Always on Target
Aviation services and MRO firm AAR Corp. has raised its unsecured revolving credit line by $550 million to $1.375 billion and pushed maturity out to October 2031. The extra capacity will help fund a pending acquisition and future growth.
White County, Georgia, used SPLOST funds to buy a weather-resistant DJI Matrice 4TD for rescue work. The purchase is legal because proposed state bans on DJI drones did not pass and federal rules still permit their use.
Leeham News continues its series on a possible A330-900 freighter, now adding Airbus's perspective. With 767F production winding down, the analysis asks whether converting existing mid-size widebodies into new-build cargo jets could serve a growing market gap.
Astranis has converted its fourth SpaceX Falcon 9 launch booking into a dedicated mission planned for 2028. The flight will carry the company's full Block 4 production run of small geostationary communications satellites.
Rostec's arms export subsidiary Rosoboronexport is set to reveal an 'Anti-Drone Dome' concept this week. The system is intended to protect civilians, military personnel and critical infrastructure from drone threats.
A look back at the Messerschmitt Me 323 Gigant, a WWII German heavy transport developed from the Me 321 glider. Its large cargo bay and nose clamshell doors let it airlift bulky equipment, a capability the Allies lacked at the time.
The Swedish Navy has begun a one-year Baltic Sea patrol using four Saildrone Voyager uncrewed surface vessels. Under a data-as-a-service arrangement, Sweden pays for the maritime data collected, while Saildrone keeps ownership and operation of the drones.
OPSGROUP examines whether Starlink satellite services could help aircraft cope with GPS interference and spoofing. The piece follows the group's industry-wide work on the problem, first published more than two years ago.
Garuda Indonesia has signed a three-year deal with MTU Maintenance to service the GE90-115B engines on its eight Boeing 777-300ERs. The work will take place at MTU's Hannover site and aims to improve engine availability.
Finnair has started daily Airbus A350 flights linking Helsinki and Melbourne, with a stop at Bangkok Suvarnabhumi. The service expands the Finnish carrier's long-haul network into Australia.
The U.S. Air Force trained at MacDill AFB with Zone 5 Technologies' Paladin, a heavy counter-drone multirotor. Working with Joint Interagency Task Force 401, the drone carried a Gen12 launcher that fires net rounds to capture hostile UAS.
Air Serbia has launched twice-weekly flights from Niš to Vienna and Malta, taking over routes Ryanair dropped when it left the Serbian market. The Vienna service is operated with ATR72-600 turboprops.
Helsing's Contra system uses two interceptors, each priced below €100,000, to counter Russia's jet-powered Geran drones. The first deliveries are not expected until the second quarter of 2027.
EasyJet has picked SpaceX's Starlink to provide in-flight internet across its all-Airbus fleet, with service due to start in 2027. The budget airline is also preparing for a reported US$7.7 billion acquisition by Apollo.
easyJet will offer inflight Wi-Fi for the first time through a partnership with SpaceX's Starlink. Installation across the fleet is set to begin in the first half of 2027.
Helsing has unveiled Contra, an AI-controlled autonomous air defence system meant to counter mass drone and missile attacks. It comes with two new low-cost interceptors: the jet-powered AD-1 Inferno and the rocket-powered AD-2 Ambush.
British Airways' winter 2026 timetable adds service to Colombo, Sri Lanka. The schedule also brings four new routes in total, plus extra frequencies and capacity on popular destinations.
Two more of the Royal Navy's five remaining Type 23 frigates are expected to be retired as unseaworthy. That could leave just three in service in 2027, with only one available for operations at a time.
Sky Elements and Damoda America set two Guinness World Records in Texas using Chinese-made drones. One was a 10,183-drone dragon formation, and the other was 71,207 drone launches in a single week.
Lockheed Martin has completed its purchase of Ultra Maritime. The deal strengthens the defence contractor's anti-submarine warfare capabilities and expertise.
Signature Aviation and UrbanV have formed Signature UrbanV Alliance (SUVA), a US joint venture to develop and operate ground infrastructure for advanced air mobility and eVTOL services.
A pilot flies the North American T-6, the WWII-era trainer nicknamed the 'Pilot Maker', to retrace his grandfather's wartime flight training, and finds a vivid personal link to aviation history.
During the Keen Sword 27 exercise, Japan's Ground Self-Defense Force deployed its new Type 25 anti-ship missile system to Nagasaki's Ōnohara training area. Troops rehearsed strikes using targeting data supplied by US forces and higher command.
Pratt & Whitney has started building a US$100 million plant in Rzeszów, Poland, to boost output of critical rotating engine parts for commercial engines. The new facility is slated to begin operations in 2028.
Japan Airlines has begun Level 4 autonomous towing tractor operations at Fukuoka Airport. The rollout extends its driverless ground-handling program beyond Haneda and Narita.
EFA Group and MyDefence have signed an MoU to jointly integrate MyDefence's wearable counter-drone (C-UAS) technology, aiming to give personnel portable protection against hostile uncrewed aircraft.
An Accenture report projects global commercial aerospace revenue will rise 11.5% in 2027, but warns that ongoing supply chain strain and production reliability concerns may leave manufacturers, including UK suppliers, struggling to meet demand.
L3Harris has won a three-year US Army contract worth up to $60 million to develop a long-range, highly manoeuvrable interceptor designed to counter small unmanned aircraft systems.
SpaceX posted its first quarterly profit as a public company in Q3 2026, with revenue up 161% year on year to $14.6 billion and net income of $4.4 billion. Its AI business outsold Starlink for the first time this year.
The Pentagon's Defense Innovation Unit, working with the Navy's unmanned systems portfolio office, is soliciting mature, production-ready counter-drone systems for maritime use.