Europe   Military Aircraft Procurement   Orders   Defense Industry & Major Contractors   Airbus  
Breaking Defense • Elisabeth Gosselin-Malo

Italy awards Airbus A330 MRTT tanker deal for six aircraft worth ~€1.39B, enabling fleet renewal and integrated logistics suppor

Italy’s Ministry of Defence has awarded Airbus Defence and Space a European tender for six Airbus A330 MRTT tankers, including integrated logistical support, valued at €1.390 billion (about $1.6B). The procurement is positioned as a renewal and expansion of Aeronautica Militare’s heavy multi-role tanker line, following earlier intent to buy Boeing-made KC-46 Pegasus tankers.

2026-05-19T09:10:26.446797-07:00
Europe   Military Aircraft Procurement   Orders   Aircraft Manufacturing (OEMs)   Embraer  
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Air Data News • Ricardo Meier

First Czech Air Force KC-390 completes maiden flight in Brazil

By Air Data News: Prague ordered two Embraer aircraft configured for transport, refueling and aerial first Embraer KC-390 Millennium destined for the Czech Air Force has completed its maiden flight in Brazil, according to a video released by the Czech government and produced by the Brazilian manufacturer.

2026-05-19T10:40:19.832520-07:00
UAV Development & Drone Programs   Europe   Military Aircraft Procurement   Aviation Safety & Regulation   Geopolitical Developments & Conflict Impact  
AeroTime • Clement Charpentreau

NATO fighter shoots down drone over Estonian airspace

By AeroTime: A Baltic Air Policing fighter shot down a probable Ukrainian drone over Lake Võrtsjärv on May 19, days after a similar drone was destroyed in Lithuania.

Also: news.err.ee, DefenseNews.com, defence-blog.com, Associated Press, The Independent and 4 more
2026-05-19T04:09:20.248562-07:00
Satellite   AI   Europe   Defense Industry & Major Contractors   Space Defense & Militarization   Geopolitical Developments & Conflict Impact  
Financial Times • Laura Pitel

Drone start-up Helsing set to mount joint bid for military satellite project

By Financial Times: German group and OHB plan to build network equipped with AI technology to provide surveillance and reconnaissance.

2026-05-18T22:03:53.472853-07:00