North America   Military Aircraft Procurement   Aircraft Manufacturing (OEMs)   Defense Industry & Major Contractors   Boeing   Embraer  
FlightGlobal • Ryan Finnerty

Top USAF civilian rules out Embraer KC-390 for tanker recapitalisation, backs KC-46

The Air Force's top civilian official said he is not, for now, considering Embraer's KC-390 multi-role tanker in the service's aerial-refuelling recapitalization effort and reiterated support for Boeing's KC-46 as the preferred platform, signalling continuity in US tanker procurement policy.

2026-02-24T12:10:25.673260-08:00
Military Aircraft Procurement   Aircraft Manufacturing (OEMs)   Defense Industry & Major Contractors  
The War Zone • Thomas Newdick

Scale Model Reveals F-22 'Raptor 2.0' Upgrades: Stealth External Tanks and Underwing IR Pods

By The War Zone: A scale model of the new-look F-22 Raptor reveals details of its new stealthy external fuel tanks and underwing infrared sensor pods. A scale model of the new-look F-22 Raptor reveals details of its new stealthy external fuel tanks and underwing infrared sensor pods.

2026-02-24T09:53:49.446296-08:00
AI   Military Aircraft Procurement   Defense Industry & Major Contractors   Defense Policy  
The War Zone • Joseph Trevithick

AI Is Now Helping The F-35 Spot Enemy Air Defenses

By The War Zone: New artificial intelligence technology is giving the F-35 the ability to pick out confusing threat emissions and get them properly identified faster.

Also: The Aviationist, Aviation Week, defenceconnect.com.au, realcleardefense.com, edrmagazine.eu and news.ssbcrack.com
2026-02-24T05:34:12.673226-08:00
Supply Chain   North America   Military Aircraft Procurement   Aircraft Manufacturing (OEMs)   Defense Budgets & Spending   Defense Industry & Major Contractors  
FlightGlobal • Ryan Finnerty

USAF reaches deal with Northrop to accelerate B-21 production by 25%

By FlightGlobal: The US Air Force (USAF) and Northrop Grumman have agreed to a $4.5 billion production acceleration for the B-21 Raider stealth bomber, increasing the annual build rate by 25% to expedite delivery of the next-generation strategic aircraft.

Also: aviationnews.eu, Australian Aviation, The War Zone, AeroTime, The Aviationist, Aviation Week, Air & Space Forces Mag, Northrop Grumman, Stars and Stripes, defence-blog.com, militarnyi.com, autonomyglobal.co and 20 more
2026-02-23T22:00:38.274005-08:00
Supply Chain   Europe   Military Aircraft Procurement   Defense Industry & Major Contractors   Export Controls & Trade Compliance  
Aviation Week • Tony Osborne

Italian investigators probe €17 million loss of military aircraft spare parts

By Aviation Week: Italian authorities are investigating the loss of roughly €17 million ($20 million) in spare parts inventory for military aircraft.

Also: news.ssbcrack.com and Euronews
2026-02-23T14:51:35.152393-08:00