FlightGlobal
• Lizzie Rix
IATA reported a 7.7% year-on-year increase in global air cargo demand in September 2026, or 8.6% for international operations, even as passenger figures fell and higher jet fuel prices pressured profitability. Boeing forecasts cargo traffic will double by 2045, lifting the global freighter fleet to 4,010 aircraft; Middle East demand grew 3.8%.
North America
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At a manufacturing plant near Salt Lake City, drone maker Vector Defense is expanding production as the United States seeks to build capacity for inexpensive military drones. The company’s growth highlights the industrial challenge implied by a starting point described as “basically zero.”
AN/TWQ-1 Avenger systems armed with FIM-92 Stinger missiles have been deployed to protect President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate. U.S. Northern Command has also supplied counter-drone fly-away sensor and jammer kits, adding detection and electronic-warfare capabilities to the site’s defenses.
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Joby Aviation and Beta Technologies have begun Florida’s first Electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing Integration Pilot Program flights. Joby says its piloted electric air taxi will fly for a week, traveling from Tampa to Orlando and onward to the Space Coast.
NORAD has resumed fighter alert operations from remote Shemya Island, Alaska, with USAF F-16s, restoring a forward presence in the Aleutian Islands after decades. The move underscores the operational importance of remote basing as security concerns grow across the Pacific and Arctic.
A low-altitude Air Force One flyover during a White House Halloween celebration startled visitors and D.C. residents, with some reports citing only 15 minutes’ notice. The event also disrupted operations at Reagan National Airport, delaying dozens of flights and raising concerns about the impact of presidential aircraft movements on the capital’s airspace.
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IATA reported a 7.7% year-on-year increase in global air cargo demand in September 2026, or 8.6% for international operations, even as passenger figures fell and higher jet fuel prices pressured profitability. Boeing forecasts cargo traffic will double by 2045, lifting the global freighter fleet to 4,010 aircraft; Middle East demand grew 3.8%.
MDA Space will build AURORA broadband digital phased-array antennas and controllers for the first 66 satellites in Europe’s IRIS² secure-connectivity constellation. The agreement with Thales Alenia Space is valued at more than €100 million, with the satellites scheduled to launch in 2029.
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NASA’s experimental X-59 QueSST has begun its first cross-country transfer, flying from Edwards Air Force Base toward Kennedy Space Center with stops en route. The trip follows more than 40 test flights in its first year and takes the quiet-supersonic demonstrator to a Florida appearance.
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