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RF & Microwave Electronics

Dassault Falcon 10X Completes Maiden Flight

Dassault Aviation’s Falcon 10X has moved from rollout to flight test, completing a two-hour, 30-minute maiden flight from Bordeaux-Mérignac on June 19, 2026, and giving the company its first...

Podcasts

Manufacturing & Prototyping

Engineering Spacecraft Components at Scale for Commercial Space Growth

On this episode of the Aerospace & Defense Technology podcast, Brian Ippolitto, Vice President of Space Systems at Marotta Controls, discusses how spacecraft component engineering is evolving to meet the accelerating demands of commercial space growth. Listen now!

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Design

Airbus, Boeing Reveal New Autonomous Aircraft Technologies at ILA Berlin 2026

Airbus and Boeing revealed modified and upgraded variants of a military drone and an uncrewed helicopter during the ILA Berlin Air Show last week. The...

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Power

Antares Achieves Initial Criticality of Mark-0 Nuclear Microreactor

Antares Nuclear completed a zero-power criticality test for its Mark-0 demonstrator reactor at Idaho National Laboratory on June 4, 2026. This milestone advances the...

Podcasts

RF & Microwave Electronics

Accelerating Spacecraft Development with AI, Digital Twins, and Simulation

During the 2026 Siemens Realize Live conference and exhibition in Detroit, MI, the Aerospace & Defense Technology podcast interviewed Dr. Tom Stoumbos, Simulation and Test Leader at Northrop Grumman, about the company’s use of artificial intelligence (AI) and digital simulation and testing tools to design, manufacture, and produce new satellites and space technologies. Listen now!

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Unmanned Systems

Hermeus Quarterhorse Completes First Uncrewed Supersonic Flight

Hermeus — the Atlanta, GA-based hypersonic startup company — announced its Quarterhorse Mk 2.1 successfully completed its first supersonic flight, reaching a top speed of...

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Test & Measurement

NASA Starts Testing Microchip’s Next Generation Space Processor

NASA’s High Performance Spaceflight Computing project aims to dramatically improve the computing power of spacecraft. Missions need processors that can withstand the harsh...

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Aerospace

Automating Geometric Inconsistencies in Computer-Aided Design of Aircraft Parts

When aerospace companies build digital models of new aircraft, they often combine computer-aided design (CAD) files for individual parts into a single system....

Briefs

Manned Systems

From Racing Car to Rocket Tank

Carbon fiber has become indispensable in high-performance industries such as automotive engineering and aerospace. It’s lightweight, extremely durable, and can be shaped in almost any way. Start-up Blackwave, founded at the Technical University of Munich, specializes in this versatile composite material. What began with custom components for sports cars and aircraft has evolved into the development of high-pressure tanks for space applications. Read on to learn more.

Products

Software

New Products

See the new products, including Samtec's BE71A Bulls Eye® Phase & Amplitude Stable Test Assembly; Curtiss Wright's PacStar 424 Tactical Gateway; Vishay Intertechnology's new space-grade, surface-mount common mode choke designed to provide EMI filtering and noise suppression; Marotta Controls' BPE-35 Propellant Gear Pump; and more.

Application Briefs

Aerospace

A Reconfigurable Spacecraft for Security and Space Logistics

Ascent spacecraft are designed to support dynamic space operations through advanced maneuverability capabilities, including refueling and high-thrust propulsion, while carrying multiple rideshare payloads. Read on to learn more about them.

Articles

Imaging

Commercial Satellite Manufacturing Scales Up as LEO Demand Drives New Production Lines

Space vehicle and satellite development programs are driving demand for new small- and medium-sized satellites across commercial and defense imaging, data collection, and other space-based applications. Read on to learn more.

Briefs

Materials

European Researchers Develop Self-Healing Composite Material for Spacecraft

Healable spacecraft structures could soon be possible thanks to cutting-edge composite technology. Swiss companies CompPair and CSEM, and Belgian company Com&Sens have partnered with the European Space Agency (ESA) to modify their self-healing carbon fiber product for use in space transportation. Read on to learn more.

Application Briefs

Manned Systems

Rapidly Deployable Counter-Threat Space Missions for NATO

EnduroSat, a space infrastructure builder, and Shield Space, a veteran-found UK defense technology company, have entered into a strategic partnership to deliver rapidly deployable counter-threat space missions for NATO and allied defense customers. Read on to learn more.

