Defense

Corrosion and spare parts shortages reduce UK F-35 mission rates as officials address engineering gaps and delayed infrastructure plans.

Rafael is proposing to equip UAVs with some of the self-protection equipment more typically associated with combat aircraft.

Edge acquires Italian propulsion firm CMD to expand its expertise in engines and create a European propulsion hub for aeronautical, automotive and marine sectors.

Elbit wins $34M contract to develop external fuel tanks for Israeli F-35s, boosting range and flexibility for long-range missions.

A recovery plan for the Boeing KC-46 pushes the arrival of the Remote Vision System (RVS) 2.0 upgrade by more than a year.

Multiple modifications made by Russia to improve the lethality and survivability of the Kh-101cruise missile against air defenses have achieved only limited success.

Norway’s armed forces are experimenting with artificial intelligence to speed up helicopter search and rescue missions.

The UK’s National Police Air Service (NPAS) has been granted funding to buy additional helicopters, in addition to aircraft already on order from Airbus.

The U.S. Air Force has ordered a batch of one-way attack drones and support services from Aevex, according to the U.S. company which has supplied thousands of similar systems to Ukraine.

The Pentagon’s Drone Dominance program is expanding to include the acquisition of recoverable “bomber” types of uncrewed aircraft systems.

The Swiss government said it will lean more heavily on RUAG to help manage development of an expansive military and civil air traffic surveillance program that it now believes may come in on time and on budget.

Bern expects to assess French, German, Israeli, and South Korean air and missile defense options to augment its needs given expanding issues with delivery of the U.S. Patriot systems.

More B-21s, longer service lives for B-2s and B-1s, and a possible new bomber type are now in the mix for the U.S. Air Force’s long-range strike fleet.

Asian startups are building new intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance satellite fleets to meet growing military and commercial demand.

U.S. Air Force Futures has approved a requirements document for an aircraft that will replace the General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. MQ-9A Reaper.

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The stand-up and operation of a notional Golden Dome missile defense architecture would cost about $1.2 trillion over the next 20 years, the Congressional Budget Office says in a new report.

AIRO unveils Jaunt UAS with five-fold range increase, adds ISR variant for military and civil uses and targets delivery by 2027.

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.

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