Today's Aerospace Pulse
Blue Origin’s New Glenn suffers catastrophic engine failure during static fire
A BE‑4 methane/LOX engine on Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket failed four seconds after ignition, causing a catastrophic explosion that destroyed the first‑stage booster and damaged Launch Complex 36A. No personnel were injured. An FAA‑led investigation, supported by the U.S. Space Force, is under way.
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By the numbers: Disciplined Growth Acquisition Corp raises $150M in IPO
West Star Aviation Expands Chattanooga Facility
West Star Aviation announced a major expansion of its Chattanooga Airport campus, increasing total space to roughly 400,000 square feet by February 2027. The project adds a 40,000‑square‑foot Hangar 26 with shop and office areas and a two‑story, 30,000‑square‑foot addition to Hangar 27, enhancing its aircraft service, composite, and sheet‑metal shops. The expansion is expected to generate up to 200 new positions over the next five years, adding to the existing workforce of more than 500. The development received support from local authorities and utilities.
UK Joins European Air Defence Project Despite DIP Hold-Up
The United Kingdom has signed onto the Low‑Cost Effectors & Autonomous Platforms (LEAP) programme, a five‑nation European effort to field an affordable, AI‑driven surface‑to‑air weapon capable of neutralising drones and missiles by 2027. The move comes as the long‑awaited Defence...
Kuala Lumpur’s Cargo Ambition
Kuala Lumpur is accelerating its ambition to become a regional air‑cargo hub through a partnership between MMAG Aviation Consortium and digital‑logistics firm BluOrbit. The alliance blends MMAG’s ground‑handling and terminal assets with BluOrbit’s real‑time tracking, automated documentation and route‑optimisation platform,...
Book Eurowings Through Lufthansa — You May Pay Double or Worse
Travelers and agencies are discovering that booking Eurowings flights through Lufthansa can cost up to double the price of direct Eurowings purchases, despite identical aircraft, baggage allowances, and service levels. The price gap stems from Lufthansa’s separate fare structures and...
Air Cargo Looks to South America
Air cargo stakeholders are turning to South America as a growth market, highlighted by IATA’s decision to host the 2026 World Cargo Symposium in Lima, Peru. The region’s surge in perishable and high‑value shipments is prompting carriers and forwarders to...
CMA CGM Renews ULD Agreement with Jettainer
CMA CGM Air Cargo has signed a long‑term extension of its unit load device (ULD) partnership with Jettainer, the Lufthansa Cargo‑owned ULD solutions provider. The agreement gives CMA CGM access to Jettainer’s network of more than 100,000 ULDs across 500 global...
We Can Build Cities on the Moon�but Who Will Govern Them?
SpaceX has shifted its lunar strategy, announcing plans to build a self‑sustaining city and orbital AI data centers on the Moon within a decade. The move intensifies competition with China, which targets a crewed landing by 2030, prompting the United...
When Iran Took the Internet Hostage, Elon Musk Held the Keys
In early 2026 Iranian protests triggered a sweeping internet shutdown, but smuggled Starlink terminals let activists maintain contact with the outside world. The satellite service enabled images and messages to bypass state jamming, turning a near‑total blackout into a contested...
AI and Army Astronauts: A Judge Advocate's Solution to Protecting the Soldier-Astronaut
The article proposes using federated learning (FL) to protect soldier‑astronaut health data while delivering AI‑driven medical support on lunar and Mars missions. Recent Crew‑11 evacuation highlighted the limits of Earth‑based medical assistance and the bandwidth constraints of deep‑space communication. FL...
General Atomics Names YFQ-42A Collaborative Combat Aircraft ‘Dark Merlin’
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems announced that its YFQ-42A collaborative combat aircraft will be called Dark Merlin. The unmanned system is one of two prototypes selected for the U.S. Air Force’s first increment of the Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program, the other...
Airports of Thailand Increase Passenger Departure Tax To THB 1,120 From June 20, 2026
Airports of Thailand (AOT) announced that the international passenger service charge will rise from THB 730 to THB 1,120 per departing passenger, effective June 20, 2026. The domestic charge remains at THB 130. AOT projects the hike will generate roughly...