Briefs

Robotics, Automation & Control

Space Systems Command Looks Ahead to New Era of GPS Success

The GPS III series is the third generation of the U.S. Space Force’s GPS satellites and consists of ten 5,000-pound satellites manufactured by Lockheed Martin, with the first launched in 2018. Read on to learn more.

Articles

Aerospace

Heritage in Motion: Why Legacy Engineering Matters More Than Ever in Today’s UAV Market

The uncrewed aerial vehicle market is advancing at extraordinary speed, reshaping both commercial and defense aviation. Yet this rapid innovation brings with it growing engineering pressure. UAVs are expected to be lighter, more autonomous, more modular, and more adaptable, all while maintaining near-flawless reliability. This is where heritage becomes decisive. Read on to learn more.

Articles

Software

NAWCWD Engineers Turned a Threat Simulator into an Offensive Electronic Attack Weapon

Keith Yuen, a supervisory engineer at Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division (NAWCWD) spent years building a jammer designed to defeat America’s own radars. Then the question changed: what if the same system could jam the enemy? The system is Angry Kitten. Read on to learn more about it.

Articles

Electronics & Computers

Edge Computing Advances Enable Smarter Spacecraft and Satellites in Orbit

As satellites take on more onboard processing — from Earth imaging to autonomy — spacecraft computing designers are pushing for higher performance under tight thermal and radiation constraints. Read on to learn how suppliers are approaching heat removal, radiation mitigation and production-scale space-grade computing for LEO and beyond.

Application Briefs

Software

Northrop Grumman’s AI Revolution in Space Engineering

Teaming with Flexcompute powered by NVIDIA, Northrop Grumman recently created a physics AI model that accurately predicts thruster impingement – a challenging simulation and modeling problem that exists when the exhaust from a spacecraft or rocket will interact or impact other nearby spacecraft or surfaces. Read on to learn more.

Application Briefs

RF & Microwave Electronics

Advancing Next Generation Weather Data from Space

PlanetiQ has been awarded a $15 million, 48-month Strategic Funding Increase contract by the U.S. Air Force. Read on to learn more about it.

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Weapons Systems

Ukraine’s New Guided Glide Bomb Reaches Combat Readiness

Ukraine’s first glide bomb, developed by a Brave1 participant, has passed all required tests and is ready for combat use.

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Propulsion

A Next Generation Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator for Deep Space Missions

L3Harris Technologies has finalized the design of a next-generation nuclear-based power source for future NASA deep space missions, marking a crucial...

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Robotics, Automation & Control

Varda Teams with United Therapeutics to Advance In-Orbit Pharmaceutical Processing

Varda Space Industries has launched a new collaboration with United Therapeutics Corporation to explore the use of microgravity to develop improved...

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Photonics/Optics

Developing User Terminals for ESA's Optical Communications Network

Kepler Communications, a Canadian satellite telecommunications provider operating the first commercial optical data relay constellation, is leading a group of industry...

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Propulsion

Light-Powered Propulsion Expands Space Exploration Possibilities

Reaching the nearest star system, Alpha Centauri, would take hundreds of thousands of years using current rocket propulsion technology. Researchers in the J. Mike Walker ’66...

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Electronics & Computers

New Report Outlines Challenges and Opportunities for Orbital Data Centers

Space-based data centers would place data processing and storage systems for AI and other computing needs into satellites. This could reduce the land, electricity,...

News

Weapons Systems

SAE Media Group Launches First Dedicated Loitering Munitions Hub

SAE Media Group announced the launch of the Loitering Munitions Hub, a new online platform dedicated exclusively to one of the fastest-growing and most dynamic areas in modern defense. Read on to learn more.

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Power

B-52 Engine Replacement Program Holds Critical Design Review, Paves Way for F130 Upgrade

The B-52J Commercial Engine Replacement Program (CERP) recently held its Critical Design Review (CDR), a pivotal milestone that enables the...

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Manufacturing & Prototyping

Army Teams with Defense Manufacturers to Host 'Right to Integrate' Hackathon

Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll and leaders from Anduril, Boeing, General Dynamics, L3Harris, Leidos, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Palantir, Perennial...