Aerospace Daily & Defense Report

As the U.S. Air Force continues the planned retirement of its A-10 attack jet fleet, the service secretary says one country has reached out with some interest to obtain the aircraft.

The U.S. Marine Corps is again adjusting its F-35 force structure.

Naval Air Systems Command announced March 8 that it had issued a flight clearance for the fleet after all operators grounded their V-22s following a November 2023 crash.

An operational evaluation of Diamond Aircraft’s eDA40 electric trainer with Lufthansa Aviation Training has shown the aircraft meets performance expectations.

Startup Inversion plans to launch Ray, its reentry capsule technology demonstrator, on SpaceX’s Falcon 9 Transporter-12 rideshare mission.

French startup Aura Aero has invited suppliers to bid for the first large work packages for its planned ERA 19-seat hybrid-electric regional aircraft.

New drive systems combining hydrogen fuel cells and distributed electric propulsion can be costly to develop.

Taiwan has conducted the first live firing of the ground-launched variant of the Tien Chien II (TC-2) missile.

French defense contractor Turgis Gaillard has begun initial ground tests of its Aarok medium-altitude, long-endurance uncrewed aircraft system.

GKN Aerospace is nearing critical milestones in its H2Gear hydrogen-electric powertrain research and technology project after overcoming supply chain issues.

Vertiport developer and drone operator Skyports has raised more than $110 million in a Series C funding round.

The F-35 Joint Program Office is now targeting acceptance of a long-awaited avionics upgrade for July.

Dark, a developer of a space junk interceptor rocket, has raised a $6 million seed round extension.

The U.S. Navy is now in a “source selection environment” for its future F/A-XX fighter.

The Air Force will receive a classified directed energy system last among the three armed services participating in the High Energy Laser Scaling Initiative.

Aerospace supplier GKN Aerospace is in the final stages of a multiyear restructuring.

Boeing’s first crewed CST-100 Starliner capsule was rolled out to Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral SFS on April 16.

The U.S. Navy is approaching a total of $1 billion in munitions expended in the Red Sea and Eastern Mediterranean.

Continued delays and cost increases to the U.S. Air Force’s planned procurement of the Boeing E-7A Wedgetail are raising eyebrows on Capitol Hill.

Lilium has begun producing battery packs for the first prototype Lilium Jet.

Czech startup Zuri has completed a large-scale ground testbed for its planned five-seat hybrid-electric vertical-takeoff-and-landing air taxi.

Argentina’s government has signed an agreement to purchase 24 F-16 fighters from Denmark in a major step to recapitalize the Latin American country’s air force.

The American military engages targets first with the longest-range interceptor available—the most effective, but also the most costly, a Pentagon official says.

When the Air Force rolled out its 2025 budget request, Secretary Kendall warned due to spending constraints, the service is not moving as quickly as needed.

U.S. aircraft and ships took down scores of drones and missiles, including several before they were launched in Yemen, as part of the broad defense of Israel.