U.S. Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM) at Offutt Air Force Base, Neb., has approved the U.S. Navy’s next-generation narrowband satellite communication (SATCOM) system for expanded operational use, paving the way for Navy and Marine Corps early-adopter commands to use the system on deployment as early as this fall, primarily in the Pacific theater.
Stratos Aircraft in Redmond, Ore., is introducing the Stratos 716 model, an evolved version of its 714 proof of concept (PoC) aircraft. A multi-role very light jet (VLJ), the Stratos 716 is designed to seat six and support personal, business, and air taxi use.
Astronaut launches will return to U.S. soil for the first time since the space shuttle’s retirement in 2011. NASA officials have named the first U.S. astronauts who will fly on American-made, commercial spacecraft to and from the International Space Station (ISS). Space agency officials have assigned nine astronauts to crew the first test flight and mission of Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner crew capsule, developed in collaboration with Bigelow Aerospace in Las Vegas, and SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft.
On July 30, according to Russian state news outlet TASS, Russia is developing a prototype of the Orlan wing-in-ground-effect multimode aircraft under the state armament program.
The Gulfstream G500 twin-engine business jet recently completed type certification and received a production certificate from the FAA. The certifications pave the way for Gulfstream’s first G500 customer delivery planned for fourth quarter this year.
The ability to control unmanned systems from the cockpit of a manned tactical aircraft is coming closer to reality. Textron Systems and Textron Aviation have demonstrated manned-unmanned teaming – specifically the command and control (C2) of multiple unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), commonly referred to as drones, from a single manned military aircraft.
Mercedes-Benz Vans is the latest manufacturer to make its future plans clear, launching an eVito towards the end of this year and a larger eSprinter in 2019. The company is examining a fuel-cell version of the Sprinter to help alleviate range anxiety.
Executives at the CAR Management Briefing Seminars discuss how best to implement the advanced technologies, such as collaborative robots, augmented reality, and big data analytics, that will enable the factory of the future.
SaraniaSat, an aerospace startup in Los Angeles, won a three-year, $5.1 million NASA In-Space Validation of Earth Science Technologies (InVEST) contract to test and advance the company’s Hyperspectral Thermal Imager (HyTI), being touted as a unique, disruptive technology for hyperspectral remote sensing, a technology also known as imaging spectroscopy used to detect and identify minerals, vegetation, and manmade materials.
NASA Science Mission Directorate officials in Washington are funding three new projects selected from a pool of 25 received in response to the NASA Earth Science Technology Office’s (ESTO’s) solicitation for the In-Space Validation of Earth Science Technologies (InVEST) program element A.49 of ROSES (Research Opportunities in Space and Earth Sciences) 2017, supporting the Earth Science Division (Solicitation NNH17ZDA001N).
Leonardo and Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa S.A. intend to collaborate on the new AgustaWestland AH-249A attack helicopter – also referred to as the AW249. PGZ’s involvement comes during the Polish Army’s continued search for 32 new helicopters under Poland’s own attack helicopter procurement program in an effort to replace aging Russian Helicopters Mi-24 military rotorcraft.
The Viasat Global Mobile Antenna 5560-101 military-grade, Ku-/Ka-band, multi-network, multi-mode satellite communications antenna has demonstrated it can provide in-flight broadband connectivity to enable advanced situational awareness, en-route mission planning, and other applications that demand high forward and return link capacity. FAA DO-160G certification enables the antenna to be installed on select manned and unmanned military aircraft, while passing AFMC C-17 MACC tests demonstrates the antenna's ability to become certified for Air Force and FMS C-17 aircraft.