The Air & Space Brief: China, U.S. moon base claims, Hypersonic plane gets $60M, Floating robot gas stations
By Tara Copp
Senior Pentagon Reporter, Defense One
August 9, 2021
The Air & Space Brief
Air Force
Space Force
Space
Hello and welcome to Defense One’s Air Force and Space Force newsletter. Here are our top stories of the week:
Moon base race: There’s a not-so-quiet race back to the moon underway, but the two largest factions, with China and Russia on one side, and the United States and its partners on the other, are not recognizing each others’ proposed rules on what’s allowed once they get there, I reported on Sunday.
Hypersonic jet contract: The Air Force entered a $60 million strategic financing arrangement with Georgia-based Hermeus to develop a hypersonic airliner that would benefit the military, Defense One’s Marcus Weisgerber reports. The deal is believed to be one of the largest such agreements brokered by AFWERX, the Air Force office that works to get commercial tech into the military.
Refueling by drone: The Defense Department will test a floating, autonomous military gas station on floating barges that could land and refuel military aircraft, Brandi Vincent reports. Huntington Ingalls, Bell Flight and FOSS Maritime are working on the Defense Innovation Unit project, which will include developing “a remotely commanded deck barge to land helicopters and host a scaled fueling station for aircraft, surface vessels, and shore replenishment.”
https://www.defenseone.com/technology/2021/08/air-space-brief-china-us-moon-base-claims-hypersonic-plane-gets-60m-floating-robot-gas-stations/184379/
