JOHN MCHALE, EDITORIAL DIRECTOR

Strong commercial aviation industry, Steady military spending combined with a growing commercial aviation sector promises growing aerospace and defense market, according to the Boeing Market Outlook (BMO), released this week at the Paris Air Show. Boeing experts forecast the market values at $8.7 trillion over the next ten years, up from $8.1 trillion a year ago.

LISA DAIGLE, ASSISTANT MANAGING EDITOR

Collins Aerospace Systems (a unit of United Technologies) and Sikorsky (a Lockheed Martin company) demonstrated fly-by-wire technology that enables autonomous flight for rotary- and fixed-wing aircraft.

EMMA HELFRICH, ASSOCIATE EDITOR

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. (GA-ASI) has been awarded a $90.9 million cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for the United Kingdom's MQ-9A Contractor Logistics Support Phase IV Program.

LISA DAIGLE, ASSISTANT MANAGING EDITOR

Autopilot maker MicroPilot is nearly done with its five-year effort to achieve DO-178C Design Assurance Level B certification for its upcoming MP2128 HELI3 autopilot, a level of certification that will enable operators of remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to obtain authorization from regulators to conduct missions in higher-risk areas where RPA/UAV operations are prohibited, such as over population centers.

LISA DAIGLE, ASSISTANT MANAGING EDITOR

Engineering-simulation company Ansys and aviation giant Airbus Defense and Space have announced that the pair will use an Ansys embedded-software solution to develop an advanced unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) in support of Europe's Future Combat Air System (FCAS).

AVIATION MAINTENANCE MAGAZINE

The Boeing 737 MAX issue continues to play out in the aviation world. Airlines have extended flight cancellations involving the MAX well into the summer. Upwards into the thousands of flights will ultimately be cancelled. Inconvenience. Lost revenue. But nothing compared to the lives already lost.

LISA DAIGLE, ASSISTANT MANAGING EDITOR

Boeing has announced its investment in Robotic Skies (Alburquerque, New Mexico), a services provider that connects manufacturers and operators of commercial unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) with a global network of more than 170 civil aviation authority-certified repair stations.

LISA DAIGLE, ASSISTANT MANAGING EDITOR

The market for military fixed-wing aircraft is expected to grow at a CAGR of around 2%, to reach approximately $100 billion in 2027, according to a new report from Market Forecast, "Global Military Fixed-Wing Aircraft -- Market and Technology Forecast to 2027."

RICARDO CAMACHO, LDRA

Maintaining U.S. supremacy in all aspects of warfare can be challenging for Department of Defense (DoD) leaders, partly due to being locked into proprietary platforms or vendor- specific open architectures. These issues limit the government’s ability to bring in third parties to compete or add new capabilities, which has resulted in sole-source or single-bidder contract awards. An open systems architecture strategy has shown to curb the high-cost, long program schedules and lack of integration options of warfighting capabilities.

RICK HEARN, CURTISS-WRIGHT DEFENSE SOLUTIONS

The flying car: From The Jetsons to Blade Runner to Star Wars, the idea of escaping the traffic jam down on the ground and cruising through the sky has always seemed a promise too far out of reach to be real. Now, thanks to parallel advancements in battery technology and autonomous vehicles resulting from Tesla and other pioneering electric automobile manufacturers, we are rapidly approaching the era of the unmanned flying taxi.

JOHN MCHALE, EDITORIAL DIRECTOR

The next-generation MH-47G Chinooks to be operated vy the U.S. Army Special Operations Aviation Command will be built by Boeing. The next-gen aircraft will have the Block II configuration, which have technological advancements to extend the fleet’s service life and enhance performance.

LISA DAIGLE, ASSISTANT MANAGING EDITOR

Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. -- a Lockheed Martin company -- reports that it has tested a technology kit for the first time to operate a Black Hawk helicopter with full-authority, fly-by-wire flight controls. The recent flight, said company officials, was the initial foray of the flight test program for the soon-to-be optionally piloted aircraft.

AVIATION MAINTENANCE MAGAZINE

Honeywell has launched Honeywell Forge for Airlines, an analytics-based platform for airlines that the company says helps increase profit while improving efficiency and passenger experience.

LISA DAIGLE, ASSISTANT MANAGING EDITOR

Saab has chosen Collins Aerospace Systems (a unit of United Technologies) to supply mission-critical power and controls systems for the Boeing T-X trainer, including the aircraft’s Power Take Off (PTO) shaft, Auxiliary Power Engine Control Unit (APECU), engine start system, and Main Electric Power Generation System (MEPGS).

AVIATION MAINTENANCE MAGAZINE

Belgian aerospace manufacturer ASCO Industries has closed several factories due to a ransomware attack on June 7. ASCO, a maker of aircraft parts and equipment, is in the process of being acquired by Wichita, Kan.-based Spirit AeroSystems. The company had a ransomware attack and says it has outside help to deal with the situation. It is also reported ASCO has shut down some of its Belgian factories, which left more than 1,000 people without work. Reports indicate the attack came through Spirit AeroSystems network.

EMMA HELFRICH, ASSOCIATE EDITOR

To strengthen collaboration and integration across its portfolio, Boeing is relocating the headquarters of its Space and Launch division to Titusville, on Florida’s revitalized Space Coast.

SKYSAFE

With the emergence of highly capable, low-cost, wirelessly controlled drones, bad actors can easily execute disruptive operations, such as airport intrusions or surveillance abuse. Read how SkySafe rapidly prototyped and deployed a cutting-edge software defined radio (SDR)-based drone defense system on USRP, delivering industry-leading capability faster and at a much lower cost to the government.