Aerospace Daily & Defense Report

For more than a decade, Rep. Trent Franks (R-Ariz.) has advocated increased missile defense funding.

View the Forecast Friday: Western Fighter In-Service Fleets 2016-2026 chart in PDF format.

The U.S. Air Force’s long-running attempt to the replace the UH-1N Huey has hit another snag, with helicopter manufacturers telling the service that their airframes cannot meet the stated requirements without some modification.
Defense

Two top U.S. Air Force and Marine generals are at odds over whether to accelerate procurement of Lockheed Martin’s F-35.
Defense

By Bradley Perrett, Jay Menon
Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL) aims at building a rotorcraft in the class of the Sikorsky S-92 and Russian Helicopters Mi-17, initially to meet what it sees as the needs of the Indian air force.
Defense

By Jay Menon
Saab Grintek Defense (SGD) will transfer its technology to Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL) for in-country maintenance of Saab’s Integrated Defensive Aids Suite (IDAS) system in India.
Defense

The head of the F-35 Joint Program Office says the outer wings of 32 carrier-based C-models need to be replaced to carry the Raytheon AIM-9X Sidewinder, the aircraft’s primary dogfighting weapon.
Defense

By Molly McMillin
LMI Aerospace has entered an agreement to be acquired by the Sonaca Group, an aerostructures company based in Gosselies, Belgium.
Defense

LOCKHEED MARTIN delivered 200th F-35 Center Wing Assembly (CWA) from Marietta, GA, to Fort Worth F-35 production line in January.

Airbus Defense and Space has awarded a contract to CAE for a C295W crew and maintenance training service.

View the Defense Market Intelligence Notes in PDF format.

By Michael Bruno
Financial charges from the delayed U.S. Air Force KC-46A aerial refueling tanker continue to ripple across industry, with refueling system provider Cobham warning it will take $187 million in charges.
Defense

The U.S. Air Force is sending its first operational squadron of F-35s to the Pacific this year as part of a theater security package, according to a top general.
Defense

By Mark Carreau
Ceres, the largest of the Solar System’s main belt asteroids, shows evidence of surface organics, the carbon-based building blocks for life, according to new findings from NASA’s Dawn mission spacecraft.
Defense

By Tony Osborne
Austria has filed a criminal complaint against Airbus Defense and Space and Eurofighter claiming that the companies have been deceiving Austria over its purchase of Typhoon fighter jets.
Defense

The U.S. Navy has begun meeting with rocket manufacturers to support Orbital ATK’s development of an extended-range Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile.
Defense

Boeing and Lockheed Martin say they will enter the U.S. Navy’s competition for an extended-range, ship-destroying missile for Littoral Combat Ship/Frigate warships.
Defense

By Tony Osborne
The UK Royal Air Force has been testing a Northrop Grumman-developed airborne gateway system to covertly pass information between the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter and the Eurofighter Typhoon.
Defense

By Jay Menon
India is showing interest in Rafael’s I-Derby Extended Range (ER) beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile, mainly for its indigenous Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA).
Defense

By Tony Osborne
Brazil has decided to decommission its single aircraft carrier, bringing into question the future of its navy Skyhawk fleet and the future development of a naval version of the Saab Gripen.
Defense

By Guy Norris
Following a series of evaluations on the pad, the Electron is expected to make its first test launch “within weeks."
Defense

SIERRACIN CORP. has $10.1m Defense Logistics Agency contract for aircraft windshields.

Shuttle-era NASA astronauts Ellen Ochoa and Michael Foale will be inducted into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame during ceremonies May 19-20 in Florida.

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) pegs the amount of money needed to modernize the U.S. Cold War-era nuclear arsenal at $400 billion through fiscal 2026, if the Trump administration continues with the planned purchase of new bombers, missiles and submarines.
Defense

Acting NASA Administrator Robert Lightfoot, in coordination with the White House, has ordered a study of what it would take to put astronauts on the first flight of the Orion crew capsule around the Moon, a mission currently scheduled for next year.
Defense