The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) greenlighted a certification plan put forward by Lockheed Martin for its new class of hybrid airships. This approval takes Lockheed Martin closer to delivering the airships to commercial customers. Read more >>

Northrop Grumman and the US Army successfully deployed their future Integrated Air and Missile Defense System (AIAMD) in a test on November 12. The platform effectively took out its first cruise missile target using a new command-and-control system and Patriot and Sentinel radars. Read more >>

The Bombardier Global 6000 aircraft, the company’s third-generation, large cabin, ultra-long range jet, has been recently demonstrated by NetJets that the aircraft is certainly capable of offering travelers with great range capabilities in an ultimate luxury aircraft cabin. Read more >>

The Boeing Company has recently come together with Tata Advanced Systems, the aerospace and defense division of the TATA Group, in order to create a joint venture which will allow for the manufacture of aircraft structures. This in turn will create more avenues for integrated systems development opportunities in India. The financial details regarding this joint venture have not yet been disclosed, though both companies intend on developing and selling integrated systems via the joint venture. Read more >>

BAE Systems, a British multinational security, defense, and aerospace company, has recently taken a 20% stake in Reaction Engines, which is a small, privately held, British technology company. Reaction Engines has been investing in innovative propulsion technology which would hopefully cut the costs of space travel significantly. According to the managing director of Reaction Engines, the company has been working on new ways to create a launcher which could take off in a similar fashion to an aircraft, which would then fly into space, release its satellite, and then ultimately return to Earth for reuse within 48 hours. Read more >>

At the 2015 AUVSI Unmanned Systems Defense conference, US Navy Secretary Ray Mabus announced that his branch plans to operate a fully deployable submarine drone squadron by the year 2020. Read more >>

Entering service in 2018 will be Boeing’s 702 satellite, which will help to expand and broaden multimedia communications for mobile users in India, China, as well as other markets in Asia. The satellite will be procured by New York Broadband LLC (NYBB), who will then lease capacity to CMMB Vision in order to offer a detailed suite of information and media services to customers in Asia. Read more >>

The United States Air Force is expected to award an extremely lucrative contract for the development and production of a fleet of 80 to 100 long-range stealth bombers. This initial contact is estimated to be valued at $60 billion, one of the largest contracts in Air Force history, and is the culmination of a four-year battle among three of the world’s leading military contractors. Read more >>

The United States Navy has recently awarded Raytheon, an American industrial corporation and defense contractor, with a contract to manufacture, test, and inspect Phalanx Close-in Weapon Systems (CIWS). This contract, which is estimated to be valued at $159.9 million, will encompass and include support equipment for the SeaRAM and Phalanx Weapon Systems, Block 1B radar improvements, as well as kits for maintainability, reliability, and availability. In addition to this, the contract will also include overhaul of four land-based Phalanx Weapon Systems. Read more >>

The United Stated Navy has recently accepted the very first MH-60R helicopter variant for Denmark from Lockheed Martin, in a ceremony on Tuesday. This ceremony took place in Owego, New York, at a Lockheed Martin facility. The MH-60R was manufactured by Sikorsky Aircraft and is equipped with advanced mission sensors and systems from Lockheed Martin. Denmark revealed in 2012 that they would be acquiring a total of nine MH-60R aircraft in order to perform missions such as search and rescue, surveillance, anti-surface warfare, and anti-piracy. The MH-60R is deployed and operational as the main United States Navy anti-surface and anti-submarine warfare system for both littoral zones and Open Ocean. Read more >>