By Garth Calitz Airbus has officially put its newest freighter into the air, with the first A350F completing its maiden flight from Toulouse on 29 September 2026. It is a significant moment not only for Airbus but for the entire heavy air-cargo market, where Boeing has enjoyed something approaching squatter’s rights for decades. The 747 Freighter became an icon, the 777F has been enormously successful, and Airbus has never really managed to loosen Boeing’s grip on the upper e

By Garth Calitz Nothing sticks — not controversy, not court cases, not government investigations. Apparently, not even R85 million. There are companies that occasionally have a bad experience with a government tender. There are companies that have an unfortunate contract dispute. There are companies that discover, usually to their considerable annoyance, that regulators actually read the paperwork. And then there is Flyfofa. We have all heard some details about the many isola

By Pieter van der Sandt South Africa has one of Africa's richest aviation histories: a story of pioneering flights, wartime courage, ingenuity, and an enduring fascination with flight. It survives in museum aircraft and private hangars, but also in fading photographs, logbooks, letters and personal memories. Too much of that history, however, remains scattered and vulnerable. Important collections are often held privately and known only to a small circle of enthusiasts. When

Embraer’s C-390 Millennium has added another flag to its growing list of international operators, with Uzbekistan taking delivery of its first aircraft on 25 September. The handover, conducted at Embraer’s facility in Gavião Peixoto, Brazil, makes Uzbekistan the first C-390 operator in Central Asia and represents another significant step in the Brazilian manufacturer’s increasingly successful assault on the medium military transport market. The aircraft was formally handed ov

By Garth Calitz Aviation has produced plenty of aircraft that found themselves doing jobs they were never originally designed for. Agricultural aircraft became fire bombers, military transports became firefighting tankers and even airliners have occasionally found themselves converted into rather enormous flying buckets. Now, Game Aerospace is trying something different: build an aircraft specifically for fighting fires from the drawing board. The company's GB2 Stormbird comp

There is a slightly strange thing happening in South African aviation. The country's major airports are now handling almost as many passengers as they did before COVID-19 brought the aviation industry to its knees, yet there are fewer aircraft movements taking place. In other words, the passengers have largely come back, but quite a few of the aeroplanes haven't. According to Airports Company South Africa's latest figures for the financial year ending 31 March 2026, passenger

By Garth Calitz Swedish company unveils 36-seat hybrid-electric regional aircraft as JSX commits to up to 100 aircraft. The regional airliner may be about to get an electrical makeover. Swedish aerospace company Heart Aerospace has unveiled its new ES-36, a 36-seat hybrid-electric regional aircraft that represents a substantial redesign of the company's earlier ES-30 concept. At the same time, US regional carrier JSX has signed a deposit-backed agreement for 50 aircraft, with

South Korea has taken a major step into the increasingly crowded world of indigenous fighter-aircraft development, with the Republic of Korea Air Force formally receiving its first production KF-21 Boramae on 22 September. The aircraft, serial 26-001, was accepted from Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) at its Sacheon facility before being flown to Yecheon Air Base, marking the beginning of a new chapter for a programme that has taken more than a decade to reach this point. The

By Garth Calitz Photos by Esias Riekert, Trevor Cohen and Rayno Snyman For two days, AFB Waterkloof once again became the centre of the South African aviation universe as Africa Aerospace and Defence (AAD) 2026 opened its gates to the public for the biennial airshow. After three days focused on the defence industry, aerospace technology, business and government delegations, Saturday and Sunday belonged to the enthusiasts. While the aircraft and military hardware were undoubt

By Garth Calitz South African Airways has been handed another uncomfortable reminder that decisions made years ago have a rather irritating habit of coming back to collect the bill. The Special Tribunal has declared unlawful SAA’s decision to extend an approximately R85 million dry-lease agreement with local aviation company Flyfofa Airways, ordering that any profit or unjustified enrichment arising from the arrangement be recovered, together with interest. The case is partic

By Garth Calitz South African aviation professionals and passengers have become accustomed to the occasional air traffic control system issue, technical glitch or infrastructure-related operational surprise; there is something strangely reassuring about discovering that it is not only happening here. The UK's aviation system has just provided its own reminder that even countries with considerably deeper pockets, sophisticated infrastructure and an air traffic management syste

By Garth Calitz There are many ways to ground an airline. Discover that its aircraft are unsafe, run out of money, loses the necessary certificates, closes the airport or, if you happen to be Trump, threatens virtually everyone who supplies the airline with the things it needs to keep flying. The United States has chosen the latter. From 23 September 2026, Washington is threatening to effectively isolate Iranian airlines from much of the international aviation system by targe

