Military Aircraft Procurement News

Aviation Week • Brian Everstine

Air Force pushes Boeing VC-25B 'Next Air Force One' to mid‑2028 as $15.5M comms mod raises programme to ~$4.3B

The U.S. Air Force said the first of two Boeing-built VC-25B presidential transports will now be delivered in mid-2028, a one-year delay. Boeing received an up-to-$15.5 million contract modification for expanded communications, taking the programme's value to about $4.3 billion.

2025-12-12T14:16:30.390889-08:00

Aviation Week

NTSB and lawmakers oppose NDAA Section 373’s ADS‑B/transponder exemptions for military helicopters after Potomac River crash

2025-12-11T09:56:46.431997-08:00

AirForceTimes

NAVAIR and GAO flag rising V‑22 safety risks and data gaps as corrective actions are set

2025-12-12T11:22:36.423310-08:00

Reuters

Switzerland trims F‑35 buy below 36 after U.S. price increases push program past referendum budget

2025-12-12T05:58:43.903106-08:00

Military Aircraft Procurement News Timeline

Economic Times

Indian Navy to commission second MH-60R squadron INAS 335 in Goa on Dec. 17; DSC A20 inducted Dec. 16 The Indian Navy will commission its second MH-60R Seahawk squadron, INAS 335 (Ospreys), at INS Hansa, Goa, on Dec. 17 with Chief of Naval Staff Adm Dinesh K Tripathi attending. A day earlier the Navy will induct its first indigenously built Diving Support Craft, DSC A20, in Kochi.

2025-12-14T09:19:31.835742-08:00

Indian Navy to commission second MH-60R squadron INAS 335 in Goa on Dec. 17; DSC A20 inducted Dec. 16

Air Data News

Lufthansa to sell two Boeing 747-8s to U.S. Air Force; fleet falls to 17 by Q3 2026 Lufthansa will sell two Boeing 747-8 passenger jets (D‑ABYD and D‑ABYG) to the U.S. Air Force, trimming its 747-8 fleet from 19 to 17 by the third quarter of 2026. The move is linked to VC-25B programme delays and to securing spare airframes and parts for the military.

2025-12-14T05:52:47.039507-08:00

Lufthansa to sell two Boeing 747-8s to U.S. Air Force; fleet falls to 17 by Q3 2026

The Aviationist

U.S. Army retires RC-12X/MC-12S/EO-5C turboprops, shifts ISR to jet-powered High Accuracy Detection platform The U.S. Army has completed retirement of its legacy RC-12X Guardrail, MC-12S EMARSS and EO-5C ARL‑M turboprop ISR fleet, ending more than five decades of continuous turboprop surveillance. The aircraft will be replaced by a jet‑powered High Accuracy Detection platform as the service modernizes sensors and unmanned capabilities.

2025-12-13T08:08:29.244280-08:00

U.S. Army retires RC-12X/MC-12S/EO-5C turboprops, shifts ISR to jet-powered High Accuracy Detection platform

Aviation Week

Air Force pushes Boeing VC-25B 'Next Air Force One' to mid‑2028 as $15.5M comms mod raises programme to ~$4.3B The U.S. Air Force said the first of two Boeing-built VC-25B presidential transports will now be delivered in mid-2028, a one-year delay. Boeing received an up-to-$15.5 million contract modification for expanded communications, taking the programme's value to about $4.3 billion.

2025-12-12T14:16:30.390889-08:00

Air Force pushes Boeing VC-25B 'Next Air Force One' to mid‑2028 as $15.5M comms mod raises programme to ~$4.3B

Aviation Week

Edge Autonomy to license Penguin C MK2.5 VTOL military drone for production in Taiwan UAS maker Edge Autonomy will license production of its Penguin C MK2.5 vertical‑takeoff‑and‑landing (VTOL) unmanned aircraft in Taiwan. The Penguin C MK2.5 is already in service with the U.S. military and will be produced locally under the licensing deal.

2025-12-12T12:37:57.811079-08:00

Edge Autonomy to license Penguin C MK2.5 VTOL military drone for production in Taiwan

CBC

Canada buys six Bombardier Global 6500s in ~US$400m deal to bolster RCAF multi‑mission capability Canada has purchased six Bombardier Global 6500 multi‑role jets in a roughly US$400 million deal to expand Royal Canadian Air Force capability for aeromedical evacuations, disaster relief, humanitarian aid and national‑security missions. Deliveries start in 2027 and the jets are built in Canada, leveraging domestic supply chains.

2025-12-12T12:03:57.654271-08:00

Canada buys six Bombardier Global 6500s in ~US$400m deal to bolster RCAF multi‑mission capability

FlightGlobal

USAF flight school receives first Boeing T-7A Red Hawk as T-38C phase-out begins The U.S. Air Force's Air Education and Training Command has received its first Boeing T‑7A Red Hawk trainer, beginning the formal phase‑out of the Northrop T‑38C Talon. The delivery starts a multiyear transition that will modernize advanced jet instruction and reshape the USAF pilot training pipeline.

2025-12-12T11:56:33.954018-08:00

USAF flight school receives first Boeing T-7A Red Hawk as T-38C phase-out begins

AirForceTimes

NAVAIR and GAO flag rising V‑22 safety risks and data gaps as corrective actions are set NAVAIR's review confirms unresolved safety and readiness issues with the V‑22 Osprey, and a GAO audit found the aircraft's 'most serious' accident rate rose in FY2023–24 versus the prior eight‑year average while Marine Corps and Air Force fell short on safety data sharing. NAVAIR has outlined corrective actions.

2025-12-12T11:22:36.423310-08:00

NAVAIR and GAO flag rising V‑22 safety risks and data gaps as corrective actions are set

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