Aerospace

Indonesia has stepped back from domestic KF-21 fighter manufacturing plans. Procurement attention now shifts toward direct aircraft acquisition, sustainment, and support.

Ellsworth has accepted its first B-21-specific facilities for Raider operations. The completed buildings show how stealth bomber readiness depends on low-observable maintenance, secure fit-out, specialised hangars, and sustainment infrastructure before operational service begins.

Boeing’s St Louis campus will build America’s F-47 fighter fleet. The sixth-generation programme places advanced manufacturing, classified engineering, workforce depth, and long-term supplier capacity at the centre of future US airpower.

Britain’s F-35A decision significantly expands the UK Lightning fleet structure. The purchase adds NATO dual-capable aircraft obligations while creating fresh basing, sustainment, training, security, and support-infrastructure demands around RAF Marham.

GCAP has entered its next major engineering phase under contract. The £4.6bn Edgewing contract will sharpen aircraft definition, testing, digital engineering, manufacturing readiness, and supply-chain structures for the UK, Japan, and Italy’s sixth-generation fighter.

F-35 sustainment is now a sharper industrial capacity problem worldwide. Mission capable rates have declined since 2021, while the programme’s readiness plan depends on additional parts, supplier capacity, and better-aligned contractor incentives.

AEVEX has secured US Air Force backing for strike drones. The $50m award advances production of a long-range platform built for contested, GPS-denied environments and rapid payload reconfiguration.

Kongsberg has secured another major order for Joint Strike Missile. The sixth customer adds fresh pressure to a guided-weapons production chain already serving F-35 operators across Europe, Asia-Pacific, and the US.

Airbus has entered Ukraine’s defence innovation ecosystem directly through Brave1. The partnership links European aerospace expertise with combat-tested technology development, including joint task forces and frontline co-testing through Test in Ukraine.