Aerospace Daily & Defense Report

China is making strides in its precision nuclear submarines, ballistic missile forces and weapons, among other advancements.

Valence Surface Technologies expects to see double-digit growth over the remainder of the decade as it ramps-up output to meet sustained growth in key defense programs.

Virgin Orbit, the newly created small satellite launch Virgin Group company, is nearing completion of the first “pathfinder” LauncherOne test rocket.

The California Air National Guard has relocated operations of its remotely piloted MQ-9 Reaper fleet from Victorville in the Mojave Desert to March Air Reserve Base.

Qatar and the U.S. signed an agreement for the purchase of $12.1 billion in F-15QA fighters.

The largest wind tunnel in the world has been damaged and shut down after wall panels detached and struck the drive fans on June 9.

The FAA has granted a supplemental type certificate for an updated digital avionics and cockpit for L3 Technologies’ AT-802L Longsword surveillance/light attack aircraft.

Swedish aerospace and defense company Saab has completed the first flight of its prototype E-model Gripen fighter jet.

FINCANTIERI acquired majority stake in ISSELNORD of Italy.

Lufthansa has placed an order for 25 Cirrus Aircraft SR20s for its primary training fleet.

North Korea has reconnoitered the U.S. Army’s newly installed Thaad battery at Seongju in South Korea with a small, pilotless aircraft, the joint chiefs of staff in Seoul say.

As the Pentagon struggles to determine what’s behind a spike in hypoxia-like cockpit incidents across several U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force fleets, Cobham believes it may have a groundbreaking new method of pinpointing the root cause.

After significant delays, the Pentagon has awarded umbrella contracts potentially worth more than $2 billion in total to continue the provision of unmanned aircraft services to deployed forces.

The U.S. Marine Corps is considering expanding its planned Bell-Boeing MV-22 Osprey tiltrotor fleet to 380 aircraft from 360.

The U.S. Marine Corps will adopt Raytheon’s 500-lb. GBU-49 to enable the Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II to strike fast-moving and maneuvering targets sooner than expected.

Total aerospace and defense employment in the U.S. dipped last year, falling back to roughly 2011 levels, according to a new report from the Aerospace Industries Association.

The London-based Royal United Services Institute suggests the £2 billion budget for the upgrade of the UK’s six Sentry aircraft could better spent on a new platform.

The U.S. Navy says its planned fleet of 160 Boeing EA-18G Growlers is enough for now, but several factors could see that number increase.

China's proposed Long March 9 Moon rocket would be powerful enough to send an object rather larger than the U.S. Lunar Module to the Moon’s surface.

Czech aircraft manufacturer Aero Vodochody has begun producing a new batch of L-159 Advanced Light Combat Aircraft for the Czech Air Force.

Russia’s Progress MS-06 resupply capsule maneuvered toward an automated docking with the Russian segment of the International Space Station following a June 14 launch.

The U.S. Senate has narrowly rejected a challenge to the sale of about $500 million in precision-guided weapons to Saudi Arabia.

Britain needs to “refresh” its Brexit strategy following the country’s June 8 general election results, the chief executive of the UK aerospace trade organization ADS says.

The South Korean Air Force has received and begun operating at least one signals intelligence (sigint) aircraft based on a Dassault Falcon 2000 business jet.

RAYTHEON has $7.5m DARPA contract for Phase 2 of undisclosed research program. Work complete June 2018.