As Long As You Ask Us, It's Usually OK

It's a question the ANN staff is asked too many times per week to count. The message usually goes something like this: "I really enjoyed the story Aero-News did on (fill in topic here.) I'd love to post it on my blog/newsletter/website... is that OK?"

Convective SIGMET A weather advisory concerning convective weather significant to the safety of all aircraft. Convective SIGMETs are issued for tornadoes, lines of thunderstorms, embedded thunderstorms of any intensity level, areas of thunderstorms greater than or equal to VIP level 4 with an area coverage of 4/10 (40%) or more, and hail 3/4 inch or greater. 

"The launch site was inspected, as is done every time after a rocket launch. Damage to a number of launch pad elements was detected. Such damage may appear after launch, so an inspection like this is mandatory in international practice.... The condition of the launch complex is currently being assessed. All the necessary spare parts are available for restoration, and the damage will be repaired in the near future." Source: Roscosmos issued a statement late in November 27 after damage occurred to a primary launch site, presumably imperiling future launches until the damage is fixed.

Station Crew Expands To 10 For Next Two Weeks

NASA astronaut Chris Williams, along with Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergei Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikaev, arrived safely at the International Space Station on Thursday November 27. During the next two weeks the station’s complement will expand to 10 crew members.

Operational Criteria Favored Lightning II By Wide Margin

Canada’s Future Fighter Capability Project conducted an evaluation in 2021 of the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II versus the Saab Gripen E, and it wasn’t close: overall, the F-35 scored 57.1 out of 60 (95%) and the Gripen E achieved 19.8 points (33%). Both aircraft met Canada’s mandatory requirements but diverged significantly when scores for operational criteria were included.

Largest Foreign Order In Program’s History Nets Boeing $4.7B Contract

The Polish Armed Forces finalized a deal with Boeing for 96 AH-64E Apache attack helicopters in a contract worth $4.7 billion. The order is the largest in the program’s history by a foreign nation and was accomplished under the U.S. government’s Foreign Military Sales process.

Deal Includes 18 Aircraft Plus Advanced Ground Training Tools

The Federal Government of Belgium approved the purchase of 18 Pilatus PC-7 MKX aircraft along with a comprehensive 20-year service contract to provide training services based on the PC-7 MKX that includes an integrated ground-based training system. Pilatus will begin deliveries of the PC-7 MKX in 2027 to replace Belgium’s existing training aircraft.

Pre-Seed Funding For Long-Endurance, Real-Time, High-Res Earth Intel

Arctus Aerospace announced it raised $2.6 million from Version One Ventures, South Park Commons, gradCapital, and several angel investors in a pre-seed round to accelerate the development of its large, unmanned aircraft intended to fly at 45,000 feet for up to 24 hours.

Aircraft From Mesa Air Group Bring the Fleet Total to 310 E-Jets

Republic Airways Holdings has officially sealed its merger with Mesa Air Group, forming a regional giant with a record-setting fleet of 310 Embraer E-Jets. Mesa shareholders approved the deal on November 17, completing a transaction first announced in April.

Full-Scale Cavorite X7 is Under Construction With an Ambitious Test Campaign Ahead

Horizon Aircraft has confirmed plans to certify its hybrid-electric Cavorite X7 for both Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) and Flight Into Known Icing (FIKI)... two capabilities that remain well outside the scope of today’s eVTOL operations. The full-scale prototype is now under construction.