MAG Aerospace Loses OCI Protest in $96M Army Contract
The Government Accountability Office dismissed MAG Aerospace's protest alleging organizational conflicts of interest (OCI) in the Army's $96.5 million NetMod contract, which was awarded to ManTech International. The Army had previously waived OCI rules, rendering the allegations moot, and the GAO affirmed the contracting officer’s responsibility determination. MAG’s challenge over a DHS administrative agreement was rejected because the officer was unaware of the document. The decision leaves ManTech to commence a five‑year technical support effort for the Army’s tactical network.
DND Offering $2M for Prototypes to Counter Satellite Communication (SATCOM) Threats
The Department of National Defence (DND) has launched a $2 million procurement challenge to develop prototypes that protect low‑Earth‑orbit (LEO) satellite communications from hostile radio‑frequency interference. The initiative, run through Innovative Solutions Canada, targets adaptive beamforming technologies capable of withstanding single‑tone...
Pentagon Designates LongShot Air-Launched Drone X-68A
The Pentagon’s research arm DARPA has officially designated its LongShot air‑launched unmanned combat aircraft as X‑68A after completing key technical milestones. Built by General Atomics, the X‑68A will be launched from a host platform such as an F‑15 and carry...
Haridopolos Praises Isaacman As ‘Dynamic Leader’ For NASA
Jared Isaacman, barely 60 days into his role as NASA administrator, has earned high praise from Rep. Mike Haridopolos, chair of the House space subcommittee. Haridopolos highlighted Isaacman's ability to rally the agency’s morale, communicate its mission publicly, and position...
Space Identified as a Key Sovereign Capability in New Defence Industrial Strategy
Canada’s Defence Industrial Strategy (DIA) has elevated space to a sovereign capability, creating a Build‑Partner‑Buy procurement model that puts domestic firms first. The plan earmarks $6.6 B from the 2025 budget and billions more through 2035 for space‑based intelligence, satellite communications,...
Delivering Deterrence: Sentinel Restructure to Complete in 2026; Initial Capability Timeline Set
The U.S. Air Force’s LGM‑35A Sentinel program will complete its restructuring phase and achieve a Milestone B decision by the end of 2026, with an initial operational capability slated for the early 2030s. A newly created Direct Reporting Portfolio Manager consolidates...
Blue Grass Airport Announces Continued Growth of United Airlines in Lexington, Ky
Blue Grass Airport announced United Airlines will upgrade its daily Lexington‑Denver flight to a 126‑seat Airbus A319 on May 21, 2026, adding more than 50 seats per day. The carrier will also increase Lexington‑Chicago service to up to seven daily...
New Survey Highlights Shift From Leisure to Professional Mobile Starlink Use
TRIO Flatmount’s 2026 Mobile Starlink Survey of roughly 600 users reveals a decisive shift from recreational to professional use, with 47% relying on mobile satellite connectivity to generate income. RVs remain the primary deployment platform at 37%, while marine vessels...
When Space Businesses Should Accelerate Cash Burn, When to Improve
Space companies face a strategic choice between speeding up cash burn to capture market share and tightening spending to extend runway. The article outlines criteria such as revenue traction, funding environment, and technology readiness that dictate when aggressive spending is...
NASA Will Fuel up Its Artemis 2 Moon Rocket for the 2nd Time on Feb. 19. Will It Leak Again?
NASA is set to conduct a second wet‑dress rehearsal of the Space Launch System for Artemis 2 on Feb 19, loading over 700,000 gallons of liquid hydrogen and oxygen. The first rehearsal was halted by an LH₂ leak at the tail service...
Revenge of the Bad Businesses: Refining the Space Hardware Investing Thesis During This Year’s Software Rout
The latest software market rout has forced investors to rethink the long‑standing bias toward asset‑light, high‑margin software businesses. In the space sector, capital‑intensive hardware firms—once dismissed as “bad businesses”—are now gaining favor as they offer tangible assets and predictable cash...
Trump Family Invests In $1.5B Go-Public Merger For Drone Co.
Eric Trump is part of an investor consortium backing a $1.5 billion merger that will combine Florida‑based JFB Construction Holdings with Israeli drone manufacturer Xtend, effectively taking the unmanned‑air‑system firm public. The transaction mirrors a SPAC‑style deal, pairing a real‑estate operator...
