The United States Army announced that they have retired their Northrop Grumman MQ-5B Hunter UAV aircraft after the last flight took place at Fort Huachuca, Arizona. This aircraft has been in service since 1996 and has received multiple upgrades including a USD$91.2 million reset back in 2011. It is being replaced by another Northrop Grumman model, the MQ-1C Gray Eagle.
Learn MoreNews broke that FedEx is reportedly planning on purchasing at least 27 Boeing 767 cargo aircraft in the coming years. The deal was discussed in Seattle this past weekend and though the details of the meeting are private, the deal is said to be worth around USD$5 billion.
Learn MoreKawasaki Heavy Industries has developed a new maritime patrol aircraft, named the XP-1 (previously known as P-X), with intentions of using this aircraft to replace the P-3C maritime patrol aircraft operated by the Japan Maritime Self Defense Force (JMSDF). The initial prototype aircraft of the XP-1 was first revealed in July 2007, with this aircraft completing its maiden flight in September 2007. By March of 2010, Kawasaki had delivered four XP-1 aircraft to the Ministry of Defense for ground testing, during which the Japanese defense ministry discovered tears in various sections of the test aircraft. As a result of this, repairs to the aircraft included reinforcement of the fuel tank and central parts of the fuselage.
Learn MoreOrbital ATK announced that it had secured a $23.6 million contract to launch the US Air Force’s ORS-5 satellite on its Minotaur 4 rocket. With an anticipated launch date set for the second quarter of 2017, the US Air Force’s ORS-5 space surveillance satellite, also known as the SensorSat, is currently being designed and produced by MIT’s Lincoln Laboratory. The MIT team plans to use the satellite to scan and survey the geosynchronous-orbit belt from a low-Earth orbit vantage point.
Learn MoreJust recently, Japan has demonstrated its growing power in the global space industry. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has unveiled on July 1, 2015, their next automated HTV (H-II Transfer Vehicle) spacecraft. This vessel will be designed to specialize in cargo transportation to deliver payloads to the International Space Station. This freighter, named Kounotori-5 (HTV-5), is being prepared to resupply the International Space Station on its upcoming launch date of August 16th. Kounotori-5, which in Japanese means “white stork,” is anticipated to lift off from Tanegashima Space Center to dock on the International Space Station on August 22nd.
Learn MoreBell Helicopter’s 525 relentless model recently completed its first flight at its assembly center in Amarillo, Texas.
Learn MoreAirbus has beaten Boeing in a bid from South Korea as the country has decided to purchase 4 military airborne refueling tankers. The purchase grants $1.3 billion to the European aerospace company. In addition to beating Boeing, Airbus also outbid Israel Aerospace Industries in the tanker aircraft bid. The four A330 MRTT tankers will be delivered from 2018 to 2019 and will have the capability to fuel all fighter jets in the South Korean Air Force.
Learn MoreBoeing Company has announced that they have chosen a new chief executive officer, Dennis Muilenburg, to succeed McNerney, who is retiring after ten years as CEO. Muilenburg already has a long to-do list of decisions that he hopes will help reshape the world’s largest aircraft maker. Two of the biggest decisions he’ll have to make are right around the corner. He will have to decide whether or not to pursue a USD$10 billion takeover of Sikorsky Aircraft as well as deciding if the company will move forward on a brand new jetliner and either keep or cancel the well-known 747 jumbo, the model nicknamed the “Queen of the Skies.”
Learn MoreIn June 2015, Spirit AeroSystems announced that they have delivered the third fuselage section to Sikorsky for the United States Marine Corps’ CH-53K “King Stallion” heavy lift helicopter program. This delivery is under the CH-53K program’s system demonstration and test article (SDTA) contract. The new fuselage is composite skinned and includes an integrated cockpit and cabin structure that has its tail section separately attached.
Learn MoreIn June 2015, the space technology firm Orbital Sciences successfully launched their 40th Coyote supersonic sea-skimming target (SSST) vehicle for the US Navy. The goal of the Coyote program, which is managed by the US Navy’s Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR), is to provide an SSST system that will simulate high speed, anti-ship cruise missiles for fleet training and weapon systems research, development, tests, and evaluation.
Learn MoreThe Mexican operator, Transportes Aéreos Pegaso, has signed a framework agreement to purchase ten H145 helicopters from Airbus Helicopters. This deal establishes Transportes Aéreos Pegaso as the first Latin American company to operate these twin-engine helicopters. Transportes Aéreos Pegaso has been in operation for more than 30 years, leading the industry in executive air transportation services, personal transportation, cargo transportation, and off-shore flights. This new deal will allow Transportes Aéreos Pegaso to gradually replace their existing fleet of four EC135s and sixteen EC145s.
Learn MoreAt the 51st Paris Air Show, France’s Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales (CNES) announced that it would sell its 35% stake in Arianespace to Airbus Safran Launchers, giving the private company majority ownership. CNES is the government agency tasked with implementing France’s space policy in Europe. The sale of the French government’s shares of the Evry, France-based Arianespace has been cleared by Prime Minister Manuel Valls after Airbus Safran Launchers promised that it would not move Arianespace from its current Evry headquarters.
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