The War Zone
• Howard Altman, Tyler Rogoway
L3Harris used roughly 10 months to convert the Qatar-donated Boeing 747-8i into an interim VC-25B presidential transport. The build accelerates the near-term Air Force One replacement path while the broader next-generation VC-25B program continues to mature.
FlightGlobal
• Craig Hoyle
By FlightGlobal: The utility helicopters will be stationed in the eastern Mediterranean for emergency response, firefighting, troop transport, medical evacuation, and aerial reconaissance.
Via Satellite
• Rachel Jewett
By Via Satellite: MDA Space is acquiring spacecraft manufacturer Blue Canyon Technologies from Raytheon to give the company a direct position in the U.S. defense market.
Breaking Defense
• Michael Marrow
By Breaking Defense: From a weather restriction to a "serious" airworthiness risk, the Air Force's newest training jet faces far more issues than previously reported, an investigation by Breaking Defense found.
The War Zone
• Thomas Newdick
By The War Zone: In a break in decades of doctrine that left its prized bombers exposed, Russia is building shelters for them at a highly-targeted air base. Satellite imagery shows multiple large shelters under construction, underscoring Moscow’s efforts to harden its most valuable aviation assets against Ukrainian attacks.
Breaking Defense
• Agnes Helou
By Breaking Defense: “The agreement is part of Hanwha Aerospace’s strategy to strengthen its position in the Middle East, where it is pursuing local production, maintenance and technology partnerships as a route to regional customers,” Hanwha said in the statement.
Breaking Defense
• Mark Pomerleau
By Breaking Defense: The company had been prototyping the “full stack” with 4th Infantry Division over the last year.
DefenseNews.com
By DefenseNews.com: A new rugged drone you can throw through a window makes tracks at SOF Week, while the Air Force advances collaborative combat aircraft efforts.
