Stratolaunch says it completes first powered flight of reusable hypersonic vehicle

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  October 18, 2018 | International, Aerospace

  Northrop Grumman and Airbus Finalize Agreement on “Wing of Tomorrow” Program

  Agreement positions company for work on next generation composite manufacturing technology DULLES, Va. – Oct. 16, 2018 – Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) announced today it has finalized a Cooperation and Research Agreement to work closely with Airbus on the Wing of Tomorrow program. The three-year agreement expands the current Northrop Grumman relationship with Airbus and explores complex composite wing stiffener forming automation with out-of-autoclave material systems through an investment in equipment, test articles and engineering support. This relationship positions Northrop Grumman for future potential high-rate production opportunities. “This agreement builds on Northrop Grumman's valuable working relationship with Airbus and its partners. Our work with Airbus is an important component of growth in the commercial aerospace structures business,” said Wendy Williams, vice president and general manager, aerospace structures, Northrop Grumman. “We are excited about the advanced composite manufacturing technology being developed to support the Wing of Tomorrow concept, and our team is eager to continue our long-term relationship with Airbus on their future endeavors.” Northrop Grumman is currently producing composite fuselage stringers and frames for the Airbus A350 XWB -900 and -1000 variants at its state-of-the-art Aircraft Commercial Center of Excellence facility in Clearfield, Utah. The company has successfully delivered more than 200,000 Airbus A350 parts since the inception of the program. Northrop Grumman's proprietary automated stiffener forming process has been instrumental in the development and manufacture of high-rate production composite stringers and frames that are extremely high quality, affordable and dimensionally precise. This technology will be evolved to the new material systems, geometries and processing needs of the future while maintaining the superior benefits of a highly automated production process. The Airbus Wing of Tomorrow program will address future aggressive aircraft production rates and the requirement for wings to be made faster and more affordably. The program will explore the best materials, manufacturing and assembly techniques, as well as new technologies in aerodynamics and wing architecture. New material experimentation represents a major part of the program, and lower-cost composite technologies currently being pursued could enable wing components to be produced with significantly reduced equipment and tooling costs, along with enabling a faster production cycle. Increased use of composite materials also opens up new possibilities in terms of wing configuration and construction. Northrop Grumman is a leading global security company providing innovative systems, products and solutions in autonomous systems, cyber, C4ISR, space, strike, and logistics and modernization to customers worldwide. Please visit news.northropgrumman.com and follow us on Twitter, @NGCNews, for more information. https://news.northropgrumman.com/news/releases/northrop-grumman-and-airbus-finalize-agreement-on-wing-of-tomorrow-program

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  February 6, 2019 | International, Aerospace

  France and Germany to launch first contracts on future combat jets

  PARIS (Reuters) - France and Germany will on Wednesday announce a 65 million euro ($74 million) contract financed equally by both countries over two years as the first act of the joint programme to design a next-generation combat jet, a French army source and two other sources familiar with the matter said. Dassault Aviation and Airbus, which will build the jet that is expected to replace Dassault's Rafale and Germany's Eurofighters by 2024, will start work on the concept and architectures of the program, the source said. The French and German governments are expected to award the companies involved additional contracts to advance technologies and work on demonstrators this summer. French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel first announced plans in July 2017 for the new Future Combat Air System (FCAS), which will include a fighter jet and a range of associated weapons, including drones. After nearly two years of preparatory work by the companies involved, Wednesday's agreements and contract signing will pave the way for the programme to begin in earnest. The initial contracts being signed on Wednesday will run for two years, the sources said. Airbus and Dassault have been waiting for initial contracts to be signed to start work on the new project. France's Safran and Germany's MTU Aero Engines are expected to join forces to develop the engine for the new warplane, while French electronics firm Thales and European missile maker MBDA would also participate. French Armed Forces Minister Florence Parly and German Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen will preside over the signing ceremony at a Safran site in northeastern Paris on Wednesday. Germany removed a key obstacle to progress on the project last week when it bowed to French demands and excluded Lockheed Martin's F-35 stealth fighter from a multibillion-euro tender to replace ageing Tornado fighter jets that are fitted to carry U.S. nuclear weapons. Paris, Germany's closest European partner, had warned that buying the F-35 in particular would derail plans to develop the new Franco-German fighter by 2040 since it would constitute a potential competitor to that project. France and Germany will add Spain as a full partner in the programme this summer, sources told Reuters in December. Britain, which is due to exit the European Union in March, unveiled its own rival aircraft development programme, dubbed Tempest, at the Farnborough Air Show in July. European military and industry executives say they believe the two programmes could and should eventually be merged given the need to compete internationally and the many billions of euros needed to develop a new combat aircraft. The French army source said France and Germany were open to more European partners joining the programme. Germany's embargo on arms sales to Saudi Arabia has been a source of friction with France, which has been unable to deliver Meteor missiles built for Saudi Arabia by MBDA, sources said. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-germany-france-defence/france-and-germany-to-launch-first-contracts-on-future-combat-jets-idUSKCN1PU2K0

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  May 23, 2024 | International, C4ISR

  GA-ASI Awarded AI Smart Sensor Contract

  San Diego – May 22, 2024 – General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) was awarded a $94,808,020 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for research, development, test, and evaluation of Autonomy and Artificial Intelligence...