UAV Development & Drone Programs   AI   Military Aircraft Procurement   Defense Industry & Major Contractors  
Aviation Today • Frank Wolfe

USMC awards Northrop Grumman $232M MUX TACAIR CCA contract; Kratos XQ‑58A Valkyrie to be missionized

The U.S. Marine Corps has awarded Northrop Grumman a $232 million contract under the MUX TACAIR Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) effort to develop a missionized variant of Kratos’ XQ‑58A Valkyrie. Kratos’ Valkyrie will serve as the starting airframe for the service’s uncrewed combat-aircraft work.

Also: sdbj.com
2026-01-22T14:12:38.986201-08:00
Helicopter   Military Aircraft Procurement   Aircraft Manufacturing (OEMs)   Aviation Safety & Regulation   Defense Industry & Major Contractors  
NEW
Aviation Today • Frank Wolfe

USAF Chooses Non‑HMD Degraded Visual Environment System for HH‑60W to Cut Costs

By Aviation Today: To save funds, the U.S. Air Force plans to pursue a Degraded Visual Environment System (DVES) without a helmet mounted display (HMD) for the Lockheed Martin [LMT] Sikorsky HH-60W Jolly Green II […].

2026-01-22T14:12:39.572189-08:00
Military Aircraft Procurement   Aircraft Manufacturing (OEMs)   Defense Industry & Major Contractors   Defense Policy  
NEW
Aviation Today • Calvin Biesecker

DIU Solicits Airborne Magnetic-Mapping Platforms to Advance GPS‑Denied Precision Navigation

By Aviation Today: The Defense Innovation Unit last Friday issued a solicitation seeking prototype solutions for airborne magnetic data collection platforms that would support the development of magnetic map data as an alternative […].

2026-01-22T14:17:10.025544-08:00
UAV Development & Drone Programs   Supply Chain   Europe   Defense Industry & Major Contractors   Geopolitical Developments & Conflict Impact   Defense Policy  
Reuters

France places first order for long‑range loitering munitions from MBDA and Aviation Design

By Reuters: France's military has placed its first order for long-range kamikaze drones from local defence firms as it seeks to develop its own drone production capacity after drawing lessons from how the war is being fought in Ukraine.

2026-01-22T07:07:56.355508-08:00
UAV Development & Drone Programs   AI   Defense Industry & Major Contractors  
FlightGlobal • Ryan Finnerty

Shield AI starts wind-tunnel tests of X‑Bat tail-sitting autonomous tactical jet

By FlightGlobal: American autonomy specialist Shield AI has begun windtunnel testing on its X-Bat uncrewed tactical aircraft, three months after unveiling the tail-sitting jet platform that will operate using the company's Hivemind artificial intelligence software.

2026-01-22T08:10:30.684429-08:00
Middle East   Orders   Aircraft Manufacturing (OEMs)   Policy & Regulation   Boeing   Boeing 747  
Wall Street Journal • Marcus Weisgerber

Qatari-donated Boeing 747-8I jet expected to begin carrying US President Trump this summer

By Wall Street Journal: Such a delivery means the plane could be part of the nation’s 250th birthday festivities that are planned for July.

Also: AirForceTimes, Aviation Week, Flying Magazine, news.ssbcrack.com, Military Times, insidedefense.com, The Guardian, san.com and The Independent
2026-01-21T23:36:21.213456-08:00
UAV Development & Drone Programs   Middle East   Helicopter   Military Aircraft Procurement   Aircraft Manufacturing (OEMs)   Defense Industry & Major Contractors   Defense Deals  
FlightGlobal • Craig Hoyle

EDGE awarded landmark contracts to supply ~170 VTOL UAVs and a logistics gyrocopter to UAE armed forces

By FlightGlobal: EDGE has received a pair of new contracts to produce almost 170 uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) for the United Arab Emirates' armed forces.

Also: edrmagazine.eu, defence-industry.eu, calibredefence.co.uk and aljundi.ae
2026-01-22T00:35:29.797211-08:00