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AeroTime • Stephen Pope

USAF uses EA-37B Compass Call in operations against Iran before formal IOC

The U.S. Air Force has deployed the EA-37B Compass Call electronic-attack jet in operations against Iran in the Middle East, marking the platform's first known combat employment. The sorties took place before the aircraft was formally declared operational, demonstrating early operational use of the new EW asset.

2026-04-02T11:22:02.543836-07:00

Paddle Your Own Kanoo

Senior U.S. aviation engineer stopped at DFW with employer’s proprietary documents bound for China

2026-04-02T08:30:39.497169-07:00

SpaceNews.com

Optical terminals remain a critical bottleneck for the Pentagon's proliferated satellite constellation

2026-04-02T12:47:24.239965-07:00

Aviation Today

Army Accepts First Optionally‑Piloted Black Hawk; Will Test Autonomy to Inform Fleet Scaling

2026-04-02T09:38:59.528988-07:00

News Timeline

SpaceNews.com

Optical terminals remain a critical bottleneck for the Pentagon's proliferated satellite constellation Optical inter-satellite terminals remain a critical bottleneck for the Pentagon's plans to field a proliferated satellite constellation, constraining deployment of high‑capacity optical networks across multiple orbits. Resolving terminal performance, production scale and integration challenges is necessary before the constellation can deliver its intended connectivity and resilience.

2026-04-02T12:47:24.239965-07:00

Optical terminals remain a critical bottleneck for the Pentagon's proliferated satellite constellation

AeroTime

USAF uses EA-37B Compass Call in operations against Iran before formal IOC The U.S. Air Force has deployed the EA-37B Compass Call electronic-attack jet in operations against Iran in the Middle East, marking the platform's first known combat employment. The sorties took place before the aircraft was formally declared operational, demonstrating early operational use of the new EW asset.

2026-04-02T11:22:02.543836-07:00

USAF uses EA-37B Compass Call in operations against Iran before formal IOC

SpaceNews.com

Pentagon awards Raytheon $45M for GPS ground system amid program review The Pentagon has awarded Raytheon a $45 million contract to develop and support a GPS ground system while the program's future is under reassessment. The funding covers near-term work as Defense officials review the program's scope and long-term role in U.S. PNT infrastructure.

2026-04-02T10:27:23.724267-07:00

Pentagon awards Raytheon $45M for GPS ground system amid program review

Aviation Today

Army Accepts First Optionally‑Piloted Black Hawk; Will Test Autonomy to Inform Fleet Scaling The U.S. Army has formally accepted its first optionally‑piloted Black Hawk helicopter and will subject the aircraft to a rigorous test campaign. Data from the evaluations will be used to inform decisions on scaling autonomous and optionally‑piloted capabilities across the UH‑60 fleet.

2026-04-02T09:38:59.528988-07:00

Army Accepts First Optionally‑Piloted Black Hawk; Will Test Autonomy to Inform Fleet Scaling

Aviation Today

Army scales SkyFoundry, brings in commercial partners to hit one‑million drones by 2028 The U.S. Army's SkyFoundry drone initiative has "evolved" to bring in commercial partners and scale U.S. production toward a goal of one million low‑cost systems by 2028. The shift signals a move from experimental buys to monthly mass manufacture and expanded counter‑drone capability.

2026-04-02T09:38:58.208150-07:00

Army scales SkyFoundry, brings in commercial partners to hit one‑million drones by 2028

Aviation Today

Scaled Composites' Talon IQ Model 437 flies Prism and Shield AI Hivemind mission-autonomy test ahead of CCA Increment 2 Northrop Grumman’s Scaled Composites flew a Talon IQ Model 437 on a mission-autonomy test that integrated Northrop’s Prism autonomy software with Shield AI’s Hivemind. The sortie demonstrates multi-vendor autonomy interoperability on the Talon IQ platform as work ramps toward the Collaborative Combat Aircraft Increment 2 effort.

2026-04-02T09:38:57.955217-07:00

Scaled Composites' Talon IQ Model 437 flies Prism and Shield AI Hivemind mission-autonomy test ahead of CCA Increment 2

Air Data News

Embraer brings KC-390 Millennium demo and A-29 Super Tucano to FIDAE 2026 in Chile Embraer will display a KC-390 Millennium demonstration aircraft—its first Latin America appearance with a new livery—alongside the A-29 Super Tucano at FIDAE 2026 in Santiago (April 7–12). The OEM is using the show to highlight operational capabilities and revive KC-390 sales in the region.

2026-04-02T08:39:10.098579-07:00

Embraer brings KC-390 Millennium demo and A-29 Super Tucano to FIDAE 2026 in Chile

Paddle Your Own Kanoo

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Senior U.S. aviation engineer stopped at DFW with employer’s proprietary documents bound for China CBP officers at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport stopped 57‑year‑old senior engineer Junjie “Jeff” Zhang while he attempted to fly to China carrying proprietary and confidential documents belonging to his U.S. employer; authorities say the materials’ estimated value exceeds $100,000.

2026-04-02T08:30:39.497169-07:00

Senior U.S. aviation engineer stopped at DFW with employer’s proprietary documents bound for China

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USAF uses EA-37B Compass Call in operations against Iran before formal IOC

Senior U.S. aviation engineer stopped at DFW with employer’s proprietary documents bound for China

Optical terminals remain a critical bottleneck for the Pentagon's proliferated satellite constellation

Army Accepts First Optionally‑Piloted Black Hawk; Will Test Autonomy to Inform Fleet Scaling

News Timeline