Replacement B-52 Test Engine Deliveries Expected in 2027
Rolls Royce confirmed that its upgraded F130 test engines for the B‑52 Stratofortress will be delivered in 2027 following successful altitude and operability testing. The engines, which replace the aging Pratt & Whitney TF33‑PW‑103 powerplants, completed trials at the Air Force’s Arnold Engineering Development Complex and passed a Critical Design Review in late 2024. Boeing will install the engines on two B‑52 airframes as part of the Commercial Engine Replacement Program, paving the way for the B‑52J designation. The modernization aims to keep the bomber operational beyond the 2030s as the B‑1 and B‑2 retire, despite recent cost overruns and integration issues.
Avia Solutions Group Expands Global Reach as Skytrans Australia Eyes National Growth with New Sydney–Cobar Route
Avia Solutions Group is extending its global footprint by leveraging its Australian subsidiary, Skytrans, to launch a new charter route between Sydney and Cobar. Weekly flights began on 19 January 2026 and will run through mid‑May, using a 36‑seat Dash 8‑200...
Food Security for the Arctic and Deep Space Takes Next Step in New CSA Opportunity
The Canadian Space Agency (CSA) has issued a tender to co‑develop a conceptual design for a deployable Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) unit, mandating partnership with an Inuit firm from Nunavut. The 23‑month contract, valued up to $745,000, aims to produce...
Deep Space Advanced Radar Capability Pre-Application Consultation
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has launched a statutory pre‑application consultation for its Deep Space Advanced Radar Capability (DARC) at Cawdor Barracks, with the consultation window closing on 23 March 2026. An extensive Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) has been completed and all...
Google Spinout Aalyria Achieves $1.3 Billion Valuation in Series B Round
Aalyria, a Google spin‑out focused on space‑based networking, closed a $100 million Series B round that lifts its valuation to $1.3 billion. The funding, led by Battery Ventures and J2 Ventures, will fund a one‑third staff increase and accelerate rollout of its Spacetime...
Exolaunch Integrates Five Satellites in Isar’s Spectrum Rocket
Exolaunch has completed integration of five university CubeSat payloads for Isar Aerospace’s second launch attempt, slated for 19 March 2026 from Norway’s Andoya spaceport. The payloads—CyBEEsat, TRISAT‑S, STS1, Platform 6 6UXL and FramSat1—represent student projects from Germany, Slovenia, Austria, Bulgaria and Norway. Isar’s first...
Aalyria Raises $100 Million Series B
Aalyria, a Livermore‑based aerospace communications firm, closed a $100 million Series B financing round, bringing its valuation to $1.3 billion. The round was led by Battery Ventures and J2 Ventures, with participation from DYNE and other investors. The funding will be used to...
Prosecutors Allege UK Aircraft Parts Firm’s Fraud Caused Millions in Losses
London‑based airline parts firm director Jose Alejandro Zamora Yrala forged documents to sell tens of thousands of CFM56 engine components, injecting roughly 60,000 suspect parts into the global supply chain. The scheme, spanning January 2019 to December 2023, generated £6.9 million in revenue for...
Uavos Completes High-Efficiency Aerocomposite Curing Oven
Uavos Inc. has completed validation of a top‑loaded aerocomposite curing oven that delivers ±1.7 °C temperature uniformity, 2 kW heating and up to 200 °C operation while cutting energy use by 15‑25 %. The system’s dual‑fan airflow architecture promises lower scrap rates and higher...
Collins and GA-ASI Advance CCA with Sidekick Flight Demonstration
Collins Aerospace successfully demonstrated its Sidekick mission‑autonomy software on a General Atomics YFQ‑42A uncrewed jet, completing a four‑hour autonomous flight controlled from the ground. The test, part of the U.S. Air Force Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program, proved seamless integration...
Pennsylvania Guard Soldiers Win Innovation Title at Army’s Best Drone Warfighter Competition
A Pennsylvania National Guard team from the 28th Infantry Division captured the innovation prize at the Army’s inaugural Best Drone Warfighter Competition. Their Project R.E.D. uses AI‑driven object recognition and a 3‑D‑printed carbon‑fiber robotic arm to retrieve downed drones for intelligence...
EBACE26 Ticket Sales Open for June Event
The European Business Aviation Association (EBAA) has opened ticket sales for EBACE26, scheduled for 2‑4 June in Geneva. The event will feature a refreshed static display in a new airport location, showcasing turboprops and ultra‑long‑range jets. New amenities include an operators...
Exclusive: Sceye Unveils SceyeCELL Antenna
Sceye announced the SceyeCELL antenna, a custom HAPS payload that merges ground‑cell flexibility with LEO satellite precision. The antenna is built for long‑duration, high‑altitude missions that can blanket large swaths of the Earth. It is intended to bolster network resilience...
Satellite Spies Northern Lights over Iceland and Canada | Space Photo of the Day for Feb. 23, 2026
On Feb 16, 2026 a minor G1 geomagnetic storm lit up the night skies over Iceland and eastern Canada. The VIIRS sensor aboard NASA’s Suomi NPP satellite captured grayscale images of the auroral displays across the Denmark Strait and Canadian provinces. The storm,...
China’s Mars Rover: Radar Data Supports Shallow Subsurface Ice Find
China’s Tianwen‑1 mission deployed the Zhurong rover in Utopia Planitia, where its Mars Rover Penetrating Radar (RoPeR) identified a shallow subsurface ice layer about 7 m thick. The radar data fit a model of dirty ice mixed with stones sandwiched between two...
Skynopy to Integrate Its First Ground Station in Kenya
French startup Skynopy secured a €500,000 award from the French Ministry to integrate Kenya Space Agency’s 4.5‑meter S‑ and X‑band antenna into its ground‑station‑as‑a‑service network. Working with Safran Space, the company will deploy modems and digital infrastructure at the Nairobi...
GA-ASI and USAF Demonstrate Manned-Unmanned Teaming With F-22 and MQ-20 In Joint Autonomy Exercise
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems and the U.S. Air Force completed a joint autonomy exercise at Edwards AFB, pairing an F‑22 Raptor with the MQ‑20 Avenger unmanned jet. The test used government‑reference autonomy software and a tactical data link to let...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...