Global Leaders Meet at Space-Comm Expo in London to Accelerate Future of European Space Industry
Space‑Comm Expo Europe, the continent’s largest space gathering, will take place on 4‑5 March at ExCeL London, drawing over 5,400 delegates, 250 exhibitors and 200 speakers from 50 nations. The event arrives as Europe seeks to leverage the successful Ariane 6 launch...
Slovakia in Talks with U.S. to Expand F-16 Fleet to 18 Aircraft
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico to discuss adding four Block 70 F‑16 fighter jets, expanding Slovakia’s fleet to 18 aircraft. The contract, expected to be signed this year, builds on the €1.58 billion deal for...
No More Miles: Emirates Plans to Drop Condor as a Skywards Earning Partner
Emirates announced that, effective May 1 2026, passengers will no longer earn Skywards miles on flights operated by Condor. Until April 30 2026, accrual rates remain at up to 0.75 miles per mile in economy, 1.0 in premium economy, and 1.25 in business. The...
Saudi Arabia Air Report: The World’s Fourth-Largest UAV Market Seeks to Strengthen Domestic Industry
Saudi Arabia’s uncrewed aerial vehicle market is estimated at $13.54 billion, making it the world’s fourth‑largest after the United States, India and Germany. Approximately 32 % ($4.36 billion) has already been spent, while the remaining $9.18 billion is tied up in uncontracted programmes, mirroring...
EUSPA Selects Thales Alenia Space to Develop EGNSS Service Demonstrator
On 12 February 2026, the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) awarded Thales Alenia Space a framework contract to design, develop and deploy the European Global Navigation Satellite System (EGNSS) Service Demonstrator. The demonstrator will serve as a...
Air Canada Grows Mexico Network with Montréal–Guadalajara Flight
Air Canada is expanding its Mexican network this summer, adding a year‑round nonstop Montreal‑Guadalajara service beginning June 2, 2026, and boosting capacity on four existing routes. The airline will operate three weekly flights on the new route and increase weekly...
Scientists Discover Recent Tectonic Activity on the Moon
Scientists at the National Air and Space Museum have produced the first global map of small mare ridges (SMRs) on the Moon, revealing these features are geologically young and abundant across the lunar maria. The study, published in The Planetary...
Six Firms Vie for Polish Airport PBB Contract
Six firms have lodged bids to design, supply, install, commission and service 92 passenger boarding bridges for Poland’s new Centralny Port Komunikacyjny (CPK) airport. The consortiums include Sezo Invest / ShinMaywa, FMT Sweden, Albert Ziegler, Adelte Airport Technologies / TK Airport Solutions, and Comsa Instalaciones....
EuroAirport Upgrades Check-In Process
EuroAirport Basel Mulhouse Freiburg has introduced self‑service bag‑drop devices alongside 24 new check‑in kiosks in Halls 2 and 4, while Hall 3 is temporarily closed for upgrades. The airport plans to equip all four halls with kiosks and self‑service bag‑drop by the end...
MoU Takes Aeroberm Vertipad to Japan
AirMobility and Skyportz have signed a memorandum of understanding to introduce Skyportz’s patented Aeroberm modular vertipad to Japan. The partnership will fuse Aeroberm’s downwash‑reducing hardware with AirMobility’s AirVport vertiport automation software, creating a fully integrated vertiport solution. By deploying this...
Kepler Plots European Expansion with NanoAvionics Deal
Kepler Communications has named Kongsberg NanoAvionics its preferred satellite bus provider for Europe, allowing hosted payloads to tap into Kepler’s laser‑based optical communications network. The partnership lets NanoAvionics offer customers sub‑second 2.5 Gbps links capable of moving terabytes of data per...
Feb. 17, 1959: Vanguard 2 Launches
On February 17, 1959 the United States launched Vanguard 2, the world’s first satellite expressly built for meteorological observation. The 10‑kilogram sphere carried two photocells intended to map global cloud cover as it circled the Earth. Although the spacecraft achieved orbit,...
OroraTech’s New Exec Plans to Step on the Gas
OroraTech, which grew its satellite constellation from two to over ten in 2025, has hired industry veteran Ignacio Zuleta as chief technology and product officer. Zuleta plans to abandon the company’s previous sequential deployment model and accelerate satellite launches to reach...
