Breaking Defense
• Theresa Hitchens
A U.S. Space Force space-domain-awareness payload launched aboard Japan’s Quasi-Zenith Satellite 7, while SciTec won a $93.7 million radar-digitization agreement. Separately, the FAA awarded AT&T an initial $74.3 million under its multibillion-dollar effort to overhaul the U.S. air traffic control network.
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A U.S. Space Force space-domain-awareness payload launched aboard Japan’s Quasi-Zenith Satellite 7, while SciTec won a $93.7 million radar-digitization agreement. Separately, the FAA awarded AT&T an initial $74.3 million under its multibillion-dollar effort to overhaul the U.S. air traffic control network.
China launched a new batch of Guowang megaconstellation satellites over the weekend, using a Long March 12 shortly after a Long March 7A failure. A separate Long March 2C mission carried a developmental satellite for the United Arab Emirates, highlighting continued launch activity across multiple vehicle families.
Taiwan’s Starlux Airlines plans to invest TWD4.2 billion ($132 million) in a multipurpose building within the Taoyuan Aerotropolis. Expected to be completed in 2029, the facility will train pilots, cabin crew and other frontline personnel as the airline expands its operational infrastructure.
Australia has approved Sydney Airport’s Master Plan 2045, clearing the path for a future terminal that would combine domestic, regional and international services. The plan establishes the airport’s long-term development framework and targets a more integrated passenger and operating environment by 2045.
Reliance Industries and Rolls-Royce intend to partner on the design, development, manufacturing and delivery of a sovereign combat engine for India’s Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft. The partnership supports New Delhi’s push for domestic defense-industrial capability, while Rolls-Royce has submitted its final offer for the program.
The Trump administration has withdrawn the last U.S. aircraft carrier stationed in Asia as military demands from the Iran conflict and the Western Hemisphere redirect American naval power. The move leaves the western Pacific without one of the U.S. Navy’s principal symbols and instruments of regional presence.
The U.S. Space Force has deployed a second space-surveillance sensor aboard Japan’s navigation-satellite constellation, strengthening its ability to monitor objects in geosynchronous orbit. The bilateral program uses allied spacecraft and launch systems to field U.S. military payloads, broadening surveillance capacity without relying solely on dedicated U.S. platforms.
Norse Atlantic is discussing leases for Boeing 787 Dreamliners with two Asian airlines, according to people familiar with the matter, as the long-haul low-cost carrier faces constrained cash reserves and higher fuel costs. The move could provide liquidity while reducing exposure to its widebody fleet.
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