UAV Development & Drone Programs   General Atomics   Military Aircraft Procurement   Defense Budgets & Spending  
Air Data News • Ricardo Meier

SOCOM trims OA-1K Skyraider II buy, rebalances toward MQ-9 Reaper “drone mothership” concept in FY2027 budget request

U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) says its fiscal 2027 budget request will scale back the planned acquisition of the OA-1K Skyraider II while increasing investment in unmanned systems centered on the MQ-9 Reaper. SOCOM also seeks to evolve the MQ-9 remotely piloted aircraft system into a “mothership” architecture for future operations.

2026-05-05T02:06:29.533542-07:00
Military Aircraft Procurement   Orders   Aircraft Manufacturing (OEMs)   Aviation Safety & Regulation   Defense Industry & Major Contractors   Boeing  
defence-industry.eu • Martin Chomsky Air

U.S. Air Force approves T-7A Red Hawk for production, awards $219 million contract for first 14 aircraft

By defence-industry.eu: The U.S. Air Force has approved the T-7A Red Hawk for production following a Milestone C decision on April 23.

Also: Stars and Stripes and 3 more
2026-05-04T16:10:58.451980-07:00
Middle East   Helicopter   Military Aircraft Procurement   Missile Systems & Strategic Weapons   Geopolitical Developments & Conflict Impact   Defense Policy  
The War Zone • Howard Altman, Joseph Trevithick

U.S. AH-64 Apache, MH-60 Seahawk Helicopters Sink Six Iranian Boats (Updated)

By The War Zone: Commercial vessels and American warships are coming under Iranian attack around the Strait of Hormuz as a new U.S. maritime protection plan has kicked off.

Also: AirForceTimes, The Aviationist, Task & Purpose, ANI News Agency and 3 more
2026-05-04T11:12:13.238067-07:00
Satellite   Commercial Space   Space Policy & International Cooperation   Space Defense & Militarization  
Via Satellite • Calvin Biesecker

NRO Makes New Commercial Awards to EarthDaily, Iceye, and Pixxel

By Via Satellite: AURORA, Colo. — The National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) has awarded new contracts for Earth sensing data to three companies under its Strategic Commercial Enhancements (SCE) effort, adding additional satellite companies in several areas the agency is already collecting commercial-based data on.

2026-05-04T16:10:27.183632-07:00
Supply Chain   Military Aircraft Procurement   Orders   Aircraft Manufacturing (OEMs)   Defense Industry & Major Contractors   Boeing  
The War Zone • Joseph Trevithick

First B-52 To Arrive For Re-Engining At Boeing Plant Later This Year (Updated)

By The War Zone: New Rolls-Royce F130 engines are a critical upgrade for Air Force B-52s, but work has been beset by delays and growing costs.

Also: The Aviationist, Aviation Week, defence-blog.com, Defense One, Defense Daily and 4 more
2026-05-04T09:31:48.002518-07:00
Military Aircraft Procurement   Orders   Defense Budgets & Spending  
ch-aviation • Luciano Braganca

USAF to replace C-37A/Bs with 17 C-37Cs for $2.19bn

By ch-aviation: The United States Air Force's fleet of ten GV(C-37A)s and seven G550(C-37B)s is set to be replaced by a new standard designated C-37C, comprising 17 aircraft, according to the service's fiscal year 2027 budget, beginning October 1, 2026.

2026-05-04T11:10:21.873843-07:00
Satellite   AI   Space Defense & Militarization  
SpaceNews.com • Sandra Erwin

Tech firms partner up to push intelligence processing closer to the battlefield

By SpaceNews.com: GRVTY’s Origin intelligence platform. DENVER — A group of defense and technology firms is assembling a joint effort aimed at solving a persistent problem for military users: how to access and use commercial satellite imagery and other geospatial intelligence when communications networks are unreliable or unavailable.

2026-05-04T12:06:00.267158-07:00