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Magazine Issue

Aviation Week & Space Technology, July 6, 2026

VOL. 188 NO. 27 July 06, 2026
cover of july 6, 2026, awst digital edition airbus a220 production

The backdrop for Airbus’ complex internal discussions about A220 product development is the aircraft program’s 10-year anniversary—Bombardier launched it as the C Series 10 years ago. While the program has at times been a headache for Airbus, some key customers are eager for a stretch version, the A220-500.

Credit: Jens Flottau/AW&ST

COMMERCIAL AVIATION

A220 manufacturing
article

Airbus Narrows Down A220-500 Design Choices To Simple Stretch

Jul 02, 2026
Airbus is promoting the idea of minimum investment and minimum change if it launches a larger A220, but the timing remains unclear.
A220
podcast

Podcast: Has The A220 Been A Winner For Airbus? And Should They Stretch It?

Jul 02, 2026
Ten years after the C Series entered service, editors are joined by Richard Aboulafia to assess the success of what is now the A220 and explain why a decision to stretch it or not is such a conundrum for Airbus.
blended wing body concept
article

JetZero Describes BWB Progress And Shares Its New Outlook

Jul 01, 2026
JetZero hopes its blended wing body demonstrator—taking shape in Mojave, California—will validate performance and inspire broader belief in its mission.
JetZero manufacturing facility

Gallery: Inside JetZero’s BWB Demonstrator Assembly In Mojave

Jul 02, 2026
In newly released photos, JetZero offers a peak inside ongoing BWB demonstrator assembly, taking shape at Scaled Composites in Mojave, California.
Finlet modified 737NG
article

Delta Air Lines Fleet Order Validates Fuel Savings From 737NG Finlets

Jul 03, 2026
The carrier and the finlet developer collected more than 2,000 hr. of cruise data to confirm 1.2% fuel saving.
VoltAero Cassio 330
article

Aura Aero’s Asset Buy Marks End Of VoltAero’s Hybrid-Electric Project

Jun 29, 2026
VoltAero founder Jean Botti was betting on a hybrid-electric layout for redundancy and quieter operations near airports, not for decarbonization.

FARNBOROUGH AIRSHOW | AEROSPACE TIPPING POINTS

Boeing 787 Dreamliner fuselage forward section under construction
article

Iterative Approach Dominates Technology Choices For Next Single-Aisle

Jul 02, 2026
As Airbus and Boeing develop A320neo and 737 MAX successors, opportunities will open for suppliers to deploy long-developed products.
U.S. marine with drone
article

Drone Production Demands Of Pentagon's DIU Strain Small U.S. Industry

Jul 03, 2026
The U.S. Defense Department is attempting to create an industry from next to nothing in 24 months.
Skykraft LEO satellite over Australia
article

Space-Based VHF Networks Will Elevate Air Traffic Management

Jul 01, 2026
Developers aim to launch new satellites with very-high-frequency radio payloads to enhance air traffic management.
Advanced Electric Propulsion System
article

Space Nuclear Ambitions Face A Defining Test

Jun 30, 2026
Sixty-one years after the U.S. launched its first and only reactor into orbit, space nuclear power and propulsion now appear central to U.S. space superiority.
concept image of Earth being surrounded by increasing numbers of satellites
article

Space Traffic Management Is Facing A Moment Of Reckoning

Jun 29, 2026
As satellites multiply and spacecraft become more maneuverable, concerns grow that space lacks the equivalent of air traffic control.

SPACE

Rocket Lab production facility
article

Spectrum Battle Heats Up With Rocket Lab’s Iridium Deal

Jul 03, 2026
Rocket Lab is placing an $8 billion bet to take on SpaceX in another market.
IL-2 exhibit
videos

Podcast: Inside DC’s Reimagined Air & Space Museum

Jun 30, 2026
As Washington’s Air & Space Museum turns 50, its director Chris Browne tells Aviation Week about its newest galleries and gives a sneak peek of what's on display ahead of their opening on July 1.

DEFENSE

Royal Air Force Eurofighter
article

UK Defense Spending Plan Bolsters Royal Air Force Combat Fleet

Jul 03, 2026
The long-delayed UK Defense Investment Plan resolves uncertainty over some but not all weapons programs.
soldier operating drones
article

U.S. Army’s New Air Assault Approach Is Taking Shape

Jul 02, 2026
Thousands of drones and increased aircraft range are changing the airborne division’s tactics.

TECHNOLOGY

collaborative combat aircraft based on Robinson’s R66 light helicopter
article

The Week In Technology, June 29-July 3, 2026

Jun 29, 2026
Collaborative combat R66; NASA open-fan demo; quantum heads to the field; and Sora’s subscale eVTOL bus.

COLUMNS AND OPINION

Rolls-Royce engine
article

Opinion: What Is Really Driving Next-Generation Airliner Timing

Jul 02, 2026
When the next-gen narrowbody programs launch is largely out of the hands of Airbus and Boeing.
Infinity Aviation FBO
article

COVID-19, High Barriers To Entry Draw New Investment In The FBO Market

Jul 01, 2026
America’s fixed-base operator industry, totaling some 3,500 facilities, is experiencing a wave of buying, building and upgrading
doug verissimo
article

Debrief: Readiness—Or Lack Of It—Shapes Navy Thinking On Next-Gen Aviation

Jun 26, 2026
Historians may come to categorize military aviation as Before F-35 and After F-35, such is the Joint Strike Fighter’s impact on combat capability, interoperability, program execution and oversight.