Defense

British defense startup Rotron Aerospace says it successfully launched and flown its SkyLance one-way effector.

Thales and ArianeGroup have flown the ground-launched FLP-T 150 missile in support of France’s desire to field such a weapon to quickly employ conventional warheads.

GE Aerospace has taken another step toward building the first XA102 adaptive-cycle engine under the Next Generation Adaptive Propulsion program.

The Pentagon is reducing its reliance on clandestine contractor aircraft as military operations ramp up and new tech is deployed.

Aviation Week editors discuss how space control is front and center for the U.S. Space Force, allied services and adversaries.

The Week Ahead In Aerospace & Defense

INMARSAT gets Marine Corps sat connectivity award... CT-157 Siskin II factory acceptance... NORTHROP GRUMMAN announces new spacecraft positioning/navigation system...

MQ-9 Reapers fired BAE Systems precision-guided rockets during a recent demonstration by General Atomics Aeronautics Systems Inc. and the U.S. Air Force.

Canadian training and simulation giant CAE confirmed May 11 it is interested in selling or divesting its aviation software business Flightscape.

Turkey is planning to add defensive electronic warfare capabilities to its Steel Dome air defense umbrella.

The Turkish defense ministry says its Research and Development Center has produced six experimental Guchan fighter engines for the indigenous Kaan fighter.

Military planners face new vulnerabilities as defense becomes data-driven, exposing risks to cloud, AI tools and commercial satellites during conflict.

The U.S. Air Force has announced plans to soon move forward on the acquisition of ground-launched prototypes for a low-cost, supersonic counter-air missile.

AIRO Group revealed plans on May 11 to produce the RQ-70 Dainn uncrewed aircraft system as a follow-on to the company’s smaller, hand-launched RQ-35.

RTX’s Collins Aerospace is expanding a facility in Largo, Florida, to accelerate production of radars for the FAA’s air traffic control modernization push.

This webinar explores key spring design considerations for aerospace and defense applications, where performance, precision, and reliability are critical.

AVIATION INNOVATION COALITION announced... LOCKHEED gets Aegis Guam award... USRA welcomes University of Idaho...

For more information about Aviation Week Intelligence Network’s (AWIN) 2026 Military Fleet & MRO Forecast and other Aviation Week data products, please see: https://pgs.aviationweek.com/forecast

Pratt & Whitney is advancing parts procurement for the first XA103 adaptive combat test engine after completion of a fully digital assembly readiness review.

The U.S. Space Force is assisting an undisclosed partner nation that is interested in launching national security missions from a sovereign spaceport, a recent government notice shows.

The French Navy has taken delivery of the first of three Pilatus PC-24 aircraft from Jet Aviation.

Turkish ministers are urging European countries to collaborate more closely with Turkey's defense industry to quickly address shortfalls in capacity.

Edge To Arm Baykar’s Akinci With Al Tariq Bombs

Turkish defense electronics firm Aselsan has unveiled an airborne decoy derivative of its Tolun family of small-diameter glide bombs.

The strike occurred at about 8:00 a.m. local time and was part of a large air attack from Ukraine.