UAV Development & Drone Programs   General Atomics   Military Aircraft Procurement   Defense Industry & Major Contractors   Defense Policy  
Aviation Week • Graham Warwick

DARPA designates LongShot as X‑68A and advances missile‑carrying air‑launched drone toward 2026 flight tests

DARPA has designated its LongShot air‑launched, missile‑carrying uncrewed system as the X‑68A after hitting technical milestones and is moving toward flight testing by the end of 2026. Developed by General Atomics, the X‑68A is intended to extend fighter, bomber and cargo aircraft combat reach while reducing crew vulnerability.

Also: Breaking Defense, defence-industry.eu and defence-blog.com
2026-02-17T06:11:19.361596-08:00
North America   Missile Systems & Strategic Weapons   Defense Budgets & Spending   Defense Industry & Major Contractors   Policy & Regulation   Geopolitical Developments & Conflict Impact   Defense Policy  
Breaking Defense • Michael Marrow

USAF's Sentinel ICBM to clear key milestone this year, expected operational in early 2030s

By Breaking Defense: “We certainly have not lowered the bar, and we certainly have not taken on any risk by doing this,” Air Force Gen. Dale White told Breaking Defense.

Also: Bloomberg, Air & Space Forces Mag, Aviation Week, DVIDS / U.S. DoD, Stars and Stripes, defence-blog.com, interestingengineering.com, news.defcros.com, Defense One, news.ssbcrack.com, Military Times, afmc.af.mil and 5 more
2026-02-17T08:53:48.149477-08:00
Supply Chain   North America   Defense Industry & Major Contractors  
Bloomberg • Anthony Capaccio

Pentagon: RTX Improves but Still Falls Short on Critical Navy Missile Deliveries

By Bloomberg: RTX Corp. has improved its capability to deliver a key missile for the US Navy but the company’s performance remains below expectations, according to a Pentagon assessment that comes after President Donald Trump singled out the defense contractor in a broader assault on the sector.

2026-02-17T13:06:08.858074-08:00
MRO   North America   Military Aircraft Procurement   Aircraft Manufacturing (OEMs)   Defense Industry & Major Contractors   Defense Policy   Boeing   Boeing 757  
CBS News • Eleanor Watson, James LaPorta, Jennifer Jacobs

U.S. Air Force VIP fleet to replace Kennedy-era blue with navy, red and gold, sources say

By CBS News: The Kennedy-era robin's egg blue that's currently on the planes is being updated to navy, red and gold.

Also: The Aviationist, CNN, Flying Magazine, Reuters, AeroTime and The Hill
2026-02-17T11:21:10.672083-08:00
UAV Development & Drone Programs   F-16   Europe   Military Aircraft Procurement   Geopolitical Developments & Conflict Impact   Defense Policy  
AeroTime • Clement Charpentreau

Ukraine denies ‘secret’ international F-16 squadron claim

By AeroTime: Ukrainian Air Force spokesperson Yuriy Ignat has dismissed a report that US and Dutch pilots are flying Ukrainian F-16s over Kyiv, citing lack of evidence.

Also: pravda.com.ua, defensemirror.com, defence-industry.eu, prm.ua, Defence24 and 3 more
2026-02-17T07:50:02.809275-08:00
UAV Development & Drone Programs   AI   Supply Chain   Military Aircraft Procurement   Defense Industry & Major Contractors  
AeroTime • Stephen Pope

Venom autonomous strike aircraft completes first flight after 71-day design-to-flight build

By AeroTime: Divergent Technologies and Mach Industries say they designed, built, and flew the Venom autonomous strike aircraft in 71 days, continuing a shift toward rapid defense manufacturing.

2026-02-17T08:54:12.058579-08:00