Ye-166: The Soviet Speed Record Jet That Never Existed
Share this story On 7 July 1962, Georgy Mosolov flew a sleek Soviet delta-winged jet down a measured course twice, once in each direction, and averaged 2,681 kilometres per hour. That made it the fastest aircraft in the world. The paperwork sent to the Fédération...
Lockheed CL-400 Suntan: Kelly Johnson’s Hydrogen-Fuelled Spy Plane
Share this story In January 1956, Kelly Johnson walked into the Pentagon with an offer the Air Force could not refuse. The man who had just built the U-2 proposed a successor that would cruise at Mach 2.5 and nearly 100,000 feet, and he promised the first of two...
KLM Starlink Wi-Fi: Free Internet on Long-Haul Flights From 2027
Share this story KLM celebrated its 107th birthday with a present for its long-haul passengers. On 8 October 2026, the Dutch airline announced free, high-speed Wi-Fi powered by Starlink on its intercontinental flights, in every cabin, starting in mid-2027. The catch...
KF-16 Counterfeit Parts: Korea Charges Five Over 12.8 Billion Won Fraud
Share this story The part cost about 1.2 million won to make, roughly 900 US dollars. By the time it reached a South Korean KF-16, it was being billed as a genuine American component at around 100 million won. According to South Korean prosecutors, that markup ran for...
Kawasaki Next-Generation Trainer: An AI Instructor to Replace the T-4
Share this story Japan’s next jet trainer may come with an instructor who is not in the cockpit at all. In an investor presentation dated 6 October 2026, Kawasaki Heavy Industries showed a concept for a next-generation trainer aircraft, built around an AI...
Gripen E Engine: Saab and GKN Deepen Work as Sweden Builds Know-How
Share this story The Gripen E is a Swedish fighter with an American heart. Its engine is a General Electric F414, the same family that powers the Super Hornet. On 8 October 2026, Saab and GKN Aerospace signed an agreement that gives Sweden a bigger hand in looking...
Biman Bangladesh Orders Airbus A350s and A321neos After Boeing Deal
Share this story Since 2016, every jet in Biman Bangladesh Airlines’ fleet has been a Boeing. On 7 October 2026, that changed. Bangladesh’s flag carrier signed a firm order with Airbus for ten aircraft: four A350-900 widebodies and six A321neo...
Cold Lake F-35 Base: Canada Puts $4 Billion Into Its Fighter Hub
Share this story Canada has ordered only 16 F-35s so far, and it still has not decided whether it will buy the rest. It is, however, building the house for them. On 7 October 2026, Defence Minister David McGuinty announced nearly $4 billion for fighter capabilities at...
F-35 Parts in China: A Missed UPS Email Sent Them via Hong Kong
Share this story Somewhere in a freight system, an email arrived that said, in effect: do not send this box through Hong Kong. Nobody at the other end read it. The box contained a cockpit canopy and a weapons-bay door from an F-35 Lightning II, and it went through...
Brazil-Built Gripen E Flies: Embraer’s First F-39 Takes Off
Share this story At 10:21 on Tuesday morning, according to Air Data News, a single-engine fighter with the number 4109 on its tail rolled down the runway at Gavião Peixoto, in the interior of São Paulo state, and climbed away. On the face of it, it was a routine first...
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