U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL)

Photonic navigation sensors; Airbus and quantum computing; in-space refueling; alternatives to GPS for PNT.

GE’s small hybrid core; on-site hydrogen on demand; 3D-printing magnesium; and very-low-orbit space tracker.

LeoLabs has won a contract from the Air Force Research Laboratory and AFWerx innovation unit to develop an S-band 2D direct radiating array ground-based radar.

Development work on the U.S. Air Force’s experimental, hypersonic Mayhem vehicle has been paused following the completion of an early design milestone.

The 4,000-lb.-thrust Draper has now amassed more than 50 hot fire tests.

U.S. Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall on May 2 flew on a highly modified version of the Lockheed Martin F-16 that was operated by an artificial intelligence (AI) agent.

Collaborative Combat Aircraft and Survivable Airborne Operations Center selections favor private companies as major primes set sights on larger awards.

Piasecki Aircraft has unveiled a small air-launched UAV designed to glide autonomously from altitude and deliver logistics payloads.

The U.S. Air Force announced April 24 that it selected General Atomics and Anduril to continue designs for the first phase of its CCA program.

There are individual hybrid satcom terminal programs underway across each of the services.

About three years before its first scheduled fielding, the U.S. Air Force’s Collaborative Combat Aircraft fleet has a new group of F-16-based testbed aircraft.

Umbra Space is the latest commercial space company to show that bistatic coupling of two radar satellites could be used to implement moving target indication.

Hypersonic aircraft developer Hermeus has unveiled its first flying test vehicle—Quarterhorse Mk. 1—at its Atlanta facility.

Our roundup of the main aerospace and defense stories making the news this week.

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems announced Feb. 29 that its XA-67A Off-Board Sensing Station (OBSS) flew for the first time the day before.

The service will select two companies to begin building CCAs, though with a cost-sharing agreement to bring along a third.

The U.S. AFRL has decided to wind down its ambitious air-breathing hypersonic Mayhem development program, citing insufficient operational demand.

The San Diego-based UAS, propulsion and sensor company decided not to offer a bid for a high-profile UAS program as a prime contractor.

The service, blocked from starting new acquisition programs, used a long-standing autonomy demonstration effort to begin CCA work.

A new contract awarded to Raytheon aims to expand the application and understanding of high-power microwave weapons beyond capabilities now entering service.

New office outlines plans for future servicing, mobility and logistics.

The startup details the Quarterhorse flight-test plan as concept design work accelerates for the follow-on Darkhorse hypersonic cruiser.

As the first U.S. hypersonic weapons enter service, defense officials are searching for new ideas for high-speed propulsion and to dramatically reduce prices.

General Electric has released new details of a plan to achieve reusable, air-breathing propulsion at hypersonic speeds by 2025.

Startup propulsion company Ursa Major has begun assembly of the first Draper engine for a new-generation, air-launched hypersonic target vehicle.