Aviation Week & Space Technology

Pursuit of international sales pits U.S. missile manufacturers against their European rivals, but it is not always a two-way fight—or a definite victory.

Countering UAS, beating brownout, robotic copilots, communication by laser, and building-block satellites are among advances that could make the news in 2016 and beyond.

Will it or won’t it? Odds are favorable that Congress won’t change the basic structure of the FAA with next year’s reauthorization, but privatization will eventually arrive.

At least some of the improvements for the T-50 that KAI is developing for the T-X program, notably the inflight-refueling module, should become lasting assets for KAI, and not just for the trainer version of the type.

A320neo and C Series enter service; F-35A goes operational, JAS 39E flies; emissions measures and tracking mandates for aviation; contract protests and consolidation pressures; unmanned aircraft and suborbital spaceplanes—things will come in pairs in 2016.

A refugee crisis, the threat of terrorism and a militant Russia with anti-NATO rhetoric continue to dominate the strategic picture for European nations.

Evolving new technologies expected to usher in big changes for commercial aviation systems and aircraft.

Development programs for new fighters focus on stealth, while legacy fighters struggle to keep production lines open.

Lockheed Martin, Raytheon stand to benefit as worldwide demand for missile defense systems continues to grow.

With predictions of a slight reversal in 2016 and a return to slow growth in 2018, the business aircraft industry puts its bets on sustained demand for larger, faster, farther-flying jets.

Peruse every issue of Aviation Week, from 1916 to 2016, in our new digital archive, and help us celebrate Aviation Week’s 100th birthday.

SpaceX is celebrating the first successful touchdown on land of an orbital-class booster, the first step toward a potential paradigm shift in easing human access to space.

Aviation Week’s list of avionics companies and MRO services that help companies prepare for the FAA’s 2020 ADS-B Out mandate.

Today, small satellites must hitch a ride into orbit, but an array of small-payload vehicles are under development that promise low-cost, quick-response launches of spacecraft as slight as cubesat-size.

With deployments in Afghanistan, Mali and northern Iraq, Germany is increasing its defense budget beyond original plans, with new weapons systems accounting for much of the rise.

Budget cuts amid political and economic instability in Brazil is forcing rethinking of major defense projects.

See the projected MRO spending in 2016 in each region and other details from the forecast.

Pros and cons of registering “drones,” reactions to Person of the Year choice

Air cargo continues to battle weak yields and overcapacity as multi-modal transport gains traction.

Commercial lows and military highs help define a challenging time for the rotorcraft industry.

To counter distant threats, Israel has reinforced its “long arm”—first established to deter missile attacks—enabling the military to operate thousands of miles from Israel’s borders.

Russia’s upgrade of military capabilities continues, though economic problems are weighing on the defense budget and forcing hard choices to be made.

With airlines set to modernize their fleets in the coming years in a big way, MROs will need to ramp up their services on a number of fronts.

Jan. 4-8—AAIA/ASCE/AHS/ASC Structures, Structural Dynamics and Materials Conference. Manchester Grand Hyatt. San Diego. See aiaa-scitech.org/SDM Feb. 2-4—The Unmanned Systems Conference and Exposition. World Forum. The Hague, Netherlands. See tusexpo.com