24 during a test flight.
Defense

By Kim Minseok, Bradley Perrett
The first Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk for South Korea arrived at an airfield in the south of the country on Dec. 23.
Defense

By Steve Trimble
A Russian air force commander has revealed plans to introduce a sixth-generation, unmanned bomber by 2040.
Defense

By Kim Minseok, Bradley Perrett
The South Korean defense ministry plans to order 36-48 Boeing AH-64E Apaches.
Defense

LOCKHEED MARTIN has $7b U.S. Air Force contract for F-22 sustainment. RAYTHEON has $1b U.S. Navy contract for multiyear procurement of fiscal 2019
Aerospace

Selected U.S. Military Contracts For The Week Of Dec. 16 - Dec. 20, 2019

Venture-capital watcher PitchBook expects electric air-taxi startups to receive a record level of investment in 2020
Z

In observance of the year-end holidays, Aerospace Daily & Defense Report will not publish again until the issue dated Jan. 3. In the interim

By Steve Trimble
The U.S. Army has started browsing the market for an alternative turboshaft engine to power the heavy-lift fleet of Boeing CH-47 and MH-47 Chinooks.
Defense

By Steve Trimble
Congress has moved to spare the upgrade program for the Boeing CH-47F Chinook from a five-year deferral proposed earlier this year by the U.S. Army.
Defense

By Tony Osborne
Leonardo has carried out the first flight of a Eurofighter Typhoon destined for the Kuwait Air Force.
Defense