Why National Unmanned Aircraft System Policy Must Lead with Integration – Not Interception
The United States faces a pivotal shift in unmanned aircraft system (UAS) policy, urging a move from a counter‑UAS‑first narrative to an integration‑first strategy. Lawful drone operations must become visible through Remote ID, Unmanned Traffic Management (UTM) and public education,...
Massive US Air Force Warplane Movements in Bulgaria Raise Stakes for Iran Talks
The United States staged a fleet of KC‑135 tankers, C‑17s, C‑130s and transport Boeing 747s at Sofia International Airport, temporarily halting civilian flights on Feb. 23‑24. Bulgaria’s defence ministry said the presence supported NATO‑related training, while officials downplayed any link...
The F-14 Pilot Grounded After Leaving an EA-6B Unescorted to Strafe an Iraqi Ground Target During Desert Storm
During Operation Desert Storm, F‑14 Tomcats struggled to engage Iraqi aircraft because older A/B models lacked modern IFF and relied heavily on AWACS. Frustrated pilots turned to ground‑attack missions, and one VF‑14 crew abandoned an EA‑6B Prowler escort to strafe...
Scaling for Diverse Fleet Needs: How Many CCA Will Be Acquired per Crewed Aircraft?
The defence sector lacks a standard ratio of uncrewed to crewed aircraft, as collaborative combat aircraft (CCA) capabilities and national requirements differ widely. Medium‑altitude long‑endurance (MALE) CCAs are positioned as cost‑effective, low‑risk platforms that can operate in mixed formations with...
NATO Is Not Ready for Drone Warfare in the Arctic
NATO’s Arctic defence plans are outpaced by Russia’s rapid expansion of uncrewed systems, with Moscow now producing over 1.5 million drones a year and fielding Arctic‑adapted platforms. The alliance’s ambition to secure the High North is hampered by a shortage of...
LYNEports and AeroVecto Partner to Develop Vertiport and AAM Infrastructure in Oman
LYNEports and AeroVecto Aviation Services have signed a commercial agreement to embed LYNEports' AI‑native digital twin vertiport planning platform within AVAS's Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) solutions for Oman. The deal will localize the platform for Omani regulators, developers, airports and...
An MQ-20 Drone Just Teamed up with an F-22 for Mock Combat Missions
General Atomics demonstrated its MQ-20 drone operating under direct orders from an F‑22 pilot at Edwards Air Force Base, using Autonodyne’s Bashi pilot‑vehicle interface. The test showed the drone executing tactical maneuvers, waypoint changes, combat patrols and threat‑engagement tasks autonomously....
U.S. Army Launches UH-60M Black Hawk Modification Initiative
The U.S. Army issued a Request for Information to explore a commercial modification line for its UH‑60M Black Hawk fleet. The program would upgrade 12 to 24 helicopters each year through component overhauls and integration of existing modernization kits. By...
Embraer Targets India's Regional Jet, Defense, Manufacturing Push
India’s aviation expansion is often defined by large narrowbody aircraft orders. But Embraer is strengthening its India strategy in a different segment: the 80–146 seat regional jet market while advancing defence modernisation and aerospace manufacturing localisation. The push aligns with the Government’s...
U.S. Army Opens Competition for Extended-Range PrSM Missile
The U.S. Army announced an Industry Day to launch the Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) Increment 4 rapid‑prototyping effort. The program calls for a HIMARS‑compatible missile with a range exceeding 1,000 km that can strike moving land and maritime targets without GPS. A...
When Does Boom Go Boom; Military Goes Green and Loses the Battle
Boom Aviation’s 88‑passenger Overture supersonic transport, ten years after its 2014 launch, has demonstrated a prototype but still lacks a certified engine partner. The company has secured more than $600 million in funding and conditional orders from major airlines, yet major...
ESA Awards Contracts for Lunar Remote Camp Studies
The European Space Agency has awarded two contracts to study lunar habitat concepts that could protect robotic equipment and later support short‑duration human missions. Copenhagen‑based SAGA Space Architects, together with The Exploration Company and Space Applications Services, will lead the...
New Milestones in Lightweight Construction: Towpregrod Reaches Finish Line
The Institute of Production Engineering and Machine Tools (IFW) and Schütze GmbH have commissioned a pre‑series plant for Towpregrod, a tool‑free, continuous production line for carbon‑fibre‑reinforced plastic (CFRP) sandwich rods. The system replicates a multi‑orbital lay‑up unit with up to...
