Since the MQ-9 caught on as a way for the U.S. to track insurgents during its so-called war on terrorism, the use of unmanned aerial vehicles has revolutionized warfare, but will its future hold?

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India boosts defense equipment spending despite constraints, Israel to demo urban drone networks, SpaceX launches first of dual Starlink missions, EU project will test UAM for emergency medical services and more. A roundup of aerospace, space and defense news.

The changes officially broaden the scope of the previously named “Ballistic Missile Defense System” to include the threat of rocket-boosted, hypersonic glide vehicles.

Three months shy of a decade since he became the first American to travel in space, 47-year-old Alan B. Shepard became the oldest person to set foot on the moon on Feb. 5, 1971, a record that still endures.

Shepard, the commander of the Apollo 14 mission, and lunar module pilot Edgar D. Mitchell undertook two moon walks on Feb. 5 and 6, venturing more than a half mile from the Antares lander to conduct science experiments and collecting more than 94 lb. (42.6 kg) of rocks and soil to bring to Earth. Shepard, Mitchell and Apollo 14 command module pilot Stuart Roosa’s mission followed the major setback experienced by their Apollo 13 colleagues just nine months earlier. Apollo 14, which launched Jan. 31, 1971 and returned with a Pacific Ocean splashdown on Feb. 9, afforded Shepard and Mitchell 33 hours on the lunar surface at Fra Mauro, and for Shepard, the opportunity to swat two golf balls. It was his second and final trip to space. Shepard retired from NASA in 1974 and died of leukemia in 1998 at the age of 74.

Aviation Week Network's Program Excellence Awards honor the best in program and projects across the industry and provide a learning tool for program and project teams. We invite you to submit your nominations here by February 15, 2021.

737 MAX’s return does not mean work on the cornerstone narrowbody program is done, either.

UltraFan engine demo remains key to Rolls-Royce’s post-pandemic response strategy.

New spacecraft aims to cache rocks, soils that may harbor life.

Our roundup of the main aerospace and defense stories making the news this week.

Company debuts dedicated ride-share service, undercutting pricing again.

The Aviation Week Events Team is working closely with local authorities and suppliers, around the globe, to ensure a safe return to live, in-person events. MRO and AeroEngines events will be the best places for airlines, OEMs and suppliers in regional markets to reconnect and plot the course for recovery.

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