Military Aircraft Procurement   Defense Budgets & Spending   Defense Policy  
Aviation Week • Steve Trimble

CNO says one F/A-XX bidder can’t meet Navy delivery schedule as Congress positions August selection

U.S. Navy CNO Adm. Daryl Caudle said one of the two companies competing for the F/A-XX carrier stealth fighter lacks capacity to deliver the aircraft on the required schedule. The Navy is aiming to complete the next step in the program by August, after Congress rescued it from budget delays.

Breaking Defense • Valerie Insinna

F/A-XX fighter downselect coming in August: CNO

2026-04-20T08:20:47.941579-07:00
Aircraft Carrier   Military Aircraft Procurement   Missile Systems & Strategic Weapons   Defense Industry & Major Contractors  
DVIDS / U.S. DoD

New JDAM LR capability completes successful demonstration flights; milestone achievement for long-range naval strike

By DVIDS / U.S. DoD: The Navy recently demonstrated the new Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) Long Range (LR) variant in early April, marking a significant milestone in bringing a new option for affordable, producible, standoff strike capability to the Carrier Air Wing.

Also: The Aviationist and AeroTime
2026-04-20T06:11:33.155146-07:00
Defense Industry & Major Contractors   Defense Policy  
DefenseNews.com

DARPA develops synthetic blood for the battlefield | Defense News Weekly Full Episode 4.21.26

By DefenseNews.com: DARPA is overseeing the development of synthetic blood, which could drastically change battlefield medicine. How soon could one see it in their kit?.

Also: AirForceTimes, Military Times and Military Times
2026-04-20T08:42:42.434370-07:00
UAV Development & Drone Programs   AI   Helicopter   Europe   Military Aircraft Procurement   Aircraft Manufacturing (OEMs)   Defense Industry & Major Contractors   Airbus   GKN Aerospace  
Airbus

Airbus and partners sign NH90 Block 2 architecture study contract

By Airbus: The NATO agency in charge of the NH90 programme, NAHEMA, has signed a contract with NHIndustries to launch the NH90 Block 2 architecture study.

Also: Aviation Week, aviation-defence-universe.com, AeroTime, Vertical Mag, Janes and 6 more
2026-04-20T02:45:15.734683-07:00
Helicopter   Military Aircraft Procurement   Aircraft Manufacturing (OEMs)   Defense Industry & Major Contractors  
Vertical Mag • Bell Press Release

Bell: Nacelle improvement elevates V-22 readiness

By Vertical Mag: The first of nine CV-22s with the 20th Special Operations Squadron at Cannon Air Force Base received the NI upgrade in 2021, and the program has produced a 75% reduction in maintenance hours, Bell said.

Also: AeroTime
2026-04-20T06:48:20.675987-07:00
Europe   Military Aircraft Procurement   Aircraft Manufacturing (OEMs)   Defense Industry & Major Contractors   Airbus  
Air Data News • Ricardo Meier

New FCAS talks collapse, casting doubt over Europe’s next-generation fighter program

By Air Data News: Mediation between Airbus and Dassault fails to resolve dispute over sixth-generation system, according Efforts to resolve a dispute between the industrial partners of the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) have failed, raising fresh uncertainty over one of Europe’s most ambitious defense programs.

2026-04-20T05:29:48.136301-07:00