Aviation Week & Space Technology

By Steve Trimble, Lee Hudson
Acceptance plans are confirmed for 36 KC-46s in 2019, but Boeing is pushing for additional deliveries.
Defense and Space

By Thierry Dubois
Hoping for a massive increase in its space safety budget, ESA presses on with a joint asteroid deflection mission with NASA.
Space

By Jen DiMascio
How India’s aerospace and defense manufacturing base is emerging, one step at a time.
Defense and Space

By Sean Broderick
Costs appear to be under control, though increasing unit revenues will challenge U.S. carriers.
Air Transport

By Michael Bruno
For Bombardier, the move addresses the fate of its aerostructures unit. For Triumph, the sale is the latest in a string of sell-offs.
Business Aviation

By Guy Norris
V-280 makes 280 kt.; UK looks at AI, Boeing eVTOL flies, Sweden flies biofuel; Airbus AI challenge.
Aerospace

By Jens Flottau
The leasing industry continues to attract outside investors as private equity firms mull GECAS takeover.
Air Transport

By Graham Warwick
The little-known Canadian company is poised to take over production and support of one of the most widely used regional-turboprop families, the Dash 8 and Q400.
Program Management

By Jens Flottau, Michael Bruno
Embraer hopes the commercial aircraft joint venture with Boeing will kickstart a development that it alone has not yet achieved.
Air Transport

Our roundup of the main aerospace and defense stories making the news this week.
First Take

Upcoming aviation and aerospace industry events and Aviation Week Network events.

By Tony Osborne
A two-type fleet, while expensive, could balance the tension between European and transatlantic partners, says a German thinktank.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Byron Callan
Finding the right balance will be important not just for heritage contractors, but for the Pentagon’s ability to attract new companies to meet its needs.
Defense and Space

By Steve Trimble, Lee Hudson
U.S. missile architecture, now focused on limited attacks and intercepting targets in midcourse and terminal phases, is being reshaped for a wider range of threats.
Defense and Space

By Steve Trimble
The Air Force’s acceptance of a new refueling tanker will allow the company to start recovering $3.5 billion in losses incurred during eight years of development.
Defense and Space

Kristen Strader
Allowing corporations to buy naming rights to NASA property and to use astronauts for commercials would cause more harm than good for the American public and for NASA as a public entity.
Commercial Space

Recent appointments, promotions and honors in the aviation and aerospace industry.

Jeffrey Manber
Commercial funding not only enhances great American research organizations, but it also creates them—just look at the Smithsonian Institution.
Space

Readers discuss the Person of the Year choice, add texture to hypersonic technology history and weigh in on Upset Prevention and Recovery Training mandates.
Feedback

By Guy Norris
Airbus Helicopters has come from virtually nowhere in a little over 15 years to become the third biggest maker of military rotorcraft in the U.S.
Defense and Space

By Jen DiMascio, Guy Norris, Irene Klotz
Listen in as our editors discuss the shocking turnabout for the late Paul Allen’s air-launch space company and other recent churn in the space launch market.
Space

By Irene Klotz, Maxim Pyadushkin
The first rocket officially named Soyuz was launched in 1966 and has since flown 1,050 times, of which 1,023 were successful.
Space

By Jens Flottau, Guy Norris
Airbus launches construction for the Airbus A220 final-assembly line in Mobile.
Air Transport

By Joe Anselmo, Michael Bruno
The chief of the Airbus Engineering Center in Mobile talks about big changes coming to aircraft cabin interiors.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Steve Trimble
A near-term capacity crunch and next-generation fighter costs conspired to force the Air Force to reconsider non-stealthy combat aircraft.
Aircraft & Propulsion