Know What's Happening in Aerospace
Know What's Happening in Aerospace
NASA faces steep FY2027 budget cuts, overall funding slashed to $11B
The White House’s FY2027 budget request proposes a 23% reduction to NASA’s total budget, bringing it down to roughly $11 billion. The Science Mission Directorate would see a 47% cut, dropping from $7.25 billion to about $3.9 billion.
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 THB 10 billion in extra annual revenue, which will be earmarked for airport upgrades across its six facilities. The increase follows a civil‑aviation board resolution and comes despite a weak tourism outlook.
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,...
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...
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...
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’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 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...
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....
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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 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 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 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’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...
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.’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 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...
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...
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...
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...
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
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...
Rolls-Royce urges UK government to commit to subsidies for £3bn engine project via @FT https://t.co/LKMrDQaW6X
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...
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
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...
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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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...
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...
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 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...
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...
Satellite imagery released by the OSINT group CiberBoroshno shows a 30 × 24 metre roof breach at Russia’s Votkinsk Machine Building Plant after a Ukrainian strike using FP‑5 “Flamingo” cruise missiles. The plant is a primary producer of strategic missiles such as Yars,...
2 KLM 737s just bumped into each other on the ground at Schiphol yesterday morning. One had literally just landed from Birmingham and was sitting there on the apron. The other was getting pushed back for its departure to Athens when...
In January 2026 the UK’s National Space Operations Centre kept its warning and protection systems active around the clock to shield licensed satellites from a surge in solar activity and persistent orbital congestion. Geomagnetic storms and solar flares intensified, while...
On February 19, 2026, Lufthansa flight LH2446 from Munich to Copenhagen was delayed, then cancelled shortly before midnight. With the aircraft still on the ramp, Munich Airport’s 12 a.m. curfew forced the terminal to lock down, and all apron‑bus drivers were...
Peru’s Punta Lobos launch base, located near the magnetic equator, has become a hub for sub‑orbital atmospheric research. The domestically developed Paulet sounding‑rocket series, now in its I‑C iteration with indigenous telemetry, demonstrates Peru’s growing technical sovereignty. A 2028 NASA‑Peru “Cielo”...
Ukraine's Drone Bombers - The Feared "Baba Yaga" https://t.co/BW3oTdMqsy Reportedly, a trophy "Baba Yaga" drone can be purchased at the market in occupied Donetsk for approximately 600,000 rubles ($7,860 USD). Some drones are cheaper. Sellers are reportedly willing to arrange a "test drive"...
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
The Boeing 747‑8, out of production since 2023, now trades between $75 million and $400 million depending on airframe condition. Demand remains strong from cargo carriers, government agencies, and ultra‑high‑net‑worth customers seeking conversion to freighters, business jets, or the new Survivable Airborne Operations...
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
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....
Lufthansa flight LH2446 from Munich to Copenhagen was delayed and ultimately cancelled, leaving passengers aboard the Airbus A320neo after the aircraft was parked at a remote stand. With Munich Airport’s midnight curfew in effect, no ground staff or buses were...
The timeline predictions for a major air campaign from major outlets have not matched the reality of the plus up. Nor did the original strikes “that were cancelled”claim. Unnamed sources vs actually understanding the realities of the force posture and...
Legacy aerospace primes are reshaping their business models as the U.S. Space Force pivots to faster, fixed‑price procurement. Northrop Grumman, after an 8% dip in 2025 space revenue, projects $11 billion in 2026 sales and is now the primary builder for...
SpaceX launched its most‑flown Falcon 9 booster, B1067, on its 33rd mission, adding 28 Starlink broadband satellites to a constellation exceeding 9,700 units. The launch from Cape Canaveral’s SLC‑40 occurred at 10:47 p.m. EST under favorable weather conditions and concluded with...
