Aerospace Daily & Defense Report

By Steve Trimble
A new fleet of small, hydrogen-powered, long-range drones could soon become a feasible option to operate from remote, austere bases.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Brian Everstine
The U.S. Air Force is pressing ahead on near-term updates to its refueling fleet for connectivity and survivability as opposed to large-scale modernization.
Multi-Mission Aircraft

By Thierry Dubois
Startup company Ion-X is betting on the use of ionic micropropulsion for small satellites and planning to deliver its first commercial motor in 2026.
Satellites

By Chen Chuanren
China has sent three astronauts on the Shenzhou-20 spacecraft, blasting off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center at 5:17 pm Beijing time on April 24.
Operations & Safety

By Steve Trimble
L3Harris CEO Chris Kubasik says he expects the Trump administration to release a basic version of the fiscal 2026 budget request within two weeks.
Budget, Policy & Operations

By Matthew Fulco
China is widening the scope of its restrictions on the export of critical minerals to the U.S.
Budget, Policy & Operations

By Guy Norris
Boeing is pausing development of the X-66 transonic truss-braced wing aircraft with NASA and reallocating resources to get the 737-7, 737-10 and 777X certified.
Emerging Technologies

By Thierry Dubois
Arianespace is planning to launch Biomass from Kourou, French Guiana, on April 29.
Satellites

By Mark Carreau
Texas lawmakers are urging President Trump to shift NASA’s Washington, D.C., headquarters to the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.
Budget, Policy & Regulation

By Robert Wall
European Union parliament members have backed a proposal for greater defense industrial investment.
Budget, Policy & Operations

By Guy Norris
Sierra Space and NASA have successfully conducted hypervelocity impact tests on the shield material designed to protect its LIFE inflatable space habitat.
Space Exploration

By Tony Osborne
Poland’s PZL-Swidnik has completed the first flight of a locally-assembled Leonardo AW149 battlefield utility helicopter for the Polish Army.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Robert Wall
Thales will look to 2026 defense budgets in Europe to get a better sense of the speed at which words transform into real money, CFO Pascal Bouchiat says.
Missile Defense & Weapons

By Tony Osborne
Belgium is set to acquire additional F-35 Joint Strike Fighters as part of plans to grow the country’s defense spending to the equivalent of 2% of GDP.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Samuel Archer
The AW149’s Polish contract provides a much-needed foothold in the medium-lift military helicopter market, where it faces stiff competition against more established platforms.
AWIN Knowledge Center

By Graham Warwick
Near Earth Autonomy is to provide a miniaturized autonomy system to support the demonstration of autonomous resupply in contested environments.
Aircraft & Propulsion

Aviation Week Staff
News in brief.
Aerospace_Daily_departments

Aviation Week Staff
FIREFLY AEROSPACE developing ceramix matrix composite nozzle extension for AFRL... GD reports results... SPACE CYBERSECURITY market seen reaching $7b by 2029...
Aerospace_Daily_departments

By Brian Everstine
Boeing has met two milestones under a new agreement with the U.S. Air Force aimed at accelerating the fielding of the T-7A Red Hawk trainer that has been delayed.
Light Attack and Advanced Training

By Matthew Fulco
Taiwan’s AVIX and India’s Optiemus Unmanned Systems will collaborate on the production of drone components for defense applications in the subcontinent.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Steve Trimble
Raytheon and Tawazun Council moved closer to realizing a two-year-old plan to assemble the Coyote uncrewed aircraft system in the UAE.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Vivienne Machi
Two years ago, the U.S. Space Force rebranded its Commercial Services Office to become the Commercial Space Office.
Commercial Space

By Garrett Reim
Firefly Aerospace will develop a ceramic matrix composite rocket nozzle extension for liquid rocket engines.
Launch Vehicles & Propulsion

By Matthew Fulco
The tariffs beginning to disrupt the aerospace and defense industry were the least of Hexcel’s problems in a tepid first quarter performance.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Chen Chuanren
The China Manned Space Agency will select and train two Pakistani astronauts, one of whom will serve as a payload specialist onboard the Tiangong space station.
Operations & Safety