Aircraft & Propulsion

“The big thing here is this is a start to getting Ukraine into Western equipment [and] Western tactics," U.S. Air Force Gen. James Hecker says.

Northrop Grumman is getting ready for flight trials of the new F-16 electronic warfare suite it is hoping to sell to users of the fighter abroad.

Frank Kendall has cast an ongoing, fundamental review of the need for a Next Generation Air Dominance Platform as a necessary step before awarding a contract of such magnitude.

The Pentagon is still withholding some payments to Lockheed Martin for F-35s, despite deliveries resuming with a limited number of new jets making their way to U.S. forces.

Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall says the U.S. Air Force and Boeing have agreed to cost terms on production of E-7A Wedgetail prototypes.

Boeing says it expects to deliver the KC-46’s new remote vision system in April 2026, placing a new target date on the long-awaited upgrade.

A new engine war is brewing for the MQ-9 Reaper after GA-ASI flew a second engine type onboard the UAS earlier this month.

Rolls-Royce says its work on the engine for the Boeing MQ-25 uncrewed tanker is an entry point to potentially powering thousands of autonomous combat aircraft.

The UK Royal Air Force’s Rapid Capability Office (RCO) has acquired its own flight test asset to trial new capabilities and technologies.

The Joint Program Office (JPO) broke the delivery pause by deciding to accept aircraft with “truncated” capabilities for at least several months.

Blades of the first ducted fan thruster in the hybrid propulsion system are “spinning as we speak,” GA-ASI President David Alexander said.

A Northrop spokesman did not immediately respond to Alexander’s statements.

Saab’s chief executive sees sales growth this year at the high end of its targets after the Swedish defense company posted another banner quarter of orders.

The U.S. Navy plans to buy active expendable BriteCloud decoys from Leonardo to improve the self-protection equipment of the F-35.

The uncertainty for the Next-Generation Air Dominance program opens new doors for the F-22 fleet, which was once threatened with replacement.

Idbotic, a specialist in hardware encryption, will support Indra’s work on the combat cloud.

Airbus’ combined tanker programs boast more in-service aircraft than the Boeng KC-46A, and the company’s acceptance across diverse regional markets is a sign of its healthier outlook in the space.

The service sees advantages to hybrid-electric systems over battery-powered propulsion.

Hybrid-electric aircraft developer Electra.aero says its EL-2 Goldfinch technology demonstrator has completed off-runway test flights.

The U.S. Navy this week disclosed that a T-45C Goshawk experienced another engine malfunction, prompting an emergency landing on July 10.

“It’s not right for me to prejudge what might happen in the defense review,” UK Armed Forces Minister Luke Pollard says.

Sweden has a notional plan to buy four of the Saab AEW aircraft.

Industry executives still are raising fundamental questions about the design and relevance of a fleet of future autonomous combat aircraft.

The top modernization priority is adding to the fleet of A-29 Super Tucano armed turboprops, Lebanese Air Force Commander Brig. Gen. Michael Saifi says.

Lockheed Martin has announced a series of offset items for Thailand should it choose the F-16 Blk. 70/72 package.