Aircraft Carrier   UAV Development & Drone Programs   Europe   Military Aircraft Procurement   Defense Budgets & Spending   Defense Industry & Major Contractors   Policy & Regulation   Defense Policy  
AeroTime • Clement Charpentreau

French armed forces’ US dependency risk highlighted as 20 years of budget cuts force reliance on US ISR and carrier catapult cap

A new French parliamentary report argues that two decades of defense budget restraint have left France leaning on US aerospace for core capabilities spanning drones (including MQ-9 Reaper), early warning (E-2 Hawkeye), and aircraft carrier launch systems (EMALS). It maps capability gaps and sovereignty shortfalls that policy makers can’t close with mere “requirements” language.

2026-05-05T04:01:26.965776-07:00
UAV Development & Drone Programs   General Atomics   Military Aircraft Procurement   Defense Budgets & Spending  
Air Data News • Ricardo Meier

SOCOM reduces OA-1K Skyraider buy, shifts focus to MQ-9 drone operations

By Air Data News: Budget documents show fewer light attack aircraft and increased investment in U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) is scaling back its planned acquisition of the OA-1K Skyraider II while increasing investment in unmanned systems built around the MQ-9 Reaper , according to its fiscal 2027 budget request.

2026-05-05T02:06:29.533542-07:00
Supply Chain   Military Aircraft Procurement   Aviation Safety & Regulation   Defense Industry & Major Contractors   Policy & Regulation  
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DefenseNews.com • Lara Seligman

Air Force Pilots, Maintainers on F-35 Pros and Cons

By DefenseNews.com: As the Air Force races to declare its F-35 jets operational before the end of the year, observers are still warning about schedule delays, a faulty logistics system, and software glitches.

2026-05-05T04:24:00.438799-07:00