What To Watch For In Aerospace And Defense In 2026

A race to the Moon is on. Blue Origin’s Blue Moon Mark 1 cargo lander is scheduled to fly to the lunar surface in early 2026, boosting competition with SpaceX, which is planning Starship V3 long-duration flight and in-space propellant  transfer tests tied to its NASA Human Landing System program.

Western startups face the challenge of delivering on their hopes of certifying their passenger-carrying electric vertical-takeoff-and-landing (eVTOL) air taxis by the end of 2026. China is driving to achieve the same milestone ahead of the U.S., having already certified the first winged cargo eVTOL in 2024.

The U.S. Army has accelerated the Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft program, with Bell’s first YMV-75A prototype now planned to fly by the end of 2026. The Army’s new goal is to launch production in 2027 and have the first unit equipped with the advanced tiltrotor transport by 2030.

First deliveries of the Shenyang J-35 stealth fighter to the People’s Liberation Army Air Force and Navy are expected in 2026, as well as potentially to first export customer Pakistan, giving China and its client nations an equivalent to the Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF).

Airbus is targeting the third quarter of 2026 for the delayed first flight of the A350F, its first new-build freighter since the A330F flew in 2009. Boeing, meanwhile, has begun construction of the first 777-8F, its replacement for the 777F, set to be the best-selling large freighter when its run ends in 2027.

NASA’s second Artemis lunar mission, the first with crew, is planned for April 2026. The Space Launch System is to send four astronauts on a 10-day flight around the Moon to confirm all the Orion spacecraft’s systems operate as designed with crew aboard in the environment of deep space.

With an expected Increment 1 production decision and Increment 2 requirements release, the U.S. Air Force’s Collaborative Combat Aircraft initiative is expected to move forward in 2026 as the U.S. Army, Navy and Marine Corps follow similar paths to augment crewed aircraft with autonomous platforms.

With the first applications advancing toward certification, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency is set to release its first rulemaking on artificial intelligence (AI) in 2026, deploying a regulatory framework for high-risk AI systems in aviation that addresses trustworthiness, assurance, human factors and ethics.

Unprecedented delays in the certification of new aircraft by major manufacturers across the industry have occurred in recent years. Will 2026 at long last bring FAA approvals for the Bell 525 helicopter, Leonardo AW609 tiltrotor, single-turboprop Beechcraft Denali and Boeing’s final MAX family members, the 737-7 and -10?