Aerospace Daily & Defense Report

ArianeGroup has completed the “definition review” of the Prometheus reusable engine demon and conducted the second test firing of Ariane 6’s strap-on booster.

Britain’s defense ministry is conducting studies that will ultimately influence the shape of the country’s future support helicopter fleet.

Russian S-300 missiles in Syria may be fully operational by March, according to Israelis who are following the air defense system’s preparations.

Draken International deployed four Aero Vodochody L-159s to Eglin AFB, Florida, in January to expand adversary air support to East Coast bases for the first time.

A DOD IG report of aerospace and defense provider TransDigm Group has found no wrongdoing, but the DOD wants the key supplier to pay back $16 million.

NASA’s Mars InSight lander has successfully added a protective thermal and wind cover to its first deployed surface sensor.

The U.S. Navy has awarded a $41.8 million contract to B.L. Harbert International to build a hangar for the MQ-25A carrier-based unmanned refueling tanker.

India has formally taken delivery of the first of 15 Chinook CH-47F heavy-lift transport helicopters from Boeing.

Boeing has made a "significant investment" in supersonic business-jet developer Aerion to accelerate development of its Mach 1.4 AS2.

The first test of the methane-burning Raptor rocket engine marks a key step toward the start of flight tests of SpaceX's multipurpose, interplanetary-class space transportation system.

Leonardo has quietly started batch assembly of production-standard AW609 commercial tiltrotors.

Vivek Lall is vice president of strategy and business development at Lockheed Martin, leading the company’s effort to sell the F-16 Block 60 to India.

A liquid hydrogen-powered unmanned multicopter flew continuously for 10 hr., 50 min. in South Korea on Jan. 23, setting a new endurance record.

With the Marine Corps CH-53K from Lockheed Martin’s Sikorsky going into initial production, and some “strategic programs”—likely including the Air Force B-21 from Northrop Grumman—heating up, Spirit expects to continue growing its defense-related business.

Startup company Jaunt Air Mobility has acquired the rights to Carter Aviation Technologies’ slowed-rotor compound (SR/C) concept.

India has allocated 3 trillion rupees ($43 billion) for its fiscal 2019-20 defense budget.

Iranian military officials unveiled what they claimed was a new medium-range ground-launched cruise missile to mark the 40th anniversary of the founding of the Islamic Republic.

Putin directed Shoigu to begin adapting the launch system of the Kalibr cruise missile for ground forces and developing land-based hypersonic ballistic missiles with a medium- and intermediate-range capability.

RAYTHEON has $33m U.S. Navy contract for engineering and manufacturing development of Miniature Air Launched Decoy-Navy.

Nanoracks logged five CubeSat deployments from the International Space Station’s Japanese Kibo lab module on Jan. 31.

View the Aviation Week Forecasts: Top Western Fighter Families By MRO Demand 2019-2028 chart in PDF format.

The $517 million contract preserves GE’s role as the dominant U.S. supplier of turboshaft engines for current and future military helicopters.

A German and an Israeli company on Jan. 29 signed a teaming agreement to offer commercial Lunar Surface Access Service.

Photos posted on Twitter show bureau officials posing with a DJI Phantom on a table, while another small quadcopter is shown in a plastic bag.

The Israeli Defense Force’s long-term plans call for buying missiles to add firepower to ground units if the Air Force’s firepower is limited.