FlightGlobal
• Greg Waldron
The US Air Force conducted another exercise using Anduril’s YFQ-44A collaborative combat aircraft to explore realistic uncrewed fighter operations. The effort focuses on developing tactics, techniques and procedures (TTPs) for future collaborative combat aircraft employment.
Defense Industry & Major Contractors
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The US Air Force conducted another exercise using Anduril’s YFQ-44A collaborative combat aircraft to explore realistic uncrewed fighter operations. The effort focuses on developing tactics, techniques and procedures (TTPs) for future collaborative combat aircraft employment.
The Pentagon is taking steps to rename Joint Base Charleston in South Carolina to Joint Base Lindsey Graham, honoring the late Air Force veteran and former U.S. senator. The Air Force secretary said the change recognizes Graham’s decades of service to the U.S. Air Force and Congress.
A B-52 radar modernization effort tied to aging, Eisenhower-era bombers suffered a fatal setback after a crash in California. The Air Force is now considering whether to delay retirement of the B-52 fleet, signaling uncertainty around the upgrade-to-service timeline.
UK defense firm MGI Engineering has launched its T-022 Vortex autonomous collaborative platform, positioning it as an “ACP” built from the outset to operate alongside crewed jets as part of a coordinated team. The company says the high-performance platform will be promoted for a UK requirement.
Anduril has produced its first YFQ-44A Fury at its Ohio Arsenal-1 facility, marking a key CCA production milestone. The USAF is also building the employment doctrine for the Fury and YFQ-42A Dark Merlin prototypes, while planning MQ-9A Reaper replacement concept refinement to start in Q1 FY2027.
France’s military deployed an Airbus A400M to help fight out-of-control wildfires burning west of Bordeaux in late July 2026. As fires threatened the region, aerospace firms—including Dassault, Thales and ArianeGroup—closed nearby sites, while Dassault moved sensitive equipment to Merignac and nearby air-base facilities after the Gironde wildfire idled the Rafale assembly line.
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Boeing reported a larger-than-expected Q2 loss, citing a $280 million charge tied to the troubled VC-25B Air Force One replacement. The company says it remains on track to deliver the first two modified B747-8(VC-25B) aircraft in 2028, even as it continues to pay out of pocket for cost overruns. Revenue rose to $24.6 billion, with free cash flow improving as turnaround plans gained momentum.
Europe’s next-generation combat air and drone ecosystems are taking shape as France’s FCAS partnership collapse prompts Dassault to revisit a French future fighter concept, while the UK emphasizes domestic autonomy via Project Corvus and expands its collaborative combat aircraft roadmap. Separately, HENSOLDT will equip Helsing’s CA-1 Europa with CAIRAS missile-warning tech.
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