Agreement on the 2020 defense authorization coming two months late highlights the challenge the US military faces with a year-to-year budgeting process. "We have an annual budget that we create every year and gets passed every year, which is just not an effective way to plan for the Department of Defense based on how long it takes to build the equipment and to train the people who use it," said Eric Fanning, CEO of the Aerospace Industries Association, at an event last month.

Congress has agreed to fast-track Air Force purchases of the Boeing F-15EX, while calling for transparency from the service during the acquisition process. The Air Force plans to buy eight F-15EXs, with congress allotting $985.5 million.

Lockheed Martin has announced a successful test firing of its precision strike missile. "This test flight is the most recent success in a long line of product component and sub-component testing successes conducted as part of our proven development discipline to assure total mission success for our US Army customer," said Lockheed's Gaylia Campbell.

The first MV-22 Osprey to receive the Bell-Boeing Common Configuration-Readiness and Modernization upgrade has been delivered to the Marine Corps. The program's goal is to standardize the MV-22 fleet.

A six-passenger DHC-2 de Havilland Beaver with a magniX electric propulsion system is the first of what owner Harbour Air hopes will eventually be a fleet of electric commercial planes. "The [flight] range now is not where we'd love it to be, but it's enough to start the revolution," said magniX CEO Roei Ganzarski.

In 2007 the Pentagon's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency sponsored an autonomous vehicle competition. It attracted contestants who later founded at least four self-driving startups.

NASA says the Space Launch System's core stage is complete and the agency is working toward setting a date for the uncrewed Artemis 1 mission.

The 2020 National Defense Authorization Act is putting development of space-based sensors under the purview of the Missile Defense Agency. The sensor layer's goal is to detect hypersonic threats.

Turkey wants to grow its defense exports to $10.2 billion by 2023 and grow its defense and aerospace industry to $26.9 billion by that time. Last year, the country had $2 billion in defense exports.

The Transportation Security Administration says more than 26 million passengers and crew traveled over Thanksgiving, with 2.8 passengers screened on Dec. 1 alone, a new single-day record. Despite high volumes, 99.8% of all passengers nationwide waited less than 30 minutes in a security checkpoint line.