Defense

CFM International has begun key dust ingestion tests on the high-pressure (HP) turbine blades and nozzles at the center of the future small-core design.

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

China has introduced new restrictions on the export of rare earths and related technologies, intensifying the pressure on U.S. military supply chains.

The U.S. Air Force will need at least a decade to adopt new technology that can facilitate dynamic spectrum-sharing, Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach, the service chief of staff nominee, said Oct. 9.

The U.S. Space Force expects to launch the next Space Development Agency (SDA) mission on Oct. 14 from Vandenberg SFB, California, with six backup windows available, Space Launch Delta (SLD) 30 said Oct. 8.

The nominee to become the U.S. Air Force’s next chief is committed to supporting airborne “domain awareness” programs.

The U.S. Air Force could start forming new squadrons filled exclusively with Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) at bases yet to be determined, the nominee for chief of staff said on Oct. 9.

Dassault Aviation has delivered the 300th Rafale combat aircraft, a milestone in the French combat aircraft’s ongoing export resurgence.

Ukraine’s fleet of Lockheed Martin F-16A/B Block 15s could use an electronic warfare pod upgrade, U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) said Oct. 9.

Scaled Composites says following an initial envelope expansion flight on Sept. 20, further flight tests of its Model 437 Vanguard are “coming up soon” to prepare it for work as an autonomous testbed.

The Swedish Air Force is to receive its first Saab JAS-39 Gripen Es on Oct. 20.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has confirmed that Russian air defenses unwittingly fired upon the Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer 190 that ended up crashing in Kazakhstan on Dec. 25 last year.

As Joby Aviation accelerates on its path to type certification of its S4 eVTOL air taxi, Chief Product Officer Eric Allison sat down with Aviation Week.

The French Navy has selected the Pilatus PC-24 light business jet as a replacement for its long-serving Dassault Falcon 10 business jet utility aircraft.

Baykar’s Kizilelma uncrewed combat air vehicle (UCAV) has completed its first weapon releases just days after beginning carriage tests.

The UK government-sponsored Future Flight Challenge officially came to an end in 2024, but on Sept. 29 the follow-on Future Flight Program announced a £4.4 million slate of awards.

L3Harris will offer airborne and electronic warfare variants of the ground-based Vampire counter-UAS now fielded in Ukraine, company executives say.

Taiwan is doubling down on efforts to build a multifaceted uncrewed systems ecosystem, the defense ministry says in a new report.

Dark, a French startup developing a vehicle for the capture of low-Earth-orbit objects, has ceased operations, the company announced Oct. 8.

Washington is determined to reduce its dependency on China for critical minerals essential for defense systems, even if it means sourcing from conflict zones.

The U.S. Space Force has seen its foreign military sales cases grow exponentially in the past four years.

Ireland has taken delivery of a dedicated transport variant of the Airbus C295 airlifter, giving the country a dedicated tactical airlifter for the first time.

German lawmakers have approved spending on an additional top-up order for Eurofighter combat aircraft and a crucial upgrade path for the fighter.

Hoverfly Technologies, a manufacturer of tethered drone systems for the defense sector, has secured $20 million in a Series B funding round.

Lockheed Martin is exploring ways to bring autonomy into the cockpit of its venerable C-130 fleet to reduce pilot workload.