3D Printed Helicopter Bracket Made From Recycled Titanium Takes Flight
A UK‑based flight test marked the first use of a 3D‑printed structural bracket made from recycled titanium on an A109S helicopter. The bracket, produced by Additive Manufacturing Solutions Ltd using laser powder‑bed fusion, was sourced from titanium recovered from a...
Terminal Upgrade Underway at Shannon Airport
The Shannon Airport Group has launched a €15 million upgrade of its main terminal, the first phase of a €40 million investment programme slated for completion by May 2027. The renovation replaces the 1970s façade with a modern, curved design that will accommodate...
Gulf Carriers Will Absorb Half of All New Air Cargo Capacity
Air cargo capacity is set to outpace demand in 2026, with Gulf carriers slated to absorb roughly half of the new wide‑body lift. Aevean forecasts about 1.7 million tonnes of fresh capacity for the Middle East and South Asia, dwarfing the...
How Mars' Toxic Soil Actually Makes Stronger Bricks
Researchers from the Indian Institute of Science and the University of Florida found that adding Martian perchlorates to a regolith simulant, together with the bacterium Sporosarcina pasteurii and natural guar gum, produces bricks with compressive strength more than double that...
TTTECH to Deliver TSN Solutions for US Army’s HADES ISR Programme
TTTECH North America has been awarded a contract to provide a 10‑Gigabit Time‑Sensitive Networking (TSN) platform for the U.S. Army’s High Accuracy Detection and Exploitation System (HADES) ISR program. The solution complies with the IEEE 802.1DP aerospace profile and integrates switches,...
Hong Kong’s New T2 Departures Facility to Open in May
The Airport Authority Hong Kong announced that the departure facilities at Terminal 2 will begin operations on May 27, 2026. The rollout follows a phased commissioning that started with the Coach Hall in September 2025 and aligns with expected summer travel demand. The new...
Valen Array Advances Multi-Mission Sensing Tech
Northrop Grumman unveiled Valen, a multifunction active electronically scanned array that merges radar, electronic warfare and communications into a single lightweight aperture. The array is digitally designed and 3‑D printed, reducing size, weight, power and production lead times. Valen’s open‑architecture...
Mars Relay Orbiter Seen as Backbone for Future Exploration
NASA’s roadmap for Mars – hunting ancient life, decoding climate, and prepping for humans – hinges on a reliable data pipeline between the Red Planet and Earth. Rocket Lab proposes a Mars Telecommunications Orbiter (MTO) to replace the aging relay...
SatService to Supply Q V Band Satcom Ground Station for Bundeswehr University
SatService GmbH, a Calian Group subsidiary, secured a contract from Germany's Federal Ministry of Defence to deliver a Q V‑band satellite ground station to the Bundeswehr University in Munich. The solution features a 4‑metre high‑performance antenna and full‑service integration, enabling geostationary‑orbit...
Ukraine Denies Reports of Secret Multinational F-16 Squadron
Ukraine’s Air Force publicly refuted a report that a secret multinational F‑16 squadron, comprising Ukrainian, American and Dutch pilots, is operating over its territory. The claim, published by French outlet Intelligence Online, was labeled unsupported and inaccurate. Ukrainian officials highlighted...
Denmark Establishes MQ-9B Drone Squadron for Arctic Surveillance
Denmark’s Air Force formally created Squadron 729 to operate four MQ‑9B long‑range drones, with deliveries slated to start in 2028. The unit, based at Aalborg Air Base, will focus on surveillance across the Arctic, North Atlantic and Baltic regions. Training and...
SNC Buys Global 6500 Jet to Support HADES Surveillance Fleet
Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) has purchased a Bombardier Global 6500 jet using private capital to support the U.S. Army’s High Accuracy Detection and Exploitation System (HADES) ISR program. The aircraft is the first non‑prototype platform earmarked for the Army’s future...
Pentagon Expands THAAD Interceptor Production with L3Harris Deal
The Pentagon awarded L3Harris Technologies a nearly $400 million contract to produce solid‑rocket boost motors and Liquid Divert and Attitude Control Systems for the THAAD missile‑defense system. The deal expands interceptor production after heavy operational use, including the 150 launches recorded...
