Aerospace Daily & Defense Report

In addition to China’s Zhuhai Airshow, this week sees a flurry of planned space activity.

JLL-Midnight Sun IFMS, LLC, Kotzebue, Alaska, is awarded a $30,408,548 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for base operations support services at Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Florida, and outlying areas.

Seven years after Europe signed the contract to supply the service module for NASA’s Orion spacecraft, the system arrived at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC) on Nov. 6.

A Soyuz launcher operated by Arianespace in Kourou, French Guiana, is to place the MetOp-C atmospheric observation satellite into orbit in a bid to further improve weather forecasts.

Studies between the ESA and European smallsat launch firm Orbex concluded that a smallsat launch site in Portugal’s Azores would be economically and technically viable.

An AVIC-owned J-10B testbed demoed in a flying display showed China’s new mastery of extreme aerial maneuverability aided by an experimental thrust vectoring control system.

A new stealth UAV program unveiled at Airshow China could represent a significant step toward the Peoples Liberation Army Air Force acquiring an AEW capability.

A Chinese company has unveiled a ground-launched and supersonic anti-ship missile called the CM-401.

A Chinese mining firm has entered the market for supersonic cruise missiles by unveiling ground- and air-launched versions of a ramjet-powered weapon at Airshow China.

A new UAS equipped with a conformal, load-bearing AESA radar for early warning made its debut on Nov. 6 at China’s largest aviation event.

Norwegian auditors have criticized Oslo’s procurement of the NH90 naval helicopter over the delays to its service entry, high operating costs and low reliability.

Turkish media has reported that the U.S. manufacturer will provide its F110 turbofan, which normally powers the Lockheed Martin F-16, for the prototypes and possibly a batch of early production aircraft.

Dynetics is to build two small satellites to demonstrate tactical space support payloads for the U.S. Army.

The Israeli Defense Ministry is easing defense export rules after greater pressure from Israeli firms that cited growing competition on the global market.

The U.S. military is sending three medium-lift helicopter companies to support the DHS and CBP personnel defending the Southwest border.

Silicon Valley startup Swarm Technologies, still under investigation by the FCC for launching four prototype nanosats without OK, is getting a second chance.

The Turkish government has formally launched a program to develop an indigenous smallsat launch capability.

British auditors have declared a £7 billion shortfall in the UK’s defense equipment 10-year spending plans.

Bell has selected battery developer Electric Power Systems (EPS) to provide energy storage for eVTOL and on-demand mobility aircraft now under development.

Recently published findings from a rodent experiment aboard the International Space Station are shedding light on astronaut vision problems.

A potentially breakthrough quantum radar prototype is making a debut appearance at the Zhuhai Airshow.

KULR TECHNOLOGY will provide an innovative thermal management material to LEIDOS for defense-related research and development projects.

UTC Aerospace Systems has developed the world’s highest resolution indium gallium arsenide near infrared/shortwave infrared camera for the U.S. Navy.

ROMANIA has signed an agreement and transferred funding to the U.S. to purchase three RAYTHEON Patriot air and missile defense systems from the U.S. ARMY.

Chinese private space launch company Landspace suspects a broken pipe in the terminal-correction attitude-control system caused the failure of its first shot, on Oct. 27.