Connecting Skies • Bridging Continents
SpaceX is targeting as early as next week for the thirteenth flight test of Starship, with a 90-minute launch window opening at 5:45pm CT. The mission will aim to deploy 20 Starlink V3 satellites for the first time, test hardware and software modifications to improve the Super Heavy booster’s re-light reliability, and continue iteration on […]
Texas A&M Forest Service has ordered two SUBARU Bell 412EPX helicopters in a master purchasing agreement that includes options for additional aircraft, marking the first Bell aircraft to enter the agency’s fleet and the first step in developing a state-managed wildfire aviation capability for Texas. MASTER AGREEMENT CREATES FOUNDATION FOR EXPANDED STATE AVIATION CAPABILITY
Rolls-Royce, Boeing and Lufthansa have commenced flight testing of two fuel efficiency and noise reduction technologies on Boeing’s 2026 ecoDemonstrator Explorer — a Boeing 787-9 fitted with Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines — as part of Phase III of the FAA’s CLEEN programme, with testing running from Glasgow, Montana, through mid-August 2026. NEXT GENERATION INLET AND
Basra Airlines, Iraq’s newest private carrier, which commenced commercial operations in April 2026, has selected Maureva’s EDGAR Managed Services platform to manage its revenue accounting operations, providing financial discipline and scalable processes as the Baghdad-based airline begins expanding its network. REVENUE ACCOUNTING PARTNERSHIP SUPPORTS BASRA AIRLINES FROM THE GROUND UP Basra Airlines, Iraq’s newest
Regional aircraft lessor TrueNoord is celebrating its tenth anniversary having exceeded every major objective set at its founding, with a fleet of more than 100 aircraft, the arrival of Arcus Infrastructure Partners as lead investor alongside Freshstream, and the placement of its first-ever direct OEM order — 20 factory-new Embraer E195-E2 aircraft. A DECADE OF
The Government of Nova Scotia has placed four new Airbus H125 helicopters into service for wildfire suppression, search and rescue, emergency transport and aerial surveillance, with each aircraft named through a public competition that drew nearly 10,000 suggestions and concluded with the four ‘Spirit of the’ names going to a province-wide vote. SPIRIT OF THE
South Africa’s Competition Commission has recommended that the Competition Tribunal approve the proposed acquisition of Safair Holdings — the entity that controls FlySafair — by Harith Aviation, subject to conditions addressing information exchange and non-discriminatory access to services at Lanseria Airport, as the transaction moves to address South African airline ownership regulations. COMMISSION CLEARS ACQUISITION
BETA Technologies and United Therapeutics Corporation, in partnership with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, have conducted a multi-stage organ transport mission across Virginia and Maryland using BETA’s ALIA electric aircraft — the first such demonstration under the FAA’s eVTOL Integration Pilot Programme and a significant validation of the technology’s medical application potential. ALIA AIRCRAFT TRANSPORTS
South Korea’s KF-21 Boramae fighter has entered mass production following a rollout ceremony attended by President Lee Jae Myung in March 2026, with GE Aerospace’s F414 engine providing the propulsion at the heart of the programme and Hanwha Aerospace building local assembly and support capability alongside its global partner. KF-21 ROLLOUT MARKS A COMING-OF-AGE MOMENT
A twelve-month drone demonstration project in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula has completed its live flight phase, validating integrated UTM and Counter-UAS digital services for commercial and public safety BVLOS operations adjacent to the US-Canada border and within one of the United States’ most complex and regulated flight environments. FIRST UNIFIED DIGITAL AIRSPACE DEMONSTRATION NEAR AN INTERNATIONAL
