Aviation Week & Space Technology

Jim Adams
Low attrition is driving a growing retirement bubble in aerospace and defense. Companies must plan carefully to balance current and future staffing needs.
Workforce

By Joe Anselmo, Carole Rickard Hedden, Michael Bruno
Brain drain to Silicon Valley? A wave of retirements? Offshoring mania? The results of Aviation Week’s 2016 Workforce Study say otherwise.
Check 6

MD Helicopters rounds out Afghan air force's light attack capability by delivering the final batch of new MD-530F helicopter gunships to Kabul Airport.
Defense

By Graham Warwick
Stronger nanotube-stitched carbon fiber; disintegrating parachute for vanishing delivery drone; Leonardo to fly active rotors; Flirtey to deliver Domino’s pizza; the FLYP UAV, Russia’s flying tractor?
Aerospace

By Graham Warwick
The Small UAS Rule, aka Part 107­—the FAA’s first regulation allowing routine use of unmanned aircraft—has taken effect, with signs that demand for operating approvals and UAS operator licenses will be high.
Aerospace

By Joe Anselmo, Graham Warwick
What are the nuances in the fierce competition for the lucrative U.S. Air Force trainer replacement jet? Listen in as our editors discuss.
Defense

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

Debate over climate change and how it affects A&D marketplace; F-35 sales to Turkey, foul or fair?; choosing between safety and cost concerns
Feedback

By Graham Warwick
Aviation Week presents presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump with a list of aerospace technologies they should champion if elected, to keep the U.S. ahead of its adversaries and competitors.
Aerospace

Aerospace Calendar Sept. 3-5—2016 Cleveland National Air Show. Burke Lakefront Airport. Cleveland. See clevelandairshow.com Sept. 5-7—Advanced Satellite Multimedia Systems Conference. Caixa Forum Palma. Palma de Mallorca, Spain. See asmsconference.org/

America’s ballistic missile defenses will struggle to keep pace with new Iranian and North Korean rockets, while Russia and China continue to modernize and upgrade their nuclear delivery vehicles.
Defense

Boeing’s goal was to maintain maximum commonality between the 737NG and the 737 MAX, in part to retain common type ratings between the two and minimal “differences training” for pilots.
Air Transport

A full stall in a commercial jetliner is an encounter few pilots have had the pleasure or pain of experiencing, but one that all U.S. airline pilots will come to know in a few short years.
Air Transport

By Michael Bruno
Digitization of the aerospace and defense industry could be one of the biggest changes in the next five years.
Connected Aerospace

U.S. Air Force Gen. Joseph Lengyel has been promoted to four-star general and will oversee the National Guard Bureau. He also becomes a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The Washington-based National Aeronautic Association has named Greg Principato (see photo) president/CEO. He had held executive positions at the National Association of State Aviation Officials and Airports Council International.

By Steven Grundman
Sen. John McCain’s proposed National Defense Authorization Act for 2017 would make more sweeping changes to the Pentagon than any since the 1986 Goldwater-Nichols Act.
Defense

By Guy Norris
The board is set for the U.S. Air Force’s T-X next-generation trainer competition, with new peeks at Boeing and Northrop Grumman’s clean-sheet designs.
Defense

By Michael Bruno
In this week’s Washington Outlook column: the GAO dings the Air Force on A-10 retirement plans, and Maryland Space Business Roundtable attendees weigh in on the U.S. presidential election.
Defense

On the heels of the U.S. Air Force’s milestone decision to declare the F-35A ready for battle, the Pentagon’s DOT&E is raising new concerns about Lockheed Martin’s fifth-generation fighter.
Defense

By Bradley Perrett
A program begun in 2008 results in testing of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp.’s fattest solid-propellant motor so far.
Space

By Carole Rickard Hedden
Connecting a corporation’s mission statement to its workforce has new relevance and holds opportunity.
Defense

By Richard Aboulafia
Critics of counterinsurgency say it represents the triumph of tactics over strategy. Looking at the Air Force’s mooted OA-X and A-X2 procurement programs, and the A-10 retirement debate, one can see exactly the same issues in play.
Defense

By Carole Rickard Hedden
Tuition reimbursement starts emerging as workforce tool, but companies are keen on keeping coursework relevant.
Workforce

By Adrian Schofield
While very few are profitable yet, the financial situation of Thai-based airlines is generally improving, allowing them to expand to meet growing demand.
Air Transport

By Jen DiMascio
Next-gen rotorcraft engine awards; U.S. Army seeks help countering UAS; More C295s for Indonesia; Lockheed tests counter-rocket interceptor
Defense