Boeing has completed environmental tests on the first Global Positioning System Block IIF satellite that it is building for the Air Force, thereby confirming the mechanical integrity of the spacecraft, the company announced July 1. Members of Boeing’s industry team conducted a series of acoustic tests under Air Force supervision at Boeing’s facility in El Segundo, Calif., to replicate the noise levels to which the satellite will be exposed during its launch into orbit. Boeing said it is on track to deliver this first satellite to the Air Force this year for subsequent launch. Overall, it is building 12 Block IIF satellites.
The Pentagon has concluded a new agreement to buy laser-guidance kits that turn rockets into drone-killing weapons. BAE Systems and the Defense Department announced a framework deal of up to seven years for 25,000 Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System guidance kits annually for the U.S. military.