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Magazine Issue

Aviation Week & Space Technology, July 13, 2026

VOL. 188 NO. 28 July 13, 2026
Cover of the digital Aviation Week for July 13, 2026

The aerospace industry is at a pivot point as technologies mature for next-generation combat aircraft, nuclear-electric spacecraft, low-emission propulsion systems and low-cost, high-volume drone and missile production. 

Credit: Clockwise from top left: Edgewing, NASA, CFM International and Orqa

FARNBOROUGH AIRSHOW | AEROSPACE TIPPING POINTS

two people standing by 3D-printed aircraft fuselage
article

From Factory Floor To Earth Orbit, Aerospace Faces Pivot Points

Jul 10, 2026
Business as usual is a vanishing prospect for the aerospace industry.
Airbus assembly line
article

Forget Labor—Industry Cannot Get Enough Automation In Manufacturing

Jul 09, 2026
As industry struggles to chip away at backlogs and speed up weaponry production, aerospace and defense manufacturers are embracing automation like never before.
Lockheed hypersonic glide vehicle design
article

U.S. Adapts Hypersonic Weapon Strategy To Meet New Priorities

Jul 08, 2026
As a first generation of hypersonic weapons in the U.S. nears fielding, the Pentagon has adopted a different set of goals than range and speed for the next.

FIRST TAKE

Saab GlobalEye
article

First Take, July 13, 2026

Jul 10, 2026
Our roundup of the main aerospace and defense stories making the news this week.

FARNBOROUGH 2026 | DEFENSE

Shard demonstrator
article

Britain’s Sovereign Hypersonic Strike Effort Enters New Phase

Jul 08, 2026
Industry, academia and government are combining to rebuild the UK’s long-dormant hypersonics capability for the next generation of deep-strike weapons.
Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP)
article

Global Combat Air Program Gains Momentum As UK Secures Funding

Jul 09, 2026
With funding as well as demonstrators taking shape and new partners waiting in the wings, GCAP is moving from ambition to reality.
gcap image
videos

Podcast: How Does GCAP Boost Change UK Defense?

Jul 07, 2026
Editors dig into the UK’s Defense Investment Plan, discussing how billions in new spending could reshape GCAP and airpower, electronic warfare and NATO strategy.
Eurofighter on tarmac
article

Designing The RAF Of The 2040s

Jul 07, 2026
The next generation of RAF combat power will depend as much on autonomous systems and industrial resilience as on a new fighter aircraft.
Boeing F-15EX and MQ-28
article

Boeing Defense Leader Bets On New Approach To Continue Momentum

Jul 10, 2026
“It’s a different Boeing showing up,” said Steve Parker, Boeing Defense, Space and Security CEO, ahead of major fighter decision.
Eurofighter Typhoon (top) and Lockheed Martin F-35
article

Global Defense Spending Trends In Focus

Jul 10, 2026
Aviation Week Defense Market Analyzer data shows that spending by militaries around the world is set to spike in 2027.

FARNBOROUGH 2026 | COMMERCIAL AVIATION

Emirates jet
article

Pre-Farnborough Fleet Primer: Commercial Market Shifts And Trends

Jul 10, 2026
What activity has the commercial fleet recorded since Farnborough 2024? Get the picture, with data from Aviation Week’s Fleet Discovery

DEFENSE

Saab GlobalEye with NATO livery
article

NATO Summit Becomes Europe’s Put-Up Moment

Jul 10, 2026
In a sign of the times, NATO gets its new flagship aircraft not from the U.S. but from a Swedish system based on a Canadian platform.

PROPULSION

rendering of Rolls-Royce UltraFan
article

Rolls Boosts 787 Engine Upgrade, Finalizes UltraFan 30 Concept Design

Jul 10, 2026
As Rolls-Royce’s Trent 1000XE and XWB-84EP durability packages arrive on widebodies, it polishes the UltraFan 30 concept design for future single-aisles.

SPACE

Katalyst Space LINK robotic spacecraft rendering
article

Startup Aims To Catch A Falling Space Telescope

Jul 09, 2026
NASA is gambling that a $30 million demonstration mission can capture and reboost the Swift gamma-ray telescope.
orbiting data center concept
article

Orbiting AI Data Centers Push Spacecraft Designs To New Extremes

Jul 10, 2026
Developers are proposing novel satellite concepts to handle launch, power and thermal radiation challenges.

COMMERCIAL AVIATION

aircraft taking off
article

U.S. Regulators Are Aligning On Altimeter Upgrade Plan

Jul 08, 2026
Expansion of wireless services in the upper C-band spectrum will require more resilient radio altimeters.
Korean Air pilots in cockpit
article

Safety Integration Is Key Factor In Korean Air-Asiana Merger

Jul 07, 2026
The two airlines are working on the massive task of combining their safety systems in advance of the Dec. 17 merger date.

TECHNOLOGY

Lodd hybrid-electric Hili eVTOL
article

The Week In Technology, July 6-10, 2026

Jul 07, 2026
UAE plans to certify cargo eVTOL; India’s electric aircraft push; Radia’s outsize WindRunner progress; and boost for drag-reducing riblets.

COLUMNS AND OPINION

DCA Rainbow
article

Daily Memo: What Does the U.S.-Iran MOU Really Mean for Airlines?

Jun 30, 2026
The biggest takeaway appears to be that fares will remain elevated as demand stays strong and capacity remains constrained. But will airlines be able to maintain recent pricing gains?
satellite approaching Mars
article

Relativity Space Hires NASA To Build And Operate Mars Science Payload

Jul 09, 2026
NASA will provide the instruments, but they will be owned by Relativity, as will the data they collect, which the company plans to share with the science community.
Boeing 737
article

From The Editor: Commercial Aviation’s Innovation Dilemma

Jul 08, 2026
Commercial aviation faces an innovation gulf. Its customers do not seem to care.

DEPARTMENTS

Denys Overholser in front of F-117
article

Letters From Our Readers, July 13, 2026

Jul 10, 2026
Readers write about Denys Overholser’s legacy and the viability of life on Mars. Plus: Behind the scenes at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum.
article

New Positions, Promotions, Honors And Elections, July 13, 2026

Jul 10, 2026
Recent appointments, promotions and honors in the aviation and aerospace industry.
article

Aviation Week Events, July 13, 2026

Jul 10, 2026
A roundup of upcoming conferences and exhibitions.