China   Satellite   Middle East   Space Defense & Militarization   Geopolitical Developments & Conflict Impact  
The Economist

How Chinese satellites filled the US imagery gap for Iran during Operation Epic Fury

Since Operation Epic Fury began Feb. 28, China has taken a careful approach to supporting Iran, including using satellite capabilities to sustain visibility and intelligence when American imagery coverage reportedly went dark. The cluster traces how Chinese alternatives helped keep Iran’s war effort informed.

2026-04-19T20:51:28.498430-07:00
MRO   Helicopter   Sikorsky   Supply Chain   Europe   M&A   Aircraft Manufacturing (OEMs)   Defense Budgets & Spending   Defense Industry & Major Contractors   Policy & Regulation   Geopolitical Developments & Conflict Impact   Defense Deals   Textron  
Aviation Week • Tony Osborne

Bell Establishes Ukrainian Subsidiary For Long-Term Cooperation

By Aviation Week: The company, called Bell Textron Ukraine, will be the hub of the manufacturer’s future activities in the country.

2026-04-17T10:45:15.785400-07:00
Museums   UAV Development & Drone Programs   AI   Military Aircraft Procurement   Aircraft Manufacturing (OEMs)   Defense Industry & Major Contractors  
FlightGlobal • Ryan Finnerty

Pratt & Whitney PW500 engine will power Northrop Grumman YFQ-48 autonomous fighter

By FlightGlobal: The Northrop jet is the first uncrewed fighter prototype to officially feature a Pratt & Whitney engine. Military airframer Northrop Grumman has selected a business jet engine from Pratt & Whitney to power the company’s new YFQ-48A Talon Blue uncrewed fighter jet.

Also: defence-blog.com, Defense Daily and 3 more
2026-04-17T15:16:11.915042-07:00
Air Cargo & Freight Logistics   Europe   Military Aircraft Procurement   Defense Budgets & Spending   Asia-Pacific (APAC)   Defense Policy  
FlightGlobal • Greg Waldron

Canberra looks to replace C-27Js with ‘commercial’ type

By FlightGlobal: Canberra aims to replace its fleet of Leonardo C-27J tactical transports, although it intends to maintain the airlift capacity to serve Pacific neighbours.

Also: AeroTime, Scramble and The Aviationist
2026-04-16T23:24:31.483594-07:00
UAV Development & Drone Programs   AI   Military Aircraft Procurement   Defense Industry & Major Contractors   Geopolitical Developments & Conflict Impact  
DefenseNews.com • Cristina Stassis

Air Force unit executes test of Anduril’s semiautonomous combat drone

By DefenseNews.com: Airmen operated Auduril's YFQ-44A jet-powered combat drone, which could someday fly alongside piloted fighters.

Also: AirForceTimes, c4isrnet.com and Military Times
2026-04-17T12:59:53.196480-07:00
Satellite   Aircraft Manufacturing (OEMs)   Defense Industry & Major Contractors   Human Spaceflight & Space Stations   Space Policy & International Cooperation   Space Defense & Militarization   Policy & Regulation  
Breaking Defense • Theresa Hitchens

Lockheed Martin nabs $105M ground system contract to support next-gen GPS

By Breaking Defense: The upgrade to be performed under then new contract would allow Lockheed Martin's AEP ground system to replace RTX's long-troubled OCX program for future GPS IIIF birds.

2026-04-17T15:37:15.080655-07:00
Military Aircraft Procurement   Orders   Boeing   Boeing 747   Qatar Airways  
The War Zone • Howard Altman, Tyler Rogoway

Qatari 747-8i Gifted To Trump For Interim Air Force One Is Undergoing Test Flights

By The War Zone: The 747 is being rushed into service and the Air Force now says it is expected to be delivered this summer. By Howard Altman , Add TWZ (opens in a new tab) More information Adding us as a Preferred Source in Google by using this link indicates that you would like to see more of our content in Google News results.

Also: Simple Flying, defcrosnews.com and airlive.net
2026-04-17T16:29:57.733275-07:00