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BAE Systems has been drafted by the US Army to develop modernised precision-guidance kits that will ensure the accuracy of 155-millimetre artillery munitions. The $8m contract will see the company develop kits for 155mm artillery munitions that will be able to change course once fired, even in GPS-jammed environments, which will allow greater accuracy and range. The kits are...

The US decision to impose tariffs of 292% on imports of the C-Series aircraft has been overturned in a shock defeat for Boeing. It was the US International Trade Commission that shot down Boeing, the complainant, by unanimously finding that American industry isn’t being harmed by sales of the C Series. This means that Bombardier is now free to commence deliveries to major cu...

2017 was a record year for UK manufacturers as they delivered aircraft worth £29bn to UK industry. A total of 213 deliveries in a record December pushed the overall figure for the year to 1498, eclipsing the previous yearly record of 1143. In addition, the monster December was compounded by another record with 1226 aircraft orders landing, a record for a single month. A 6% i...

NASA has successfully trialled a heat-activated shape memory alloy that allows aircraft wings to be folded during flight without the need for typical motors and hydraulic systems. This is potentially a major breakthrough that could improve the aerodynamic ability of both subsonic and supersonic flight. The new material is controlled by temperature and works by using thermal ...

Emirates and Airbus have finally clinched a deal for 36 additional A380 aircraft that will see the A380 programme continue for another ten years. The massive order sees Emirates commit to buy 20 planes with an option for another sixteen, worth up to £11.5bn at list price. Emirates has almost single-handedly kept the A380 programme going over the years with more than 100 in s...

2018 is certainly shaping up to be a big year in the space industry. Firstly, a test fire of SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket, thought to be the most powerful in the world by a factor of two, will take place this week. This is a 12-second static test designed weed out potential flaws in the design ahead of any future launch. The rocket, composed of three cores of 27 Merlin rocke...

At the recent SciTech forum at the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics in Orlando, Boeing unveiled a model of its new hypersonic concept that could eventually replace the SR-71 Blackbird. The SR-71 was a long range reconnaissance aircraft that was able to reach Mach 3. It was retired in 1999 without an immediate replacement until Lockheed Martin announced the ...

Boeing has unveiled its Unmanned Aerial Refueler entry for the US Navy’s MQ-25 competition which aims to extend the effective combat range of US F/A-18 Super Hornets, EA-18G Growler and F-35C fighters. Unmanned aircraft have been gaining more and more prominence as technology improves and this is a very interesting step. The MQ-25 will have to work perfectly with aircraft ca...

Canada has scrapped plans to acquire 18 brand new F/A-18 Super Hornets from Boeing. The deal, worth $5.23bn, has been shelved in favour of older model F/A-18s from Australia according to the Australian government. The move is retaliation following months of bad blood between the two nations after Boeing, the American giant, filed a trade complaint against Bombardier, the Can...

Relativity Space, the rocket engine start-up, unveiled a new 3D-printed rocket engine this week that could have a profound impact on manufacturing and future of space travel. The engine, named the Aeon 1, is a big deal according to Chamath Palihapitiya, the well-respected Silicon Valley investor. He said it is “time to freak out people. We 3D printed this engine - took more ...