Aerojet Rocketdyne’s planned replacement for the Russian-made RD-180 rocket, in use in military launches, passed its critical design review, the company announced Monday. The 500,000-pound thrust, liquid-fueled rocket, known as AR1, is planned for flight in 2019 as part of a Congressional mandate to replace the RD-180 with a US-made engine. The design review proves the company finalized its design and confirms it meets requirements for National Security Space missions, Aerojet Rocketdyne CEO Eileen Drake said in a release. The Air Force has awarded contracts to Aerojet Rocketdyne, United Launch Alliance, SpaceX, and Orbital ATK for development work on possible RD-180 replacements with a congressionally mandated 2019 deadline for deciding on the replacement.
In AI Experiment, UK and US Simulate Adjacent Operations
Oct. 20, 2021
Held an ocean apart but simulating adjacent military forces, a virtual demonstration Oct. 18 gave the U.K. and U.S. militaries cause to project optimism over someday jointly adopting artificial intelligence “that can learn in the field.” The test represented “just the first step” on the way to an “experimental trial…