Military Aircraft Procurement   Aircraft Manufacturing (OEMs)   Aviation Safety & Regulation   Defense Industry & Major Contractors   Boeing  
defence-industry.eu • Martin Chomsky Air

USAF clears T-7A Red Hawk for low-rate initial production and awards Boeing $219M contract for first 14 trainers

After Milestone C approval on April 23, the U.S. Air Force has authorized T-7A Red Hawk for production and entered low-rate initial production with Boeing. The service awarded a $219 million contract for the first 14 two-seat jet trainers that will support pilot conversion from the T-38 Talon.

DefenseNews.com • Michael Scanlon

Air Force clears T-7A Red Hawk for low-rate production

Aviation Week • Steve Trimble

New U.S. Trainer Approved For Low-Rate Production

Also: Stars and Stripes and 3 more
2026-05-04T16:10:58.451980-07:00
Satellite   Commercial Space   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.

Also: SpaceNews.com, Breaking Defense and newspaceeconomy.ca
2026-05-04T16:10:27.183632-07:00
Middle East   Helicopter   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, al-monitor.com and tass.com
2026-05-04T11:12:13.238067-07:00
Supply Chain   Military Aircraft Procurement   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: Aviation Week, Air & Space Forces Mag, Defense One, Defense Daily, insidedefense.com and defcrosnews.com
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
Event   UAV Development & Drone Programs   Middle East   Europe   Defense Industry & Major Contractors   Bayraktar  
Breaking Defense • Agnes Helou

'Millions of drones': What to expect from Turkey's SAHA 2026 defense expo

By Breaking Defense: "SAHA has evolved from a national showcase into a genuine global meeting point for the defense and aerospace industry, and the 2026 edition will reflect this maturity," one expert said.

Also: Daily Sabah and defensehere.com
2026-05-04T09:38:52.646810-07:00