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Reuters

UK condemns Russian Su-27/Su-35 ‘dangerous and unacceptable’ intercepts of RAF RC-135 over Black Sea

Britain’s defence ministry said Russian Su-27 and Su-35 fighters carried out dangerous interceptions of Royal Air Force RC-135 surveillance aircraft over the Black Sea, including one near miss with the jet flying within six metres and actions that reportedly disabled the RC-135 autopilot before repeated circling.

2026-05-20T12:09:53.473888-07:00

SpaceNews.com

Report quantifies U.S. commercial space reliance on Chinese-sourced components

2026-05-20T07:12:54.171971-07:00

economymiddleeast.com

Qatar Airways posts $1.94B net profit for FY2025/26 amid Middle East disruption, reports 41M passengers and plans 210 new Boeing

2026-05-20T02:05:37.426710-07:00

Payload

Report flags national-security risk in NASA-funded collaborations that may include Chinese researchers

2026-05-20T05:06:08.341331-07:00

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Reuters

UK condemns Russian Su-27/Su-35 ‘dangerous and unacceptable’ intercepts of RAF RC-135 over Black Sea Britain’s defence ministry said Russian Su-27 and Su-35 fighters carried out dangerous interceptions of Royal Air Force RC-135 surveillance aircraft over the Black Sea, including one near miss with the jet flying within six metres and actions that reportedly disabled the RC-135 autopilot before repeated circling.

2026-05-20T12:09:53.473888-07:00

UK condemns Russian Su-27/Su-35 ‘dangerous and unacceptable’ intercepts of RAF RC-135 over Black Sea

FlightGlobal

Boeing Little Bird rotorcraft losses in Iran remove SOF Week flypast presence A US Special Operations Command source says four Boeing MH-6 “Little Bird” rotorcraft were destroyed in Iran during a mission to rescue a downed F-15E weapons officer. The losses are linked to a broader set of rescue and combat-attrition events that left the “Little Birds” notably absent from SOF Week demonstrations.

2026-05-20T11:56:02.603662-07:00

Boeing Little Bird rotorcraft losses in Iran remove SOF Week flypast presence

FlightGlobal

Shield AI selected Hivemind to pilot LUCAS one-way attack drones with collaborative swarm autonomy Shield AI says the Defense Department selected its Hivemind agentic AI software to serve as the autonomy “pilot” for LUCAS Kamikaze one-way drones. The test demonstration later this year targets swarming 10 or more munitions operating collaboratively under the LUCAS program.

2026-05-20T08:54:31.817627-07:00

Shield AI selected Hivemind to pilot LUCAS one-way attack drones with collaborative swarm autonomy

SpaceNews.com

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Report quantifies U.S. commercial space reliance on Chinese-sourced components Altana’s new supply-chain analysis finds the U.S. commercial space industry remains significantly dependent on components manufactured by Chinese suppliers. The report underscores how upstream sourcing choices can shape both delivery resilience and national-security exposure across commercial satellite, launch and in-orbit service supply chains.

2026-05-20T07:12:54.171971-07:00

Report quantifies U.S. commercial space reliance on Chinese-sourced components

Payload

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Report flags national-security risk in NASA-funded collaborations that may include Chinese researchers A new Congressional report says NASA has potentially funded or supported hundreds of scientific collaborations since 2015 that could involve Chinese researchers. The finding raises concerns that research partnerships enabled by NASA funding may introduce China-related security risks for U.S. interests.

2026-05-20T05:06:08.341331-07:00

Report flags national-security risk in NASA-funded collaborations that may include Chinese researchers

SpaceNews.com

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Isaacman: NASA expects China to fly a crewed lunar-orbit mission in 2027, escalating competition for cislunar presence NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said he expects China’s taikonauts to fly around the Moon in 2027, framing it as an imminent step in Beijing’s crewed lunar ambitions. The forecast heightens perceptions of an accelerated U.S.-China “space race” as Artemis operations progress.

2026-05-20T02:40:49.949952-07:00

Isaacman: NASA expects China to fly a crewed lunar-orbit mission in 2027, escalating competition for cislunar presence

Reuters

Airbus proposes FCAS reset post-Ukraine, keeping options open on two-aircraft architecture and potential multi-vendor data “orch Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury says Europe’s Future Combat Air System (FCAS) needs a partial reset of pre-Ukraine assumptions, citing diverging national/industrial requirements for next-generation fighter capabilities. Airbus also signals openness to a two-aircraft FCAS solution and to an Airbus-led “in-flight connectivity” (IFC) orchestration role for multi-vendor data ferrying.

2026-05-20T02:10:40.436996-07:00

Airbus proposes FCAS reset post-Ukraine, keeping options open on two-aircraft architecture and potential multi-vendor data “orch

economymiddleeast.com

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Qatar Airways posts $1.94B net profit for FY2025/26 amid Middle East disruption, reports 41M passengers and plans 210 new Boeing Qatar Airways Group reported post-tax profit of QR7.08bn ($1.94bn) for fiscal 2025/26 despite disruption during the final quarter, including Qatari airspace closure and restrictions affecting the network. The airline carried more than 41 million passengers, while management said passenger and cargo volumes remained strong and the carrier is aligning 210 new Boeing widebodies.

2026-05-20T02:05:37.426710-07:00

Qatar Airways posts $1.94B net profit for FY2025/26 amid Middle East disruption, reports 41M passengers and plans 210 new Boeing

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Geopolitical Developments & Conflict Impact News

UK condemns Russian Su-27/Su-35 ‘dangerous and unacceptable’ intercepts of RAF RC-135 over Black Sea

Report quantifies U.S. commercial space reliance on Chinese-sourced components

Qatar Airways posts $1.94B net profit for FY2025/26 amid Middle East disruption, reports 41M passengers and plans 210 new Boeing

Report flags national-security risk in NASA-funded collaborations that may include Chinese researchers

News Timeline