Urban Air Mobility News

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• November 2023: Northrop Grumman Corporation successfully completed Thermal Vacuum tests on the Arctic Satellite Broadband Mission (ASBM), a two-satellite constellation designed to deliver broadband communications to the Northern polar region for the US Space Force and Space Norway.
• February 2023: The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency awarded Maxar Technologies a five-year contract worth USD 192 million to provide commercial satellite imagery to US allies. Maxar will also provide three-dimensional data services to the allies.

• September 2022: BSF launched a tear gas shell-dropping drone system that will be useful for security forces to control protesters and rioters. It can be used for launching shells from an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).
• June 2022: The Iranian police added nearly USD 10 million worth of anti-riot equipment to law enforcement agencies due to the growing wave of protests across the country. The deputy commander of the Iranian police stated that the new equipment would help security forces to better execute the mission and strengthen the security of the country.

In November 2022, SpaceX launched EUTELSAT HOTBIRD 13G satellite into Geostationary Transfer Orbit.

In March 2022, NASA announced that its first crewed landing of the Artemis program was delayed to 2026 due to the time needed to develop and test the human landing system and NASA's next-generation spacesuits.

• June 2022: Excelitas Technologies® Corp., a leading industrial technology manufacturer focusing on innovative photonic solutions, showcased its latest thermal imaging and camera technologies for military applications at the Close Combat Symposium. The exhibited DRAGON-S12 Non-Cooled Thermal Attachment Sniper Sight featured a 60Hz uncooled thermal sensor coupled with a near-silent aperture, providing exceptional sensitivity and uniformity. The PHOENIX-S product, designed for demanding ground-based sniper missions, demonstrated field-proven capabilities for early detection, recognition, and identification of targets at longer ranges, even in extremely poor light conditions. Its attachment configuration enables easy integration into a variety of firearm systems and optical riflescopes with a magnification of up to 25x.
• May 2022: Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) secured a contract to supply its MiniPOP electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) systems for the Philippine Navy's patrol vessels. As per company specifications and Janes C4ISR & Mission Systems: Air, the MiniPOP is an EO/IR system that can integrate four sensors into a single optical payload. It features a gyrostabilized single line-replaceable unit (LRU) housing a medium-wave infrared (MWIR) thermal imager with an XBn detector, a high-definition complementary metal oxide semiconductor (HD-CMOS) day color camera with continuous zoom, a laser rangefinder, and an IR laser pointer.

In April 2023, Russia deployed four Marker Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGVs) to support its war efforts in Ukraine. The Marker is a three-ton, five-wheel UGV with a modular system that can mount heavy machine guns, anti-tank missiles, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) launch modules, grenade launchers, jammers, or other weapons. It is an anti-tank robotic UGV developed by Androidnaya Tekhnika, a robotics company based in Russia, to provide reconnaissance and destroy enemy targets.

In March 2023, the United Kingdom tested three heavy uncrewed ground vehicles (H-UGV) weighing over five tons to evaluate speed, terrain, and communication system capabilities. The newly tested ROBUST UGV was developed by Elbit Systems and launched at the Eurosatory Defense and Security Exhibition in June 2022. It was created with the Israel Ministry of Defense Directorate of Defense Research and Development (DDR&D). The UGV hosts a 30 mm autonomous turret and features the company's Iron Fist Active Protection System, fire control, and mission management systems.

• In April 2022, Airpro announced an investment of EUR 4 million to procure four Elephant e-BETA de-icers from Vestergaard Company. The equipment is expected to be delivered by winter 2022 and will be operated at Helsinki Airport. The company is expected to become the first ground handling company in Finland to deploy electric de-icing services following the delivery.
• In March 2022, Lufthansa LEOS, the ground handling subsidiary of the Lufthansa Group, announced that the company became the launch customer of the all-electric towbarless aircraft tractor Phoenix E manufactured by Goldhofer. The new vehicle is battery-powered and can carry a weight of up to 352 metric tons.

• July 2022: An agreement to establish a new joint venture to produce helicopter engines was signed by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and Safran Helicopter Engines.
• April 2022: HAL signed an agreement with Nigerian Army for Phase II Chetak Helicopter Training.
• April 2022: To transform Civil (Passenger) aircraft into Multi-Mission Tanker Transport (MMTT) aircraft in India, HAL and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding.

• August 2022: The first Challenger 3500 Business Jet based in Europe has been firm ordered by Bombardier for use in charter operations with Air Corporate SRL.
• July 2022: The Kodiak 900 is launched by Daher.
• July 2022: Oyonnair, a French operator, orders a new Avanti Evo from Piaggio Aerospace.

• In April 2022, the Armed Forces of Senegal signed a contract with Nexter to supply 8 105 LG guns and 105 mm ammunition. The 105LG is a 105 mm towed artillery gun known for its reliability and unmatched lightness (1,650 kg) and can be used in extreme climates and difficult terrains.
• In March 2022, the Hungarian Ministry of Defense contracted with Rheinmetall to supply an extensive package of ammunition worth several hundred million euros. The order includes 120 mm tank ammunition and 155 mm artillery shells, including propelling charges and fuses.

August 2022: Lockheed Martin Australia partnered with the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) and Defence Science and Technology Group (DSTG) to explore systems that leverage artificial intelligence to support rapid decision-making at tactical levels of command and control across various domains.

January 2022: Thales Group awarded a 10-year contract to provide logistics support to the French military's national air command and control system (SCCOA). Under the contract, the company will ensure that the main components of the air surveillance system are sustained to meet the needs of the French armed forces.