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Magazine Issue

Aerospace Daily & Defense Report, February 20, 2026

VOL. 295 NO. 34 February 20, 2026
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Daily Briefs

Daily Briefs
article

Daily Briefs

Feb 20, 2026
ORBEX shuts down... BOEING gets C-17 countermeasures award... New CEO for URSA MAJOR...

Programs

NASA
article

NASA Reclassifies Boeing Starliner Crew Flight Test As Major Mishap

Feb 19, 2026
NASA has reclassified Boeing’s 2024 CST-Starliner Crew Flight Test as a Category A Mishap and cited agency leadership failings.
fcas infographic
article

Airbus CEO Backs Two-Fighter Solution For FCAS

Feb 19, 2026
Airbus says it is ready for a two-fighter approach under the Franco-German-Spanish Future Combat Air System (FCAS) project.
Credit: Northrop Grumman
article

Northrop Grumman Makes Embraer KC-390 Teaming Official

Feb 19, 2026
Northrop Grumman and Embraer said they would partner to offer the Brazilian aircraft maker’s KC-390 to the U.S. Air Force, confirming a Feb. 18 report by Aviation Week.
U.S. Navy
article

Stormbreaker Reaches IOC On U.S. Navy’s F/A-18

Feb 19, 2026
The U.S. Navy on Feb. 19 announced it had cleared the GBU-53/B Stormbreaker Small Diameter Bomb Increment II for initial operational capability.
c-390
article

Embraer Ramps Up C-390 India Push With Mahindra MRO Partnership

Feb 19, 2026
Embraer says it would establish a C-390 MRO facility in India with local partner Mahindra Group if the government there buys the airlifter.
U.S. Navy Caption: A F/A-18F Super Hornet fires an AARGM-ER missile during an early test flight.
article

U.S. Navy Hunts For Missile Longer Range Than AARGM-ER

Feb 19, 2026
U.S. Navy officials started shopping on Feb. 19 for an air-launched, long-range, anti-radiation missile that can be acquired in the hundreds every year.
Anthony Pecchi – Airbus Helicopters
article

Airbus, Tata Inaugurate Indian H125 Assembly Line

Feb 19, 2026
Airbus Helicopters has inaugurated the next final assembly line for its H125 single-engine light helicopter in India.
FAA headquarters in Washington, D.C.
article

FAA ‘Sunsets’ Mode S Radar Upgrade Program

Feb 19, 2026
The FAA is phasing out a major radar modernization program that is running late and well over budget.

Business

Ursa Major
article

Ursa Major Announces Surprise CEO Change

Feb 19, 2026
In a surprise leadership change, Ursa Major has named Chris Spagnoletti as the company’s CEO effective immediately.
Carpenter Technology said Feb. 17 that Brian Malloy
article

Carpenter Technology Names Malloy New CEO In Succession

Feb 18, 2026
Carpenter Technology's current president and chief operating officer Brian Malloy will become chief executive officer July 1.

Operations

Ben Smegelsky/NASA
article

Second Practice Countdown For Artemis II Underway

Feb 19, 2026
NASA on Feb. 19 was in the final day of a planned 49 hr., 50 min. practice countdown for the launch of the Artemis II flight test.

Funding & Policy

military night vision shot of a helicopter
article

Debrief: Why The Pentagon Is Sharpening Its Focus On Germanium

Feb 19, 2026
The DOD is stepping up investment in North American germanium producers to strengthen supply chains strained by China’s critical mineral export restrictions.

Aviation Week Forecasts

Forecasts_Gripen
article

Aviation Week Forecasts: Gripen E/F Export Drive Gathers Pace In 2025

Feb 19, 2026
After a relatively slow decade in terms of export success, the Saab Gripen program appears to be experiencing a renaissance.