An unmanned version of the U-2 Dragon Lady is among the list of platforms being considered by Lockheed Martin for the Missile Defense Agency’s stratospheric UAV-borne laser demonstrator program.
Roscosmos, the Russian state space corporation, has told its International Space Station partners that to save costs it may reduce from three to two the number of cosmonauts assigned full time to the six-person International Space Station
An uprated astronomy telescope built around a surplus National Reconnaissance Mirror has the potential to “significantly advance” scientific progress, particularly if it is launched early enough to work with the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST).
The British defense ministry has signed a £184 million ($238 million) contract with missile manufacturer MBDA to begin production of a stockpile of new generation Asraam air-to-air missiles for the U.K.’s fleet of F-35s.
Facing the “tyranny of distance” in any future conflict with China, the U.S. Air Force is looking again at the value of high-speed platforms for surveillance and strike missions as well as affordable, responsive access to space.
German startup E-volo has conducted dynamic flight tests of its Volocopter V200, flying the electric-powered two-seat vertical-takeoff-and-landing aircraft unmanned to gather data with which to refine the design of the planned production vehicle.
The number of U.S. twin- and single-engine turbine helicopter accidents rose during the first half of 2016, compared to the same time a year ago, according to data from Robert E. Breiling Associates. The U.S. twin-turbine helicopter fleet was involved in one nonfatal accident in the first half of 2016, compared to no accidents reported for the first six months of 2015, the data said. Single-engine turbine helicopters in the U.S.
U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT approved potential $231M Foreign Military Sale to NATO Support and Procurement Agency for precision-guided munitions, equipment, support. LOCKHEED MARTIN has $8.1M U.S. Missile Defense Agency contract for Aegis Ashore test and operational systems in Poland, incl. facility and interface design, engineering support, procurement of spares.
To list an event, send information in calendar format to Donna Thomas at [email protected]. For a complete list of Aviation Week Network’s upcoming events, and to register, visit www.aviationweek.com/events (Bold type indicates new calendar listing.) Sept. 5—42nd European Rotorcraft Forum (ERF), Lille, France. For more information go to http://www.vtol.org/events/42nd-european-rotorcraft-forum-erf Sept. 5-8—42nd European Rotorcraft Forum, Lille France. For more information go to www.erf2016.com/
NASA’s burgeoning push to develop technology for electric aircraft propulsion is evident in the latest series of fast-paced feasibility demonstrations to be funded under the agency’s Convergent Aeronautics Solutions project.
NASA’s exoplanet-seeking Kepler space telescope has resumed science operations after the apparent loss in late July of a third focal plane detector module in the observatory’s photometer, the project manager says.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 launched a U.S.-built Japanese communications Satellite early Aug. 14, and used three of its nine engines to return its first stage to a picture-perfect tail-down landing on a robotic barge downrange from the Cape Canaveral launch site.
Charges for the Royal Air Force pilot who sent an Airbus A330 Voyager tanker into a dive are perjury, making a false record and negligently performing a duty, according to a British newspaper report.
The latest tests of the updated US16E seat and new lightweight helmet used mannequins in the lowest weight class, representing pilots who face the greatest risk during an ejection.
According to the Algerian defense ministry, the agreement covers the manufacturing of three types of light and medium helicopter for military and parapublic use.
The U.K. defense ministry has set aside £800 million to develop new defense technologies as part of an initiative to change the way the British defense ministry works with industry.
