The US Army is preparing to modernise its rotary-wing pilot training pipeline, and the aircraft selected to play a central role is perhaps not the helicopter many observers would have expected. Robinson Helicopter Company’s R66 has been selected as the training platform proposed by M1 Support Services (M1), following a four-phase evaluation under the US Army’s Flight School Next (FSN) initiative. The Army has announced its intent to award the Flight School Next contract to M1

India’s AMCA programme has entered a significantly more serious phase during 2026. What was once largely a long-term design exercise is now becoming an industrial programme, with the Indian Ministry of Defence inviting bids for the development and manufacture of five flying prototypes and a structural test specimen. The development programme carries an approved investment envelope of approximately ₹15,000 crore, making AMCA one of India’s most ambitious indigenous aerospace p

The idea of an artificial intelligence system controlling a fighter aircraft in combat once belonged firmly in the realm of science fiction. Today, it is becoming an increasingly practical engineering challenge, and one that the aerospace and defence industry is tackling at remarkable speed. In the latest demonstration, Lockheed Martin Skunk Works®, working with the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School (TPS) and industry partners, has taken another significant step towards autono

Two of the aerospace industry's fastest-growing innovators have joined forces to unveil an ambitious new vertical lift platform that aims to bridge the gap between commercial aviation and modern military operations. At the 2026 Farnborough International Airshow, Anduril Industries and Archer Aviation introduced a jointly developed autonomous hybrid-electric vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft platform designed to support a wide range of civilian and defence missions

The Armed Forces of Malta (AFM) will strengthen its maritime surveillance capability with the addition of a new Beechcraft King Air 360ER, following its delivery by Textron Aviation during the Farnborough International Airshow. The aircraft will expand Malta's existing King Air fleet while maintaining commonality with its current maritime patrol assets. The factory-new extended-range turboprop has been delivered to German mission systems specialist Aerodata AG, where it will

As modern battlefields continue to evolve, one of the greatest challenges facing military planners is how to defeat a weapon that is both inexpensive to build and costly to intercept. Airbus Defence and Space believes it has found part of the answer with its latest development, the Bird of Prey, a reusable uncrewed interceptor designed specifically to hunt and destroy one-way attack drones. The rapid proliferation of one-way attack drones, often referred to as Suicide drones

The Boeing MQ-28 Ghost Bat has reached another significant milestone in its development, becoming the first collaborative combat aircraft (CCA) to participate in the multinational Exercise Valiant Shield 2026, providing valuable insight into how autonomous aircraft could operate alongside crewed fighters in future coalition operations. Held across the Western Pacific in June, the biennial exercise brought together forces from the United States and allied nations to refine joi

NATO has taken a major step toward modernising its airborne surveillance capability by selecting Saab's GlobalEye as its preferred Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) platform. During the NATO Summit in Ankara, Türkiye, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte announced that the Alliance will begin formal negotiations with Swedish defence and aerospace company Saab for the potential acquisition of up to ten GlobalEye aircraft. While the announcement represents a significant m

By Garth Calitz The United States Air Force has officially commenced the operational preparation phase at Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota to serve as the aircraft's first permanent operating base for the next-generation B-21 Raider stealth bomber. The development marks a significant step in one of the U.S. Air Force's largest modernisation programmes, as the service prepares to transition from the long-serving B-1B Lancer and B-2 Spirit to the sixth-generation B-21 R

Swedish aerospace and defence company Saab has signed a contract with the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) for the acquisition of 16 Gripen E multirole fighter aircraft that will be provided to Ukraine as part of Sweden's long-term military assistance programme. The contract is valued at approximately $2.55 billion and will be recorded in Saab's order book during the third quarter of 2026. Deliveries to FMV are scheduled for 2029 and 2030. In addition to the airc