Dassault Aviation has taken another step towards integrating artificial intelligence into the fighter cockpit, flight-testing two sovereign AI algorithms aboard a Rafale as France develops increasingly capable combat systems designed to support, rather than replace, the human operator. Dassault Aviation has flight-tested two new artificial intelligence algorithms aboard a Rafale fighter, marking a significant step in the French manufacturer's programme to introduce sovereign

By Garth Calitz Textron Aviation has marked the rollout of the 500th Cessna Citation Latitude, just over a decade after the midsize business jet entered service. The milestone was celebrated by production employees at Textron Aviation’s Wichita facility, highlighting the aircraft’s sustained position within the company’s business jet portfolio. The Citation Latitude entered service in August 2015 and quickly became one of Textron Aviation’s best-selling business jets. The air

South Africa’s aerospace industry has taken another step towards expanding its local design and certification capability with the unveiling of Peregrine Aerospace, a new partnership between Henley Air, Jonker Sailplanes and On Track Technologies. The initiative was announced at the Aerospace Industry Support Initiative (AISI) 20-Year Commemoration at Waterkloof Air Force Base, bringing together Henley Air’s rotorcraft operations and maintenance expertise, Jonker Sailplanes’ a

By Garth Calitz Despite the presence of cutting-edge technology at AAD 2026, including autonomous aircraft, advanced unmanned systems, and next-generation weapons and sensors, one of the exhibition's oldest attractions, the Mini War, still captivates the audience. The battlefield demonstration once again will bring together ground troops, armour, artillery and aviation assets in a fast-moving display designed to demonstrate how the South African National Defence Force can com

By Garth Calitz Airbus Helicopters and Denel Aerospace have used AAD 2026 to formalise a partnership aimed at strengthening South Africa’s ability to support and sustain the South African Air Force’s helicopter fleet. The two companies signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at AAD 2026, establishing a long-term framework for industrial cooperation that could see greater maintenance, engineering and technical capability anchored in South Africa. At its core, the agreement

Paramount has unveiled its new V-Raven reusable vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) unmanned aircraft at AAD 2026, presenting a system designed to provide persistent intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR), with a development pathway towards light attack. Previously known as the N-Raven, the programme has evolved significantly. Paramount has moved away from the original catapult-launched concept to a returnable VTOL aircraft family that can operate from dispersed

By Garth Calitz AAD 2026 has put the Centurion Aerospace Village (CAV) firmly back in the spotlight and potentially provided the catalyst for turning a long-standing industrial concept into a significant aerospace and defence manufacturing cluster. CAV is now seeking a strategic partner to accelerate the expansion of the development, located alongside Waterkloof Air Force Base in Centurion. The timing could hardly be more appropriate. Across the AAD exhibition, South African

By Garth Calitz Space is no longer simply the domain of superpowers and science-fiction enthusiasts. It is becoming a strategic military and commercial environment, and Africa is being forced to decide whether it will participate or simply pay the subscription fee. That was the focus of a panel discussion at the AAD 2026 Conference in Pretoria, titled “Space as a Strategic Domain: How Africa Can Secure, Commercialise and Compete in the New Space Race.” The session formed part

Africa Aerospace and Defence 2026 remains a major international defence exhibition, with companies and official delegations from around the world represented at Air Force Base Waterkloof. But for those who came to see aircraft, there is a noticeable difference this year. Foreign aircraft participation, both on the static ramp and in the air, is considerably lighter than at previous editions of AAD. There are still some welcome international visitors. An Angolan Air Force C-29

By Garth Calitz AAD 2026 day one is done and dusted and if the opening address by Defence and Military Veterans Minister Angie Motshekga is anything to go by, South Africa is about to become an aerospace and defence industrial powerhouse... Again. The 13th Africa Aerospace and Defence Exhibition opened at Air Force Base Waterkloof on 16 September with all the familiar ingredients: sovereignty, localisation, industrialisation, innovation, skills development, job creation, expo

By Garth Calitz There was a time when military aviation was fairly straightforward. You had an aircraft, a pilot, some weapons, a radar and, if things went particularly badly, a very expensive meeting afterwards. Those days are disappearing rapidly. One of the most obvious trends at Africa Aerospace and Defence 2026 is the sheer prevalence of unmanned systems. What was once regarded as a specialist niche populated largely by remotely piloted surveillance aircraft has evolved

By Garth Calitz Airbus and Johannesburg-based ALT Academy have signed an MoU at the Africa Aerospace and Defence (AAD) 2026 exhibition at AFB Waterkloof, establishing a framework for cooperation in aircraft maintenance training. The agreement is aimed at addressing the growing demand for appropriately trained aviation maintenance personnel as African airlines expand their fleets and introduce increasingly sophisticated aircraft and systems. Under the MoU, Airbus and ALT Acade