AMD VEK385 Versal AI Edge Gen 2 FPGA Evaluation Kit Plugs Directly Into a PCIe Gen5/Gen4 Slot
AMD unveiled the VEK385 evaluation kit built around the Versal AI Edge Gen 2 XC2VE3858 SoC FPGA. The board combines eight Cortex‑A78AE cores, ten Cortex‑R52 cores, a Mali‑G78AE GPU, 144 AI Engine‑ML v2 tiles delivering up to 184 INT8 TOPS, and 20 GB...
Ascend Engineering Strengthens PX4 Ecosystem Through Upstream Contributions & Flight Testing
Ascend Engineering has delivered a suite of upstream contributions to the PX4 open‑source drone ecosystem, including a new UAVCAN hardpoint command node, a major QGroundControl joystick refactor, and drivers for the Lightware GRF‑500 rangefinder. The company also fixed a critical...
China’s Missile Reach Forcing US Pacific Air Power Reset
China’s expanding missile and surveillance capabilities are turning U.S. forward airbases in the Pacific into high‑value targets, prompting the Air Force to abandon its Cold‑War‑era expeditionary model. A Hudson Institute report warns that without a three‑tiered “Edge‑Force, Pulsed‑Force, Core‑Force” redesign,...
Britain To Fire Solar Power From Orbit To Antarctica In Energy First
Britain’s Space Solar is preparing to beam electricity from orbit to the British Antarctic Survey’s Rothera Research Station, replacing diesel generators with space‑based solar power. The project will use satellites that convert sunlight into microwave beams received by a rectenna...
Five Things You Get With Your CW Subscription
CompositesWorld (CW) offers a free subscription that delivers curated composites news, original reporting, and multimedia content to industry professionals. Subscribers receive the CW Today newsletter three times a week, covering aerospace, automotive, marine, and wind‑energy markets. The package also includes...
Washington D.C. Revolutionizes Air Traffic Control with Digital Flight Strips at Reagan National Airport
Washington D.C.’s Ronald Reagan National Airport has replaced its paper Flight Progress Strips with a digital ground‑control system supplied by Leidos. The upgrade is part of the FAA’s $12.5 billion National Airspace System modernization program and brings the United States in...
Japan's Enhanced Defense Stance Needs Space Ambitions to Match
Japan is moving to raise defence spending toward 2 % of GDP and to scrap the five‑category export ban, signalling a major policy shift. The government argues that higher budgets must translate into sovereign space capabilities, especially ISR satellite constellations. Recent...
North Atlantic Aviation: Forward Bookings and Fares Are Down for Peak Summer 2026
Forward bookings and average fares for July 2026 transatlantic flights are down, signalling a softer peak summer than 2025. Visitor numbers from Western Europe to the United States remained below pre‑pandemic levels, with seven of the ten largest origin markets...
What’s Happening in Space Policy February 22-28, 2026
President Trump will deliver his State of the Union address on Feb. 24, where space defense initiatives such as the Golden Dome missile shield could re‑emerge alongside a renewed focus on lunar missions. NASA plans to roll the Artemis II SLS/Orion...
Dark Eagle Launchers Get Quirky Censored Names, Sparking Humor
One thing thing about DARK EAGLE is that each launcher has a name -- Hyperion, Iron Giant, Shockwave, etc. -- but censors sometimes blur them. I like to imagine its not OPSEC at all, but just adult supervision, ie the...
General Atomics Names Fighter Drone “Dark Merlin”
Dark Merlin Is Now General Atomics’ YFQ-42A ‘Fighter Drone’s’ Nickname Merlins are small but fierce birds that attack in groups and are known for their stealthy attacks. https://t.co/H0oZhFL1j9
HEO and UNSW Partner for Australia’s First Active Propulsion RPO Mission
HEO and UNSW Canberra Space have teamed up to launch Australia’s first rendezvous and proximity operations (RPO) mission that employs an active propulsion system. The project uses the recently acquired Continuum-1 satellite as an in‑orbit testbed to validate fuel‑efficient maneuver...
