Aerospace

The UK has selected four industry teams for the next Project NYX phase. The programme will test how autonomous aircraft can extend Apache missions while creating new demand for sensors, payloads, autonomy software, and airframe integration.

Terra Drone has secured its first domestic defence UAV order. The ATLA contract gives Japan’s drone sector a production foothold as Tokyo expands unmanned systems procurement and pushes more capability through domestic supply chains.

AEVEX has secured an $18.5m U.S. Air Force contract for autonomous aircraft for one-way attack missions, adding production momentum to additive-manufactured Group 3 UAS designed for rapid fielding and scalable output.

Flying Wedge Defence & Aerospace will manufacture its Kaal Bhairava autonomous combat aircraft in Portugal, giving the Indian-designed platform an overseas production route and a stronger position in Europe’s fast-moving autonomous systems market.

GMR Aero Technic will carry out Phase-56 heavy maintenance checks for India’s P-8I fleet in Hyderabad, strengthening domestic defence MRO capability for one of the Indian Navy’s most complex maritime patrol aircraft.

A $2.7bn US Army award will move Leidos’ Thermal Protection Shield and Common Hypersonic Glide Body work beyond prototyping, making production reliability the next test for Dark Eagle and Navy CPS.

The US has set framework agreements for more than 10,000 low-cost containerised cruise missiles from 2027, putting production rate, fixed pricing, and supplier capacity at the centre of strike procurement.

Rotron’s SkyLance firing validates a UK-developed long-range one-way effector, pairing proprietary propulsion with autonomous operation as the company moves toward higher-volume production under Ondas ownership.

GE’s XA102 review shifts adaptive propulsion toward demonstrator production, validating design, manufacturing processes, supply-chain readiness, and digital engineering work under the U.S. Air Force Next Generation Adaptive Propulsion programme.