Aviation Week & Space Technology

What do you get when combining Lockheed’s Indago quadcopter, fixed-wing Desert Hawk and optionally piloted K-Max with Sikorsky’s SARA autonomous helicopter?

Our roundup of the main aerospace and defense stories making the news this week.

Automation is reaching the point that it may be possible for artificial intelligence and robotics to take much of the routine workload of cockpit crews—and “remember” things no humans could in an emergency. Is this the future?

The Trump administration’s stance toward Russia, uncertain Pentagon allocations and geopolitical surpise could roil the U.S. defense industry in 2017.

Two companies offering airborne aggressor services vie for 10-year contract from Canadian Armed Forces.

In this week’s roundup: Singapore air force’s unusual runway, Poland receives two of eight new trainer aircraft, MBDA tests laser technology and Rolls-Royce partners with the U.S. Air Force to maintain Global Hawk engines.

To meet immediate training and evaluation needs, Nellis AFB in Nevada has turned to contractor agressor fleets, a trend others may follow.

Despite unfavorable conditions, Aeroflot continues to transform itself, showing strong traffic and revenue growth.

Space policy transition is taking shape slowly following Donald Trump’s surprise election victory.

Defense training by commercial operators is commonplace in Europe, but aerial aggressor work has yet to take off.

The first operational F-35A squadron’s participation in an upcoming theater security package will signal the U.S. military’s capability and credibility.

Cockpit automation is ramping up with improved displays in the short term, while data aggregation and interactive systems are in development.

The company has formed the Commercial Information Solutions business unit and launched the Quantix, a tailsitting drone that takes off and lands vertically but transitions to wingborne forward flight for increased efficiency and range.

Safran already had planned on a 40% reduction of production costs for Leap over 2016-20, much of it by cutting supplier expenses.

Built like a 1970s pickup truck, the trusty Mil Mi-17 is becoming popular with oil and gas companies in the Americas, who are increasingly sending their pilots and maintainers to Alabama to stay up to speed.

Private companies in the U.S. are buying up whole fleets of F-5s, A-4s, MiG-21s and F-16s to fly "bandit" training forces.

CFM assembly sites are preparing for an unprecedented production increase as Leap engine rates rise.

Aviation Week visited the U.S. Air Force’s first operational F-35 squadron to get an inside look at how maintainers fixed a problem with faulty insulation on the aircraft’s avionics cooling lines.

Fly/drive drone launched; Unmanned resupply advanced; UTM’s out-of-sight demo; C-Astral goes solar-powered; Aerotenna’s radar avoids obstacles.

Two airlines that were seemingly immune to external shocks are finally starting to see revenues affected by a variety of factors.

Whether Donald Trump the businessman or Trump the protectionist populist shows up to govern will have a big impact on the airline industry.

Air-to-air collision-avoidance radar barely larger than an iPhone can be carried by a drone and detect Cessna-sized intruders.

European leaders are cautious over the shape of Trump’s foreign policy.

Incentives for airlines to buy biofuels, ways for airports to offset the price and attracting investment are ways the industry hopes to grow to commercial scale.

In this week’s Washington Outlook: a look at Trump’s secdef shortlist; a change of plans after Clinton’s loss and potential for public-private partnerships.