Our final issue of the year includes FlightGlobal’s annual World Air Forces review. Produced in association with Embraer and data partner Cirium, the full report – which will be available for download soon – details more than 53,200 military aircraft in active use with 161 nations.
In the news this time, the Eurofighter consortium received a pair of orders, from partner nation Germany and new buyer Turkey, and Ukraine announced interest in making major purchases of Saab Gripen E combat aircraft and Bell AH-1Z and UH-1Y helicopters.
Boeing had another schedule setback with the delayed 777-9, which detracted from an otherwise encouraging business performance and increased delivery figures for the first nine months of the year.
Plus: Airbus sees growing freight-sector interest in its developmental A350F; German company Helsing unveils its Grob Aircraft-built CA-1 Europa unmanned combat air vehicle; and we review the NBAA-BACE show in Las Vegas, where we caught up with the major players in business aviation.
Our Dubai air show preview looks at the UAE’s fast-approaching airport transformation programme, and increased activity leading to the introduction of urban air mobility services. And with an eye on environment and sustainability, we review ICAO’s latest gathering, where ‘unprecedented unity’ was not matched by fresh concrete steps to address climate change.
Use the links below to access our latest issue’s content in web-optimised format, and subscribers can view our “page-turner” digital replica of the magazine and download a pdf version at the foot of the page. Subscribers can also access our archived issues by clicking on the filing cabinet drawer symbol next to the search icon.
Turkey has agreed to purchase 20 Eurofighter Typhoon fighters in a £5.4 billion deal that will extend production at UK manufacturing sites into the 2030s.
Boeing has pushed back market entry of its 777-9 widebody to 2027, taking a $4.9 billion programme charge that contributed to a $5.3 billion third-quarter loss.
Ukraine has announced its interest in making a possible major acquisition of Saab Gripen E fighters, with a letter of intent having been signed with the Swedish government on 22 October.
NH Industries is on track to deliver the German navy’s first Sea Tiger-variant example of the NH90 helicopter before year-end.
Two recent Asia-Pacific agreements for the Airbus A350 freighter have reinforced Airbus’s confidence in the aircraft’s long-term prospects, despite the substantial turmoil endured by global trade in a year which has virtually been defined by escalating tariffs, retaliation, and geopolitical tension.
Autonomy start-up Shield AI has expanded into jet-powered aircraft with the X-BAT, a vertical take-off and landing fighter platform offering 2,000nm range and 50,000ft operating altitude without pilot input.
Helsing has unveiled the first product since it purchased military trainer specialist Grob Aircraft earlier this year – an all-European unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV).
Honeywell is as American as apple pie but, thanks to its growth in the Czech Republic, is also increasingly European, so much so that it can now access EU funding for a variety of defence and commericial aerospace research projects.
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A project to create the world’s largest airport in the Dubai desert has been two decades in the making – and soon Emirates and its fellow airlines must relocate from the city to Al Maktoum International.
Archer and Joby are leading efforts to establish passenger urban air mobility networks in the UAE, with both US developers targeting a start for operational services next year.
If the recent ICAO Assembly resulted in little by way of concrete new sustainability developments, it did provide reminders of political thinking, ongoing challenges and potential battlegrounds ahead.
Becoming a jet-setting aviation professional was never one of Julie Black’s childhood career goals. However, by her 20s she was travelling the world with rock stars supporting tours for a specialist charter brokerage.
The lighter side of Flight International.
Having already secured Lockheed Martin F-16s from European allies, Ukraine’s leader now wants to buy up to 150 new Gripen E fighters, along with US-produced attack and utility helicopters.
