Manufacturing & Supply Chain

The United States’ sweeping 2025 trade tariffs introduced by the Trump administration are having a profound effect on the South African aerospace manufacturing sector.

Bouyed by full-year 2025 production numbers, manufacturers are cautiously optimistic that a steadily upward trend is emerging, but more challenges await.

Various supply chain issues in Europe are jeopardizing Airbus’ 2027 target output of 75 A320-family aircraft per month.

Large defense companies and startups alike are challenging the de facto duopoly of Northrop Grumman and L3Harris-owned Aerojet Rocketdyne.

Boeing and startup Salient Motion plan to attempt to certify modular actuators for commercial airliners.

President Donald Trump’s new attack on defense industry shareholder awards and executive pay will be problematic for the entire sector.

When Eve Air Mobility’s EVE-100 engineering demonstrator lifted briefly into a controlled hover for the first time on Dec. 19, the moment marked a long-anticipated milestone for the Embraer-backed startup.

Delta Air Lines has ordered 30 Boeing 787-10s, marking its first widebody order from the U.S. airframer in nearly two decades.

Comac handed over 15 C919s to Chinese state-owned airlines during 2025.

Hiring and access to working capital are the main challenges for UK aerospace suppliers, says a director at industry lobbying group ADS.

Personal eVTOLs showcased; nuclear power for SAF; 3D-printed turbojet; and a large cargo UAS.

China conducted the first flight of a domestically developed 3D-printed turbojet engine in November 2025.

ACS UK, Diehl Aviation, FACC and Safran Cabin are making monuments lighter and easier for the crew to use.

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

Recruiting production workers has long been a headache for the French industry—which includes critical suppliers for Airbus and CFM International.

A surprising new U.S. ban on UAS and components from outside the U.S. is likely to lead to disruption before any benefits.

Austria-based FACC has developed improved production techniques for cabin monuments such as galleys, lavatories and overhead stowage bins.

Embraer said its commercial aviation division delivered 78 jets in 2025, with more E175s delivered, but fewer E190-E2s and E195-E2s.

The program looks poised to thrive in a world where the U.S. has alienated its best friends.

Leonardo’s AW609-based Next-Generation Civil Tiltrotor Technology Demonstrator is testing wing, propulsion and fly-by-wire concepts to derisk future designs.

The A320neo family is Airbus’ biggest success—and its biggest headache. Ten years into revenue service, engine maturity and supply chain challenges continue.

DARPA is taking a hard look at the quizzical, quantum-mechanics-based hardware.

Customer demand has made the Airbus A321neo the most successful single-aisle aircraft, currently representing 64% of all A320neo-family orders.

With relatively low entry barriers and short renewal cycles, new entrants to seat-making can more easily find a way to install their seats in an aircraft cabin.

Taiwan’s EVA Air has announced plans to acquire four Boeing 787-9s, while also extending the lease terms for its 777-300ERs and launching a cabin retrofit.