Aviation Week & Space Technology

Keep NASA pointed toward Mars, bring China into the fold and don’t let climate-change deniers kill Earth science.

After the U.S. presidential election, almost everyone will want to repatriate overseas money for use in rebuilding America’s infrastructure, including aviation.

In this week’s roundup: Turkey adds to F-35 fighter request; U.S. black budget ticks up; IAI wins key Asian cyber security contract; and UK extends its Sentinel ISTAR aircraft life.

Nuclear weapons captured the interest of Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, and the issue of how to counter Russian and Chinese weapons will be at the forefront of the whoever wins the presidency. Aviation Week & Space Technology editors discuss some of those pending issues: programs to upgrade nuclear ICBMS, cruise missiles and bomber aircraft—and how to afford it all.

New NASA facility will simulate SLS launch loads, while planners study flight tests for secondary payloads.

Two years after a fatal SpaceShipTwo crash, Virgin Galactic looks to move forward, confident about upcoming glide tests with an improved rocket motor.

Too many airlines have a vested interest in keeping current ownership and control regulations in place. If they succeed, it will mark a major missed opportunity.

Using rockets over and over like airplanes can hold down launch costs, but it will take a lot of launches to overcome the cost and weight penalties.

Virgin Galactic test pilots have developed procedures that greatly improve takeoff and balanced field length performance of the WhiteKnightTwo carrier aircraft.

Rolls-Royce’s power gearbox and ceramic matrix composites work are part of a plan that will culminate in the UltraFan, an engine aimed at future airliners for 2025 onward.

With Brazilian upgrades under its belt, Helibras looks for more work in Latin America.

The combined company will be a super supplier of buyer-furnished equipment poised to ride the wave of aircraft interior retrofits.

Zee’s electric VTOL aircraft is spotted; Boeing’s commercial tiltrotor is patented; Japan’s Fquroh is quieter; NASA’s NEAT is tested.

Wholesale changes put in place by Boeing for 777X production have strategic implications for the company’s future effectiveness.

Air Force Materiel Command still has concerns about the quality of Northrop’s maintenance work on the aging J-Stars jets and may need to expand safety inspections to the entire fleet.

Boeing’s first 777X full-size composite wing skin test panel is being built as its robotic fuselage line picks up speed.

The Boeing 777X folding wingtip is designed for reliability and simplicity, with no moving parts or even wingtip lights beyond the hinge line.

Aviation Week editors recently saw a demonstration of the folding wingtip at Boeing’s plant in Everett, Washington. The target time for extending and/or retracting the wingtip is 20 sec. Watch and listen closely when it reaches the selected position to hear the locking mechanisms engage.

Despite potential schedule and cost growth, the service is “comfortable” that Northrop’s B-21 will meet the technical requirements at a reasonable price.

Exercise Bersama Lima 16, held in Malaysia Oct. 4-21, provided the first opportunity for RAF Typhoons to be pitched against the Su-30MKMs of the Royal Malaysian Air Force.

South Korean Massive Punishment and Retaliation is a plan to go after Kim Jong Un and other top North Korean leaders if they launch a nuclear attack.

At Priester Aviation, it’s all in the family.

Although an expansion of Heathrow Airport has been approved, political and legal hurdles remain.

The Hanwha Hyunmu 2 short-range ballistic missile is a likely basis of the submarine weapon that South Korea has reportedly begun developing.

In this week’s Washington Outlook: companies create new ways to contain potential battery fires; the hunt for new space policy champions; and a recommendation for changing remote-sensing regulations.