All Analysis articles – Page 4
-
AnalysisBell secures Osprey production though 2027, spanning gap until FLRAA work begins
The rotorcraft manufacturer confirms that an order from the US Navy for five CMV-22 Osprey variants will sustain the Amarillo, Texas production line through 2027, around the same time work on the US Army’s next-generation tiltrotor is expected to ramp-up at the site.
-
AnalysisDorsal intake, delta wings, and stealth: what we know about China’s J-36
China continues its work with high profile aircraft designs, as the so-called J-36 “sixth-generation” fighter continues to mount sorties in the skies above Chengdu.
-
AnalysisNorthrop losses on B-21 climb to $2bn as company seeks to ‘accelerate’ production
The defence manufacturer says the loss results from changes made to its B-21 manufacturing process aimed at achieving “accelerated production rates” on the next-generation stealth bomber.
-
AnalysisCommercial satellite operator Maxar offering GPS-denied navigation solution
Amid rising concern about the vulnerability of GPS navigation signals to jamming — based on observations from Ukraine and the Middle East — Maxar has developed an airborne navigation tool that does not rely on GPS.
-
AnalysisTrump Administration takes aim at reforming sluggish arms export system
The creaking bureaucracy associated with the USA’s Foreign Military Sales system has long been the subject of criticism from Pentagon leaders and defence industry executives.
-
AnalysisBecause Boeing and China need each other, tariff delivery disruption might not last
Aerospace analysts suspect China and the USA will negotiate a solution to ensure new tariffs do not keep Chinese airlines from continuing to receive new Boeing jets.
-
AnalysisIndonesia’s Kaan interest no Turkish delight for KF-21
Jakarta’s open interest in Turkish Aerospace’s developmental Kaan fighter further muddies Indonesia’s already murky plans for new fighters.
-
Analysis‘No one knows’: Aerospace firms scramble to understand tariff implications
It is clear that aerospace analysts, manufacturers and maintenance companies have little clarity about the specific impact of new tariffs on their operations and the broader sector – other than a widely held conviction that tariffs are bad for business.
-
AnalysisCirrus looks to Europe
With the region representing only a tenth of Cirrus Aircraft’s global sales – including just 40 or so of roughly 600 single-engine Vision Jets operating worldwide – Europe offers plenty potential for the Minnesota-based manufacturer. The Aero regular is back in Friedrichshafen, displaying its piston-single SR22 as well as the Vision Jet.
-
AnalysisTaxi light: German company aims to become Europe’s first AOC-holding on-demand charter service operating twin pistons
Peter Knappertsbusch is determined not to repeat mistakes of the past with his planned European venture, Air Taxi Express. A host of other charter start-ups – going back to the very light jet bubble two decades ago – have foundered because they have opted for platforms that are too expensive, he believes.
-
AnalysisTowards a new ERA: Why Aura has taken a staged approach to bringing its electric aircraft to market
French advanced air mobility start-up Aura, which is exhibiting at Aero Friedrichshafen this week, has taken a rather different route to market to many of its competitors. The Toulouse-based company’s flagship in-gestation product is the 19-seat hybrid Electric Regional Aircraft, or ERA, which it hopes to fly by early 2027. In the meantime, it has been developing rather more conventional aircraft.
-
AnalysisRecaro on a roll as it targets business class leadership, but sluggish supply chain slows revenue recovery
As Recaro Aircraft Seating arrives at AIX, its financial performance reflects the almost contradictory challenges facing leading interiors suppliers three years after the pandemic ended. On the one hand, the German manufacturer’s latest results show a record orderbook worth more than €2 billion ($2.19 billion). Sales in 2024 saw double-digit growth.
-
AnalysisLeonardo pitches M-346 as GCAP trainer, as Block 20 update advances
Leonardo has outlined its ambition for the M-346 to evolve into a common training platform for Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) partners Italy, Japan and the UK, as it advances work on a major Block 20 upgrade for the in-service type.
-
AnalysisUSAF need fuels Embraer’s ambition with KC-390 Agile Tanker
Embraer believes its KC-390 is well positioned to enter the US Air Force’s (USAF’s) future inventory in a proposed “Agile Tanker” guise, despite walking away from a partnership with a US-based potential prime.
-
AnalysisRAAF to deliver options for fielding uncrewed fighters by year’s end
The service’s head of capabilities says that by the end of 2025 the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) aims to provide the Australian government with options for procuring a future fleet of uncrewed fighter aircraft, with the indigenously developed Boeing MQ-28 Ghost Bat being a strong contender.
-
AnalysisWashington moves to deepen industrial ties with Australia amid regional tensions
Under an initiative dubbed the Regional Sustainment Framework, the Pentagon aims to push certain maintenance, repair and overhaul functions forward to overseas partners around the Indo-Pacific, with Australia as the initial target.
-
AnalysisAllies suggest passing on F-35 acquisitions amid questions of US reliability
Defence ministers from Portugal and Canada now say they must consider alternatives to the US-made Lockheed Martin F-35 stealth fighter for their fleet modernisation efforts, in light of recent comments from Washington about support for NATO and rhetoric toward allies.
-
AnalysisAustralia’s AAM adventure: how the nation is leading the way in disruptive air travel
Australia’s unique geography of sprawling coastal cities and remote outback communities make it an ideal testbed for advanced air mobility (AAM).
-
AnalysisUS airlines and aerospace groups push back against tariffs, brace for impact
A broad coalition of US aviation groups are urging the Trump administration to exempt the aerospace industry from stiff new import tariffs.
-
AnalysisOrtberg’s engineering focus shows signs of shifting Boeing
On 20 February, Boeing chief executive Kelly Ortberg told investors and the company’s vast network of suppliers exactly what they wanted to hear: “Supply chain on the 737 is in good shape… I feel like we are headed in the right direction.”