Aviation Week & Space Technology

What you need to know going into the Air Force Association’s annual air and space symposium.

The focus of the investigation is on specific failures, faults and combination of events that might have led to the destruction of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 and its payload on the launch pad during preparations for a routine static-fire test of rocket’s first-stage Merlin engines.

Expect the trade deal to loom large after the election as the A&D industry is offers full support, despite opposition from both U.S. presidential candidates.

Upcoming aviation and aerospace industry events in September and October, and Aviation Week Network events

Parker Aerospace has promoted Steve Pitts to vice president/general manager-control systems and James Stephens to general manager-aircraft wheel and brakes.

With its first regulation allowing routine use of unmanned aircraft systems in national airspace in place, the FAA moves to next UAS rulemaking actions.

The United Arab Emirates civil aviation authority report on Emirates 521 raises questions about the risks of automation behaving differently in certain modes.

Announcement of the new bomber development is a further sign that China is seeking to project force beyond ranges necessary for immediate national defense.

Turkish government changes recruitment laws to let the air force to solve pilot crisis and recruit officers before they graduate from college.

Boeing’s Sutter, who died last month at 95, had a huge influence on what may be the two most important commercial aircraft of the late 20th century.

Scott Kirby’s appointment at United Airlines also sheds light on difficulties CEO Oscar Munoz has faced finding acceptance among shareholders.

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

This week’s Washington Outlook sizes up the impact of the Pentagon’s strategy to threaten a defense budget bill veto, ways around regulations slowing remote-sensing industry sales and a big deal for counter-drug mission aircraft.

Nearly two months after the attempted coup in Turkey, the Turkish air force is facing a severe pilot shortage. Our editors describe the unfolding events there, as well as the U.S. military’s thoughts on training pilots worldwide. Plus, what military officers in Baltic countries are thinking about air power.

A carefully choreographed demo showcased the potential benefits of combining RNP precision approach and GLS satellite-based instrument landings.

The tests could be a small but important stepping-stone toward further development of the BWB concept as a military tanker-transport.

AirAsia’s problem in China may turn out to be that, as currently planned, its partner would not be an airline.

U.S. Air Force’s top uniformed acquisition officer is trying to cut costs and maintain schedules during a major overhaul of top aircraft programs.

In this defense roundup, India’s Light Utility Helicopter, Spain’s first A400M fly, Poland may seek Patriots and a Predator B could get European certification.

Readers register skepticism over MDA's missile intercept plan; lobby for scramjet technology; revist A-10 and contested airspace; reflect on DayJet's demise and correct a misnomer of the Paveway munition.

NASA’s nine-year-old Dawn mission spacecraft began a spiraling, five-week climb above the dwarf planet Ceres on Sept. 2, a maneuver intended to conserve hydrazine fuel and allow for extended science observations at one of the Solar System’s most intriguing astrobiological prospects.

Ukrainian company seeks $155 million investment to build a space launch facility in North America.

Militaries around the Baltic are reconsidering defense plans, reversing years of cuts, as they view more powerful Russian armed forces with modernized weapons

Low-cost widebody operators gain momentum as they expand their networks and eye European destinations.

The Pentagon and Air Force still have not released the cost of the weapon known as ICBM-X, but an estimate may be available within months.