Aerospace Daily & Defense Report

The outlook for the Middle East military aircraft market over the coming decade is robust as regional air forces modernize their fleets and expand their air power capabilities, Aviation Week’s Defense Market Analyzer’s data shows.

Saudi Arabia is improving its air defenses through the rollout of THAAD and is looking to bolster that through its agreed addition of F-35s.

German aerospace lobby BDLI is calling for a dual-fighter strategy under FCAS, effectively urging France and others to go separate ways while maintaining the veneer of cooperation.

Saudi Arabia is exploring several proof-of-concept projects using electric UAS and AAM tech that would act as first responders in a fire emergency.

GA-ASI will explore the fitment of long-range standoff weapons on the MQ-9B SkyGuardian UAS as it looks to broaden the scope of roles it performs.

Pakistan’s GIDS has arrived at World Defense Show weeks after conducting the first test-firing of the Taimoor air-launched cruise missile.

Titra Teknoloji is stepping up its international marketing campaign as it targets expanded export opportunities in the growing tactical uncrewed systems market.

Budgetary dynamics have shifted significantly in recent years with the rapid increases in Middle East and North Africa spending caused by security concerns in multiple states.

A Feb. 6 NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory mission update discusses a new research analysis of a sample of Mars.

Pivotal is shifting focus from serial prototyping toward the operational realities of supporting real-world customers across multiple mission sets.

Airbus continues to stand by its case to keep the UH-72A Lakota as the U.S. Army’s primary helicopter trainer.

Kratos Defense has hinted that the XQ-58 Valkyrie has a possible future as a launch platform and host in Taiwan.

Several startups came onto the scene in the mid- to late 2010s touting the promise of hydrogen-electric propulsion for zero-emission regional aviation.

The ISS National Lab says fiscal 2025 was a landmark year for scientific research and technology development aboard the NASA-led orbital laboratory.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has hinted that Saudi Arabia could be on the cusp of becoming a partner on the Turkish Kaan fighter program.

Diehl says it has secured several contracts with the German government that help underpin production ramp-up of its IRIS-T missile.

News in brief.

SHIELD AI expands Singapore partnership... LOCKHEED gets F-35 ALIS/ODIN award... AEROVIRONMENT studying swarming software for the U.S. Navy...

According to Aviation Week’s recently released 2026 Military Fleet & MRO Forecast, the F-35 Lightning II represents by far the largest military aircraft program in terms of deliveries over the decade with a at least 1,468 aircraft due to be delivered to 18 different operators.

The first operational unit for the Boeing F-47 is planned for Nellis AFB in Nevada, with the facilities scheduled be ready by the end of fiscal 2033.

The Pentagon has called for a new generation of sensor and tracker systems to guide a future constellation of space-based interceptors into incoming missiles.

SpaceX’s market capitalization as a publicly traded company is being hotly debated ahead of an expected midyear initial public offering.

Patria has begun assembling Pratt & Whitney F135 engines in country as part of Finland’s procurement of the Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.

The Eurofighter is set to receive its first external changes to the airframe since the first prototype flew in 1994.

Saab CEO Micael Johansson says NATO may decide on an E-3 AWACS replacement this year, for which the Swedish company is offering its GlobalEye.