The Pentagon is sending new rotations of fighter aircraft to NATO’s eastern front as the U.S. and other allies continue to airlift large amounts of aid into the region for Ukraine.
President Joe Biden on April 28 requested $33 billion from Congress for aid to Ukraine, a dramatic increase from ongoing spending to support Kyiv in its fight against Russia, and specifically highlights a need for anti-aircraft and advanced air defense systems.
Despite the Russia-Ukraine war and volatility in the stock market, business aircraft activity at Textron Aviation has remained strong during the first quarter of 2022, company officials say.
Aircraft Industries, the manufacturer of the Let family of turboprop regional aircraft, is now back in Czech hands after being acquired from its Russian owners.
Russian operators have seized 222 commercial and business-jet aircraft that belong to lessors, taking advantage of a government edict that permitted them to re-register the airframes to take ownership and get them on the country’s registry, an Aviation Week analysis shows.
Gulfstream Aerospace’s order backlog in the first quarter (Q1) grew for the fifth consecutive quarter from continued strong demand for its products—it’s highest backlog in more than a decade, company officials said April 27.
Military demand for aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul will grow significantly over the next decade, but several factors—including galloping inflation, a scarcity of workers and shortages of key materials—are putting pressure on the supply chain, said speakers here at Aviation Week’s Military Aviation Logistics and Maintenance Symposium on April 27.
Oneworld carrier Finnair plans to outsource seven aircraft, sell another four plus other surplus aircraft, start accessing a €400 million ($427 million) government loan, and roll out a further €60 million in cost savings—all in an effort to mitigate the ongoing impact of the Ukraine-Russia war.
Japan’s major carriers are either increasing or readjusting their flights to Europe as they look for the most efficient ways to avoid Russian airspace.
Russian carriers will not be allowed to add any new air services to the U.S., or codeshare with U.S. carriers, after the U.S. FAA downgraded Russia’s air safety rating to Category 2.
Poland looks set to choose between two U.S.-produced rotorcraft to fulfill its long-running attack helicopter requirement. Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Błaszczak confirmed on April 21 that Warsaw is mulling offers for two attack helicopters: one from Bell, likely for the AH-1Z Viper, and a second from Boeing for the AH-64 Apache.
The Pentagon is expediting the delivery of a previously undisclosed small uncrewed aircraft system to Ukraine, saying the capabilities of the kamikaze drone are uniquely suited for the upcoming fight against Russia in the country’s east.
Planet Labs has unveiled its next constellation of 32 Earth observation satellites, the Pelican fleet, which will provide images with up to 30 cm of resolution and improved revisit rates.
Russia successfully tested the silo-based RS-28 Sarmat heavy intercontinental ballistic missile on April 20, clearing the way for a delayed fielding to the 62nd Missile Division Uzhur later this year.
The Ukrainian military has more combat aircraft operating than weeks ago because of a surge of spare parts from other nations that operate the same Soviet-era aircraft, the Pentagon said.
While U.S., European Union and UK sanctions mean that direct flights to and from Russia are off the table for carriers in those markets, for airlines based elsewhere, the picture is less clear cut.
Ukraine has added “heavy drones” made by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. to an urgent shopping list of advanced weapons to fight against Russian invaders.
