FlightGlobal
• David Kaminski-Morrow
Airbus is installing a new flight-test instrumentation station on its A350 freighter, adapting equipment previously used on the long-range A350-1000ULR. The move comes as test crews use simulations to prepare for the A350F’s first flight and the start of its flight-test campaign.
Supply Chain
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NATO’s DIANA accelerator is identifying promising defense innovators, yet the path from prototype to operational capability remains difficult. Weak customer demand, fragile supply chains and limited skilled labor threaten to prevent emerging technologies from achieving the scale needed for meaningful defense impact.
Airbus is installing a new flight-test instrumentation station on its A350 freighter, adapting equipment previously used on the long-range A350-1000ULR. The move comes as test crews use simulations to prepare for the A350F’s first flight and the start of its flight-test campaign.
Honeywell Aerospace is considering acquisitions of smaller companies to bring more manufacturing work in-house as it addresses supply bottlenecks and quality problems. The approach would expand Honeywell’s direct control over production while potentially reshaping its supplier footprint and capacity strategy.
Air Force officials say the F-35 demonstrated combat value during Middle East operations, even as GAO found three in four aircraft unable to fly a full mission and sustainment needs reached $13.7 billion. Europe received more than three dozen jets in the past year, while Switzerland’s procurement faces rising costs and contract scrutiny.
Honda Aircraft has pushed the planned introduction of its HA-480 Echelon light business jet back three years to 2031, citing supply issues. The company says development continues and has completed assembly of the aircraft’s first wing structure as it works toward market entry.
Air Force and Space Force leaders are prioritizing faster production and larger inventories of weapons and space capabilities, even as supply-chain constraints continue to limit industrial capacity. The shift puts scalability, manufacturing resilience and the defense sector’s ability to deliver at speed at the center of acquisition strategy.
Honeywell Aerospace CEO said GE Aerospace’s planned $12 billion acquisition of casting specialist CPP is positive for the industry, while pointing to further opportunities to bring outsourced capabilities back in-house. The comments signal broader aerospace-manufacturing interest in vertical integration and supply-chain control.
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Electra has chosen U.S. aerospace manufacturer Atlas Group to produce and assemble the first pre-production airframes for its EL9 Ultra Short hybrid-electric aircraft. The agreement advances Electra’s program toward flight testing, certification and eventual commercial production.
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