Guidance: Allied Joint Doctrine for Air and Space Operations (AJP-3.3)
Allied Joint Publication AJP‑3.3, the NATO doctrine for air and space operations, was refreshed on 17 February 2026 as Edition C Version 1. The document outlines fundamental principles, the air‑operations planning cycle, and how space capabilities support joint forces. It targets NATO commanders, staff,...
Skyeton Upgrades Raybird UAS with Satellite Communications
Skyeton has integrated satellite communications into its Raybird tactical UAV, eliminating data link range constraints and enabling continuous real‑time transmission throughout 28‑plus hour missions. The SATCOM‑enabled Raybird can now operate beyond 2,500 km, supporting deep ISR tasks in contested environments. The...
Can Digital Platforms Transform Aviation Sales?
E‑commerce’s rapid expansion is reshaping global trade, yet business aviation has lagged behind. Analysts project the digital aviation market to climb from $37.92 billion in 2022 to $65.11 billion by 2029, driven by AI‑enabled marketplaces that offer predictive analytics and real‑time pricing....
Australia Prepares for Next Batch of ‘Ghost Bat’ Warplane Buddy Drones
Australia is expanding its collaborative combat aircraft program by adding seven more Boeing MQ‑28A Ghost Bat drones, a AUS $754 million investment that brings the fleet toward ten operational units by 2028. The RAAF already operates eight Block 1 aircraft and is testing...
New US Senate Proposed Legislation “Will Speed FAA Certification of US eVTOLs”
A bipartisan group of nine U.S. senators will introduce the Aviation Innovation and Global Competitiveness Act to streamline the FAA's type‑certification process for advanced air mobility aircraft, including eVTOLs. The bill mandates transparent timelines, updated delegation guidance for novel technologies,...
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USAFE-AFAFRICA Welcomes Bundeswehr Joint Forces Command [Image 2 of 2]
On 3 February 2026, USAFE‑AFAFRICA hosted the Bundeswehr Joint Forces Command at Ramstein Air Base in Germany. The delegation met with Lt. Gen. Jason T. Hinds and senior USAFE‑AFAFRICA officials to review U.S. counter‑small unmanned aircraft systems (C‑sUAS) and integrated air‑and‑missile‑defense (IAMD)...
Finavia Launches 2026–2028 Sustainability Programme to Strengthen Value Creation
Finavia unveiled its 2026‑2028 sustainability programme, expanding its climate, nature, people and governance framework to cut emissions across the entire aviation value chain. Seventeen of its twenty airports have already achieved net‑zero operational emissions, and the new plan intensifies work...
Export Controls on Artificial Intelligence and Uncrewed Aircraft Systems
The report examines how the United States and China are racing to dominate artificial intelligence (AI) and uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS), highlighting a widening technology gap in the U.S. defense industrial base. It finds that current export‑control regimes—EAR, ITAR, and...
RCV Engines Secures £4 Million European Deal & Bolsters UK Manufacturing
RCV Engines has secured a £4 million supply agreement with a European partner to deliver its mission‑critical propulsion systems. The contract was awarded after a competitive evaluation, highlighting the company’s 4‑stroke rotary valve engines that can run on heavy fuels such...
Leonardo Funding Development of Earth Observation Constellation
Leonardo is investing roughly €500 million to develop a 20‑satellite Earth observation constellation slated for launch in 2027‑28. The system will combine high‑resolution optical, synthetic‑aperture radar and communications payloads, built by Thales Alenia Space using its NIMBUS modular bus. The project...
Orbital Paradigm: Ill-Fated PSLV’s 4th Stage Ignited. KID Taught Us A Ton
India’s PSLV‑C62 suffered a third‑stage anomaly, yet its fourth stage ignited while the vehicle was already descending. Spanish firm Orbital Paradigm’s KID demonstrator survived the uncontrolled re‑entry, separated, and transmitted telemetry back to Earth. The post‑flight report reveals that intense...
DSK 2026 Set to Showcase AI & Autonomous Defense Systems
The 2026 Drone Show Korea (DSK) opens Feb. 25 in Busan, covering 26,508 m² with 318 companies from 23 nations. The event’s AI‑centric theme showcases autonomous, manned‑unmanned combat systems, with dedicated Army, Navy and Air Force pavilions. Major players such as...