Mark Your Calendar: BA CEO Sean Doyle Speaks 12 March
Heads up! Mark diaries for RAeS Heathrow Branch lecture, 12 March with @British_Airways CEO Sean Doyle #avgeek #britishairways https://t.co/43KuoybuxB https://t.co/8f3b2zQ28m
Rolls‑Royce Pushes UK for £3bn Engine Subsidy
Rolls-Royce urges UK government to commit to subsidies for £3bn engine project via @FT https://t.co/LKMrDQaW6X
Europe Plans ‘Space Shield’ to Defend Satellites and Counter Drone Threats
The European Commission announced a European Space Shield slated for launch in mid‑2026, aiming to protect EU satellites and space services from emerging threats. The plan couples civilian and military space assets into a coordinated network and tackles the surge...
DHS Funding Gap Pauses Global Entry, Sparks Airline Buy
Macro: DHS funding lapse prompted policy reversals. Key: TSA PreCheck remains; Global Entry paused. Risk: service uncertainty may boost travel volatility. Trade: buy select airline stocks. — Viktor Kopylov, PhD, CFA More insights: t.me/si14Kopylov
Soviet Dogs Lead 1966 Secret Voskhod Mission Against Gemini
60 YEARS AGO TODAY: The USSR launches a Voskhod spacecraft with the dogs Ugolyok and Veterok on a secret mission to prepare a response to NASA's Gemini project. FULL STORY: https://t.co/AWISaZC2RC
China’s Space Emergency: Crew Members Recount Debris-Damaged Return Capsule
China’s Shenzhou‑20 crew discovered a triangular crack on their return capsule’s viewport caused by orbital debris, forcing a delay of the planned 5 November landing. An emergency, uncrewed Shenzhou‑22 cargo mission was launched on 25 November to deliver repair tools and supplies...
Artemis II Crew Freed, SLS/Orion Set for VAB Return
Weather permitting, NASA will roll the SLS/Orion stack back to the VAB on Tuesday. The Artemis II crew was released from quarantine last night and remain in Houston. https://t.co/Fc41XfWvG7
China’s AI War Machine Exposed: 9,000 PLA RFPs Reveal Space And Undersea Ambitions
A CSET report analyzing over 9,000 PLA procurement notices from 2023‑24 shows China actively seeking artificial‑intelligence tools for space domain awareness, under‑sea surveillance, data‑fusion decision support, and synthetic media operations. The RFPs call for algorithms that determine satellite orbits, recognize...
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Defense & Aerospace Report Podcast [Feb 22 ’26 Business Report]
The Defense & Aerospace Report podcast highlighted a Supreme Court ruling that struck down several of former President Trump’s tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. Analysts discussed the fate of roughly $200 billion in tariff revenue and the...
Iran Secures €500M Russian Air‑Defense Deal
NEW: Iran agreed a secret €500mn arms deal with Russia in December to acquire 500 man-portable “Verba” launch units and 2,500 “9M336” missiles over 3 years. It’s Iran’s most significant effort to rebuild air defences after last year’s war with Israel....
The Airline That Barely Flies — Yet Appears Everywhere
Euroairlines, despite owning only one aircraft, has become a major global airline brand by acting as a ticket‑validating carrier for dozens of unrelated airlines. The company’s IATA licence allows it to place its code in booking systems, creating a “shadow...
Martian Volcanoes Could Be Hiding Massive Glaciers Under a Blanket of Ash
A new Icarus paper proposes that the Martian shield volcano Hecates Tholus hides debris‑covered glaciers, drawing a parallel with Antarctica’s Deception Island where ash‑laden eruptions insulated ice. The authors cite surface features—crevasses, bergschrunds and push moraines—as “smoking‑gun” evidence of past ice...
Milan Malpensa (MXP) Runway Closure March 16 – May 9, 2026
Milan Malpensa Airport will close runway 35L/17R from March 16 to May 9, 2026 for full repaving, taxiway refurbishment, and LED lighting upgrades. During this period MXP will operate on a single runway, sharply reducing its handling capacity. The airport has arranged...
German Defense Firm Said to Be Weighing Bid for Mynaric
Rheinmetall, Germany's largest defence contractor, is weighing a bid for Munich‑based laser‑communications maker Mynaric, potentially derailing Rocket Lab's announced $150 million acquisition. The move reflects Europe’s push to keep critical aerospace and optical‑link technology under domestic control amid heightened scrutiny of...