Aerospace Daily & Defense Report

By Tony Osborne
Leonardo and South Africa’s Paramount Group are to study a potential armed version of Leonardo’s M345 jet trainer for the African market.
Defense

AEROKOOL AVIATION CORP. has $8.2m U.S. Navy contract for repair of F/A-18 turbines.

During a presentation at the Air Force Association’s annual symposium, SpaceX President and Chief Operating Officer Gwynne Shotwell struck an atypically militaristic tone for the leader of a commercial space company.

By Steve Trimble
The latest Skunk Works concept is likened to Lockheed’s losing proposal for the U.S. Navy’s MQ-25 tanker program, but with some major differences.
Defense

By Steve Trimble
U.S. Air Force is pondering further upgrades for the Boeing B-52H fleet, including a concept that reduces the crew to four positions and eliminates the below-deck workstations.
Defense

By Jen DiMascio
The U.S. Air Force is planning to use what are essentially government credit cards to work with small businesses.
Defense

By Guy Norris
Air launch space company Stratolaunch Systems has unveiled study plans for a pair of hypersonic flying testbeds that could be launched from the company’s very large carrier aircraft.
Space

By Mark Carreau
Japan has scheduled the fourth attempt to launch its latest cargo mission to the International Space Station for Sept. 21 at 2:15 p.m. EDT.
Defense

By Graham Warwick
Startup Astro Aerospace plans to flight-test its prototype passenger-carrying unmanned aircraft at Toronto Markham Airport this week, after receiving a special flight operations certificate for the vehicle from Transport Canada.

By Lee Hudson, Steve Trimble
The Air Force anticipates delivery of light attack aircraft within roughly 18 months of contract award.
Defense

By Tony Osborne
Britain’s Defense Science and Technology Laboratory has been testing unmanned air and ground vehicles that can sniff out chemical contamination.
Defense

By Jen DiMascio
Lockheed's Next-Generation Overhead Persistent Infrared System will make up the first block of the missile warning constellation that will replace the current Space-based Infrared System.
Program Management

By Steve Trimble
Pratt & Whitney is offering to upgrade the vertical thrust component of Lockheed Martin F-35B's engine, offsetting the extra weight of proposed upgrades to the stealthy fighter’s mission systems.
Defense

By Graham Warwick
Europe’s RemoveDEBRIS satellite has used a net to capture a deployed target simulating a piece of orbital debris.
Defense

AEROVIRONMENT has $8.9m U.S. Army contract for RQ-20B Puma AE II systems/support to Estonia.

This week the Air Force Association’s annual Air, Space and Cyber symposium is underway in National Harbor, Maryland.

BAE Systems Technology Solutions has been awarded a $9,695,000 firm-fixed price, indefinite-delivery requirements contract for the F-16 Commercial Fire Control Computer (CFCC) repair program.

By Lee Hudson
Delivery for the KC-46A was slated for Oct. 27 but the service is working with Boeing to determine whether this is still achievable.
Defense

By Tony Osborne
On receipt of the first payments on Sept. 18, the company declared the contract, worth £5 billion ($6.6 billion) to BAE, effective.
Defense

By Lee Hudson
The U.S. Air Force says early analysis indicates that so-called physiological events (PEs) among T-6 pilots are “extreme outliers.”
Defense

By Tony Osborne
The European Defense Agency says Europe is facing a shortfall of up to 40 aerial refueling aircraft in 2025.
Defense

By Steve Trimble
The company has developed a prototype of a next-generation belly-mounted camera tasked with identifying targets in the ground and in the air.
Defense

By Steve Trimble
The flight tests will evaluate how the Cuda compares to the range and terminal phase maneuverability of the Raytheon AIM-120 Amraam.
Defense

By Tony Osborne
Moscow says Israeli fighter jets used the flight of the intelligence-gathering Ilyushin Il-20 “Coot” as a cover while they attacked targets in Eastern Syria.
Defense

By Jen DiMascio
L3 Technologies is positioning itself to take a lead role as the U.S. military seeks to knit together the electronics on its existing weapons.
Defense