AeroTime
• Clement Charpentreau
The French Defence Procurement Agency has awarded Airbus Defence and Space and Thales Alenia Space a joint-prime contract to develop IRIS, a next-generation military optical observation system designed for ultra-high-resolution imagery. Airbus is lead contractor, with Thales Alenia Space serving as co-contractor on the program.
Airbus
Latest source-backed stories
The French Defence Procurement Agency has awarded Airbus Defence and Space and Thales Alenia Space a joint-prime contract to develop IRIS, a next-generation military optical observation system designed for ultra-high-resolution imagery. Airbus is lead contractor, with Thales Alenia Space serving as co-contractor on the program.
South Korea’s Trinity Airways plans to introduce the Airbus A330neo in the first quarter of 2027, according to a schedule reported by Commercial Aviation News. The report provides a timing milestone for the airline’s planned use of the widebody aircraft, but gives no further operational or fleet details.
High activity
The Pentagon conditionally committed a $150 million loan to expand Rocket Lab’s Neutron production and launch capacity, as the company also reported more than $515 million in launch contracts. Separately, the USAF awarded Electra $4.7 million for EL9 acoustic testing, while France contracted Airbus and Thales to develop two IRIS reconnaissance satellites.
High activity
Emirates has completed a financing arrangement with Dubai Islamic Bank and Natixis CIB for two new Airbus A350-900s. The 12-year Shariah-compliant French lease combines two financing frameworks, which the airline describes as a repeatable blueprint for future cross-border aircraft financings.
High activity
The A350-1000ULR flew 12,503 nautical miles nonstop on a 24-hour test flight from Melbourne to Toulouse, setting a Guinness World Record for distance by a commercial airliner. Qantas plans to use the type for Project Sunrise; from its October 2027 launch, flights QF1 and QF2 are set to become nonstop Sydney–London services, replacing the current Singapore stop.
The European Investment Bank’s head rejected US government criticism of its €3 billion ($3.4 billion) loan to Airbus, saying the administration has no grounds to question the arrangement. The dispute puts a major European public-financing deal for the aircraft maker at the center of transatlantic scrutiny.
High activity
Airbus has started a planned three-year buyback of up to €5 billion ($5.6 billion), beginning with a tranche of up to €800 million running from Nov. 9 to Dec. 23. The company says it will cancel shares repurchased, rather than use them for employee plans as in previous buybacks.
Create a free account to see more recent Airbus stories and keep bookmarks in one place.
