SAN DIEGO, Calif., 10 May 2012. The U.S. Navy has placed an order for three additional Northrop Grumman MQ-8B Fire Scout unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) and one ground control station. The order is valued at $25.7 million.

WASHINGTON, 8 May 2012. The Boeing Company has completed the second parachute drop test for its Crew Space Transportation (CST) spacecraft. This latest parachute test comes as part of the company’s effort to develop commercial crew transportation capabilities to ferry U.S. astronauts to and from low-Earth orbit (LEO) and the International Space Station (ISS).

Stratford, Conn., 6 May 2012. Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., an aircraft manufacturer based in Stratford, Conn., will convert four UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters to a specific configuration for Taiwan.

CHELMSFORD, Mass., 29 April 2012. Infrared sensors experts at the Raytheon Co. Space and Airborne Systems segment in El Segundo, Calif., needed an advanced sensor processing subsystem for the multi-function image processor in the Raytheon Advanced Distributed Aperture System (ADAS), which provides spherical situational awareness to helicopter crews. They found their solution from Mercury Computer Systems Inc. in Chelmsford, Mass.

BUCHAREST, Romania, 26 April 2012. The Romanian Ministry of Health has ordered two additional Eurocopter EC135 helicopters as part of a framework contract signed last year covering a total six of the twin-engine rotorcraft.

PATUXENT RIVER NAS, Md., 24 April 2012. Engineers from the Northrop Grumman Corp. Aerospace Systems sector in San Diego will develop and build two unmanned helicopters, as well as six MQ-8 Fire Scout unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) as part of the vertical take-off and landing tactical unmanned aerial vehicle (VTUAV) endurance upgrade rapid deployment capability, under terms of a potential $262.3 million contract announced Monday.

FORT WORTH, Texas, 23 April 2012. Bell Helicopter, a Textron Inc. company (NYSE:TXT), it won a contract for nonrecurring engineering and a "new metal" OH-58D Kiowa Warrior helicopter cabin as part of the U.S. Army OH-58D Wartime Replacement Aircraft Cabin program.

SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, Calif., 23 April 2012. Meggitt Sensing Systems in San Juan Capistrano, Calif., is introducing the model 2220E miniature piezoelectric accelerometer for high-temperature vibration measurements in applications such as aircraft engine ground vibration testing, automotive and aerospace component durability testing, auxiliary power unit (APU) monitoring, and helicopter health and usage monitoring systems (HUMS) testing.

PHILADELPHIA, 22 April 2012. Helicopter avionics and subsystems experts at the Lockheed Martin Corp. Mission Systems & Sensors (MS2) segment in Owego, N.Y., will perform extensive maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) on cockpit avionics for the U.S. Navy MH-60R Seahawk and MH-60S Knighthawk utility helicopters that are based aboard surface warships.

ARLINGTON, Va., 17 April 2012. Cobham is demonstrating its products at the Navy League’s Sea Air Space Expo at National Harbor, Md., while Cobham cockpit avionics are being displayed near the CH-46 helicopter landing zone.

JAKARTA, Indonesia, 10 April 2012. A contract was signed between Eurocopter and PT Dirgantara Indonesia/Indonesian Aerospace for the supply of six EC725. These aircraft will be received in 2014, whereupon Indonesian Aerospace will customize and deliver these combat search and rescue configured helicopters to the Indonesian Air Force under a contract signed with the Indonesian Ministry of Defence last month.

PANAMA CITY, Fla., 8 April 2012. U.S. Navy undersea warfare experts are working together with designers at the Northrop Grumman Corp. Aerospace Systems segment in Melbourne, Fla., to move an important laser-based mine-detection system to its final developmental phase before full-scale production.

WASHINGTON, 6 April 2012. Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) in Bethesda, Md., won from the U.S. Navy a five-year, $1.05 billion contract to provide more than 200 digital cockpits, integrated mission systems, and sensors for the Navy’s MH-60R Romeo and MH-60S Sierra helicopters, designed and manufactured by Sikorsky Aircraft in Stratford, Conn.

FORT WORTH, Texas, 5 April 2012. Bell Helicopter, a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company, announced that as part of the OH-58D Wartime Replacement Cabin program it has received a contract for the non-recurring engineering and a "new metal" OH-58D cabin.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa, 5 April 2012. Rockwell Collins has received a $17.2 million contract renewal to provide replacement parts for its Common Avionics Architecture System for the U.S. Army's Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR).

FORT WORTH, Texas, 4 April 2012. Bell Helicopter and Textron Systems operating unit AAI Unmanned Aircraft Systems, both Textron Inc. companies (NYSE:TXT), are jointly developing a Manned Unmanned Operations (MUMO) Capability Development Laboratory in Huntsville, Ala. The MUMO Capability Development Laboratory will serve as a research and development tool to support the U.S. Army Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) vision and roadmap objectives for manned unmanned UAS operations.

WOODLAND HILLs, Calif., 4 April 2012. The U.S. Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) has signed a direct contract with Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) to provide mission computers for UH-1Y and AH-1Z helicopters. The contract is worth $8.9 million.

Nashville, Tenn., April 4, 2012. MD Helicopters released details of its new single engine turbine scout helicopter, the MD 540-F. The 540F is an upgrade to the MD 530F, featuring a six bladed, fully articulated rotor blade system made up entirely of composite material and a more rugged landing skid built for heavier take-off and landing weights.

THE MIL & AERO VIDEO BLOG, 4 April 2012. The U.S. Army and Boeing are working together to fit the AH-64D Apache attack helicopter with the WeaponWatch ground-fire-detection system, which senses muzzle flashes from pistols and rifles, and instantly points the Apache's missiles, rockets, and machine gun on the offending shooter, which will make the modern Apache even more lethal, as John Keller reports this week in the Mil & Aero Video Blog.