Aerospace Daily & Defense Report

The UK plans to boost defense spending by an additional £2.9 billion ($3.7 billion) in 2025-2026, Chancellor Rachel Reeves says.

The defense contractor’s revenue and earnings per share in the September quarter both exceeded Wall Street’s consensus estimate.

A pair of rookie Chinese taikonauts joined veteran commander Cai Xuzhe for a 6 1/2-hr. ride to China’s Tiangong space station.

Contrails from hydrogen-fueled aircraft may form more readily and be more widespread than those from jet-fueled aircraft but have less of a climate impact.

Airbus has selected MTU Aero Engines CEO Lars Wagner as the new head of its commercial aircraft business, succeeding long-time senior exec Christian Scherer.

News in brief.

SKF to sell ring, seal operation... Lightridge Solutions names Nick Weiser chief human resources officer... U.S. Army awards Boeing Next Generation Automated Test System contract...

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and South Korean Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun met Oct. 30 at the Pentagon.

Argentina signed a $300 million agreement on April 16 for the two dozen F-16A/B Block 15 fighters from Denmark.

Malaysia’s largest military aircraft fleet modernization effort is the procurement of 36 FA-50 light combat aircraft.

The UK Defense Ministry is exploring the potential acquisition of a new ground- and sea-launched Medium-Range Precision Strike (MPRS) capability.

The U.S. State Department approved Denmark to buy some 200 of the RTX AIM-120D-3 for $744 million, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency announced Oct. 29.

European uncrewed aircraft systems developer Tekever is scouting a location for a U.S. site in a global expansion push as it teams up with Droneway.

Catic is promoting the vehicle-mounted Laser Arrow system to jam or disrupt some airborne sensors and air-to-ground weapons.

Australia will invest an initial $208 million to establish a local production facility for Lockheed Martin Guided Multiple Launch Rocket Systems.

China has sent its Shenzhou-19 astronauts into space, with the Long March-2F Y19 carrier rocket lifting off from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on Oct. 30.

Endurance is an autonomous lunar rover concept in development for a landing at the center of the South Pole Aitkin Basin (SPA) on the Moon’s unexplored far side.

Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) has delivered the first T625 Gokbey utility helicopters to the country’s military police.

Comparatively less attention has been paid to the future operators of AAM aircraft.

The Defense Department Inspector General on Oct. 29 released an investigation into Boeing’s performance-based logistics contract for the C-17.

The two companies’ joint R&D will focus on intermediate and high-temperature fuel cells.

The China Manned Space Agency has downselected two “low-cost cargo transporter” concepts to fulfill cost-efficient methods to supply the Tiangong space station.

Nigeria’s Air Force has topped up its fleet of Leonardo AW109 Trekker utility helicopters with the purchase of 10 aircraft, the service has confirmed.

Sikorsky has won a contract from the U.S. to build more than 70 UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters to be exported to Austria, Brazil, Greece, Sweden and Thailand.

Shenyang Aviation Industries Group has reached out to Italy's Manta Aircraft to partner on a V/STOL design that could now be developed and manufactured in China.