Aviation Week & Space Technology

From the F-35’s first Paris aerial display, the emergence of Asian players, the potential end of the A380 program . . . and a few tidbits on Boeing’s new midsize airplane, listen in to a lively debate as our team on the ground discuss the main events at the Paris Air Show.

Increasingly throughout the A&D sector, major companies that are chin-deep in the business are suddenly finding themselves reevaluating their positions.

NASA transformed the ATR 42-500 in a design exercise to show how careful integration of propulsion and airframe can overcome the limitations of electric propulsion and unlock its benefits.

Boom’s Baby advances; Full-scale wind tunnel damaged; Delair drones get government nod; Embry-Riddle UAS to fly into the unknown.

While maintaining several bases for war missions abroad, the French Air Force is undergoing a far-reaching fleet renewal.

Objectives include studying the Solar System's origins, the possibility of extraterrestrial life and dangers to Earth from the Sun and small space objects.

Festooned with antennas, the aircraft notably features a large fairing with a dielectric window under the forward fuselage and many blade antennas aft.

While Air New Zealand has agreed to a one-year delay for Airbus A320neos, it is preparing to assess new widebody aircraft that will enable new routes.

Leaders of smaller airlines say the biggest ones would benefit from limiting Gulf carriers’ access to the U.S.; can the Pentagon sustain 3-5% budget growth over five years?

Despite the multiple benefits of a cockpit upgrade, it remains uncertain whether the recent contract for Airbus to retrofit UPS’s A300-600 freighters is signaling a trend.

As CALT works on the propulsion and structural challenges of a huge Moon rocket, the alternative of multiple smaller launches is also considered.

Airbus’s Silicon Valley outpost says its studies show modular, reconfigurable cabins can increase airline revenue and passenger comfort.

Rollie Vincent: “I don’t like to be a doomsayer.”

Airbus negotiating with A400M customers to ease the burden of the program’s financial penalties.

Germany moving Tornados from Turkey to Jordan; China plans more nuclear subs; Senate passes Saudi arms sale bill; BAE wins $180.5 million contract.

The battery system proves the biggest challenge in developing an electric propulsion demonstrator, but other aspects of the X-57 Maxwell are making good progress.

As manufacturing of the initial 777X production wing gets underway, Boeing ramps up other parts of the new twinjet assembly system.

One Raptor pilot details the crucial role the stealth fighter played in deconflicting operations in the weeks after U.S. airstrikes on Shayrat.

Scherer is more confident that stable production at 80-85 aircraft per year can continue into 2018.

The imbalance of male-female U.S. astronauts dates to President Dwight Eisenhower’s belief that military pilots were best qualified to fly in space.

Kratos chief Eric DeMarco wants his company to be the very best at a handful of things.

The lessons from the halftime of Boeing's 20-year CMO assessment are simple: the market prefers smaller jets and hates very large jets.

There is a lot of intriguing activity in the aerospace industry than is not be apparent at first look.

Although the global outlook for airline profits remains positive, rising fuel and labor costs could dampen future results.

Lockheed is planning a series of sensor upgrades to keep the Dragon Lady relevant through 2045.