Check 6

It is 2 a.m., do you know where your digital twin is? Once buzzwords, the aerospace and defense industrial base is embracing the digital thread in manufacturing at an increasing pace. Managers see a future where digital twin approaches go from just product design to the whole supply system. Coupled with other technological leaps, such as working from anywhere on any device, digitization promises many benefits but also challenges. Costs, cyber risks and human capital challenges loom. Aviation Week talks with Accenture advisors on the outlook.

Aviation Week Business Editor Michael Bruno talks to experts about the state of the industry at the 2021 SpeedNews Commercial Aviation Industry Supplier Conference.

As Aviation Week launches a new publication dedicated to the AAM ecosystem, technology editor Graham Warwick and senior editor Guy Norris are joined by SMG Consulting’s Sergio Cecutta to discuss the thinking behind the latest update of his AAM Reality Index.

Both Airbus and Boeing are looking at big boosts in production of their narrowbody jets. But with some regions of the world still closed to outsiders, the widebody market is a different story.

Industry leaders say it is question of when – not if – markets will surpass pre-pandemic business levels. But make no mistake, A&D has been forever changed by the effects of the outbreak, and there is no better place to see that makeover than in the digital revolution sweeping industry. Accenture’s TechVision 2021 found 89% of executives say employees face the largest and fastest change in history. Listen as Accenture leaders and Aviation Week dive into what it means for A&D.

As Aviation Week launches a new publication dedicated to the AAM ecosystem, technology editor Graham Warwick and senior editor Guy Norris are joined by SMG Consulting’s Sergio Cecutta to discuss the thinking behind the latest update of his AAM Reality Index.

Its $75 million Falcon 10X will take on Gulfstream and Bombardier in the ultra-long-range market—and aims to correct a mistake made decades ago. Listen in as Aviation Week editors discuss with analyst Richard Aboulafia.

Will we ever be able to trust an autonomous aircraft?

After a blistering congressional hearing, Aviation Week editors break down some of the F-35 program’s recent struggles and cost issues to develop the program and maintain and operate the fighter.

After a successful first flight of the Ingenuity on Mars, Ellen Stofan, under secretary for science and research at the Smithsonian Institution, talks with Aviation Week editors about the historic nature of the mission, coming 117 years after the Wright Brothers flew at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.

Power unit glitch forces new MAX groundings and adds to quality control woes. But is it a storm in a teacup? Listen in as Aviation Week’s editors analyze Boeing’s latest challenge.

Air travel is surging back in the U.S., but the opposite is happening in other regions. Aviation Week’s editors and forecasters explain why—and what it means for airlines and aircraft manufacturers.

Skyborg could also be a cargo delivery aircraft. The program launched by Air Force Research Laboratory is mainly known for developing artificial intelligence for a new family of unmanned combat air vehicles, but the program also includes Volansi's cargo delivery system.

China could become the world’s largest commercial aviation system by the middle of the decade. Up to recently, Western suppliers were integral to the Asia giant’s aerospace development, and the relationship was mutually beneficial.

Listen in as Nanoracks CEO Jeff Manber predicts that by the end of the year, private space companies will have more discretionary money to spend than the U.S. federal government.

Nineteen months after they predicted UAM would be a niche market, Aviation Week’s Graham Warwick and Teal Group’s Richard Aboulafia are back to address why investors are now pouring billions of dollars into the emerging sector.

One year on, how is industry responding and what do A&D leaders think will happen in the coming months and years? In this edition of Check 6 with Accenture, Senior Business Editor Michael Bruno explores these topics with John Schmidt, Accenture’s global A&D lead, and Jeff Wheless, global A&D research leader.

Listen in as Aviation Week editors talk with Jared Isaacman, the founder and CEO of Shift4Payments who has chartered a SpaceX crew Dragon orbital

As the Pentagon is grappling with how to maintain the F135 engine powering F-35 fighters, the engine on a Boeing airliner failed on a flight in the western U.S. Aviation Week editors discuss what these incidents mean for safety and reliability as well as the future of military engines.

Listen in as the former Boeing CEO and his new business partner Kirsten Bartok Touw discuss plans to invest in transformational aerospace technologies—and why the next 20 years could be the best ever.

Investors are putting billions into urban air mobility and space projects, hoping to strike the next Tesla.

Since the MQ-9 caught on as a way for the U.S. to track insurgents during its so-called war on terrorism, the use of unmanned aerial vehicles has revolutionized warfare, but will its future hold?

As Europe clears the MAX's return, 777X and 787 woes cap a horrible year and record loss for Boeing. Listen in as Aviation Week editors discuss on Check 6.

Universal Hydrogen wants to enable zero-emissions commercial aviation by tacking the two biggest challenges: creating a distribution infrastructure and kick-starting demand for hydrogen.

Critics worry R&D cuts will hamper ability to catch Airbus. Veteran aerospace analyst Ron Epstein joins Aviation Week’s Guy Norris to discuss.