Steve Trimble

1 week ago | aviationweek.com | Robert Wall |Brian Everstine |Steve Trimble

Robert Wall is Executive Editor for Defense and Space. Based in London, he directs a team of military and space journalists across the U.S., Europe and Asia-Pacific.

1 week ago | aviationweek.com | Steve Trimble

LE BOURGET—Boeing Defense and Space CEO Steve Parker defended the U.S. defense industry’s ability to launch development of a second sixth-generation fighter in a June 16 news conference, contradicting concerns voiced June 12 by the Navy’s leader. Navy Secretary John Phelan halted a planned F/A-XX contract award to Boeing or Northrop Grumman in April, and told lawmakers days ago that the decision is pending a review of the defense industry’s capacity to keep up with the new work.

1 week ago | aviationweek.com | Robert Wall |Steve Trimble

LE BOURGET—A day after the Israeli government gave the green light for its industry to participate in the Paris Air Show, the companies have pulled out, objecting to French limits placed on their exhibitions. “Last night, after our booth was set up and ready for the show, we were asked to remove some of our systems from the booth,” Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) CEO Boaz Levy said in a June 16 statement.

1 week ago | aviationweek.com | Steve Trimble

PARIS—Airborne early warning (AEW) could soon be a new mission for the General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. (GA-ASI) MQ-9B. The medium-altitude long-endurance uncrewed aircraft system (UAS) will start flight tests next year with a pair of AEW pods provided by Swedish company Saab, GA-ASI says. The pods—which will be available for the SeaGuardian, SkyGuardian and short takeoff and landing models—operate in a frequency band optimized for AEW, a GA-ASI spokesman says.

1 week ago | aviationweek.com | Steve Trimble

PARIS—Kratos will assemble a new family of low-cost turbofan engines for uncrewed aircraft systems and cruise missiles in Bristow, Oklahoma, a company executive announced June 15 on the eve of the Paris Air Show. The 50,000-ft.2 facility will open in 2026 with two assembly lines for the GEK800 and GEK1500, two engines developed over the last decade by Kratos Turbine Technology (KTT) and since 2023 with GE Aerospace.