Budget, Policy & Operations

Analyst Byron Callan joins Aviation Week editors to discuss U.S. President Donald Trump’s attack on contractor profits and his plan to boost defense spending by 50%.

Australia agreed with Luxembourg-based satellite communications provider SES to extend the life of the IS-22 satellite’s UHF satcom services for military use.

South Korea’s Finance Ministry instructed DAPA to revise the mass-production schedule and budget allocation for the KF-21.

Wars in Iran and Ukraine have convinced Singapore that airpower is no longer business as usual.

UK defense ministers will not say when a decision might be made on whether to contract for a £1 billion new fleet of medium helicopters.

The UK’s chief of defense staff says he is unable provide a date for the publication of the Defense Investment Plan.

Israel has rarely shied away from defense industrial challenges, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s pledge to wean the country off U.S. military financing support sets the bar at a new level.

Sweden is planning to invest a further $1.6 billion in air defense capability focused on protecting cities and civilian infrastructure.

Sweden is joining the list of European countries buying Iceye synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellites.

The UK says its effort to rapidly develop a conventional ballistic missile under the recently launched Project Nightfall is aimed at arming Ukraine.

Europe should establish a European Security Council to bolster its defense posture, Defense and Space Commissioner Andrius Kubilius argues.

The Indian government says its efforts to develop a homegrown air-breathing hypersonic missile have advanced with a recent ground test.

Richard Aboulafia joins Check 6 to discuss how 2026 is shaping up to be a pivotal year for two next-generation fighter programs conceived in Europe: FCAS and GCAP.

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

Aisheng Technology Group, a subsidiary of China’s state-owned arms producer Norinco, has conducted the first flight of the Lingque “Magpie” LQ-150 VTOL UAS.

A look at why Operation Absolute Resolve has implications far beyond Venezuela.

The U.S. Air Force is reshaping its acquisition program leadership under direction from top Pentagon leadership.

An industry team made up of some of the biggest names in European missile development has secured funding to develop a hypersonic glide vehicle demonstrator.

The European Space Agency plans 65 satellite launches and other missions throughout the year, a roughly 30% jump from last year’s record figure.

Taiwan has grounded its fleet of F-16 fighter jets following a Jan. 6 training accident that authorities say may be related to a “mission computer malfunction.”

President Donald Trump wants to hike the Pentagon’s budget by 50% to $1.5 trillion in fiscal 2027.

President Donald Trump attacked the share buyback and executive pay practices of leading large U.S. aerospace and defense prime contractors.

U.S. helicopter-borne special operations and law enforcement personnel on Jan. 7 seized two oil tankers in separate hemispheres.

The Ukrainian Air Force claims to have shot down around 1,000 Russian cruise missiles and one-way attack drones with its donated F-16s.

The European Union is to support research and technology efforts on the development of small turbofan engines for CCAs.