Aviation Week
• Robert Wall
The European Commission and the Spacerise industrial consortium have agreed to expand the EU’s secure IRIS² connectivity network by 66 low-Earth-orbit satellites. The program has passed its Rendezvous One review and can now advance into its operational phase, alongside related European secure-communications work including SpainSat NG-III.
Airbus
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The European Commission and the Spacerise industrial consortium have agreed to expand the EU’s secure IRIS² connectivity network by 66 low-Earth-orbit satellites. The program has passed its Rendezvous One review and can now advance into its operational phase, alongside related European secure-communications work including SpainSat NG-III.
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Airbus delivered 67 aircraft to 39 customers in July, bringing 2026 deliveries to 418—still ahead of last year but below the pace required to meet its annual target. The company also recorded 204 orders, surpassed 1,000 commercial aircraft sold this year and pushed the first A350F delivery to late 2027.
VietJetAir expects to receive more than 600 Airbus and Boeing aircraft through 2035 as the Vietnamese low-cost carrier expands its international network and aviation-services businesses. The planned fleet growth points to an aggressive long-term capacity and diversification strategy across passenger operations and related aviation activities.
Airbus has completed ground vibration testing on the first A350F, a key development milestone for the freighter program. The European manufacturer said the aircraft will proceed toward its first flight later this year as Airbus advances the newest member of the A350 family.
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Canada is advancing uncrewed aviation across military, commercial and emergency-response missions: the Royal Canadian Navy has deployed a Textron Aerosonde on an Arctic patrol vessel, while Voyageur ordered Airbus U030 Flexrotors and Volatus announced partnerships for sovereign intelligence and heavy-lift wildfire aircraft.
Recent demonstrations by Northrop Grumman, Boeing, the U.S. Navy and Royal Navy show accelerating investment in networked maritime autonomy: MQ-4C Triton and P-8A aircraft exchanged mission data, while British forces linked a Wildcat helicopter, drones and ground units across more than 200 miles.
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German Airways has completed the acquisition and financing of five E190 regional jets, while Lufthansa is preparing to sell CityLine’s CRJ-900 fleet. Swiss also plans to retire and store its remaining four A220-100s by the end of 2027, even as Airbus says Pratt & Whitney-related A220 groundings are largely resolved.
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Airbus has completed ground vibration testing on the A350F, exposing the freighter to controlled oscillations to validate its structural and aeroelastic models. The campaign is a mandatory certification step ahead of the aircraft’s maiden flight, with two A350Fs planned for certification work.
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