Military Aircraft Procurement   Aircraft Manufacturing (OEMs)   Defense Industry & Major Contractors  
Air Data News • ADN Staff

Pentagon awards Lockheed Martin up to $1.9B IDIQ for 10-year C-130J MATS IV maintenance and aircrew training

The U.S. Department of Defense awarded Lockheed Martin a sole-source, indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract valued up to $1.9 billion to continue the C-130J Maintenance and Aircrew Training System (MATS) program. The agreement runs 10 years under the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center.

Also: AviationPros
2026-04-17T05:08:16.417273-07:00
Military Aircraft Procurement   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: Scramble and The Aviationist
2026-04-16T23:24:31.483594-07:00
Military Aircraft Procurement   Aircraft Manufacturing (OEMs)   Defense Industry & Major Contractors  
FlightGlobal • Craig Hoyle

Northrop Grumman poised for critical design review of E-2D Advanced Hawkeye’s Block II upgrade

By FlightGlobal: A major system upgrade for Northrop Grumman’s E-2D Advanced Hawkeye airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft will undergo its critical design review (CDR) in May, as the airframer eyes fresh sales opportunities for the platform.

2026-04-17T04:23:21.441900-07:00
UAV Development & Drone Programs   AI   Military Aircraft Procurement  
Air Data News • Ricardo Meier

US Air Force lets operational crews fly CCA drones in early field exercise

By Air Data News: The U.S. Air Force (USAF) has conducted an exercise in which operational personnel, rather than test pilots, took direct control of a Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) prototype to evaluate how the system could be used in real missions.

Also: The Aviationist
2026-04-17T02:01:02.552594-07:00
Event   Space Force   Europe   Space Policy & International Cooperation   Space Defense & Militarization   Geopolitical Developments & Conflict Impact  
Via Satellite • Rachel Jewett

Space Force, NATO Commanders Share Threat Perspectives

By Via Satellite: New space capability is being actively identified by the U.S. Space Force, which is monitoring and managing threats from adversaries while creating missions to defend assets in this country and around the world.

Also: Washington Times
2026-04-16T18:16:59.084816-07:00
Military Aircraft Procurement   Geopolitical Developments & Conflict Impact   Defense Policy  
DefenseNews.com • Michael Scanlon

Combat search and rescue’s uncertain future: As A-10s phase out, US Air Force faces questions of what comes next

By DefenseNews.com: The U.S. Air Force is moving forward with plans to retire the A-10, which for decades has proven ideally suited for combat search-and-rescue operations.

Also: AirForceTimes and 3 more
2026-04-16T13:40:12.737867-07:00