Aviation Week editors provide context and insights into Finland’s decision to buy the F-35, the UAE’s deal for 80 Rafales and Canada’s looming fighter decision and look ahead at what’s next for the market.

Listen in as Scott Thompson, PwC’s Global Aerospace and Defense Leader, delves into key drivers in commercial aviation, defense, and space

Results of the latest Accenture Commercial Aerospace Insight Report, first released to Aviation Week, point to a new low in supplier confidence after the double-whammy of the Covid-19 pandemic and the Boeing 737 MAX shutdown. When can the industrial base expect to see business growing again? What keeps executives up at night now? Listen as Senior Business Editor Michael Bruno talk with John Schmidt, Accenture global A&D lead, and Jeff Wheless, global A&D research lead.

Listen in as Aviation Week editors unpack the complicated set of problems that have beset the revolutionary aircraft program. 

In the wake of the COP26 Climate conference Aviation Week editors talk to leaders of FlyZero, a UK government-backed Aerospace Technology Institute project targeting zero-carbon emission commercial aviation by 2030. 

Aviation Week’s Guy Norris and Graham Warwick take a deeper dive into what FlyZero is all about with project director Chris Gear and chief propulsion engineer Simon Webb.

This week in Dubai, the aerospace industry met at an international air show for the first time since Singapore 2020. Aviation Week Network editors discuss their impressions, the news and trends emerging from what turned out to be a surprisingly buoyant event.

This podcast is sponsored by Collins Aerospace

Collins Aerospace is on a mission to deliver breakthrough technologies for customers across commercial aviation, defense and space.

Learn more at CollinsAerospace.com.

Don't miss a single episode. Subscribe to Aviation Week's Check 6 podcast in Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify and Stitcher.

As the Dubai Airshow is seeing a resuscitation of giant orders, our commercial aviation experts are discussing the development of new freighters and regional aircraft upgrades against a backdrop of ramping-up production. Debating are Karen Walker, ATW editor-in-chief, Jens Flottau, executive editor, commercial aviation, and Guy Norris, senior editor. ShowNews editor-in-chief Thierry Dubois is moderating.

The UAE’s interest in the F-35 was one of the major talking points of the last Dubai Airshow, but with a formal order placed by Abu Dhabi, the topic is conspicuous by its absence at the 2021 edition. Our defense editors ask why in the first of our Dubai Airshow podcasts. Also discussed, ballistic missile protection for the region, and is Russia’s Sukhoi starting a trend in aviation-related perfumes?

This podcast is sponsored by Collins Aerospace.

Collins Aerospace is on a mission to deliver breakthrough technologies for customers across commercial aviation, defense and space.

Learn more at CollinsAerospace.com.

A discussion with Lux Capital Co-Founder Josh Wolfe and Partner Bilal Zuberi about where the venture capital investment company is placing its bets and how it pinpoints successful new aerospace and defense technologies.

Why the world’s largest passenger airplane never gained market lift — and what it means for the widebody segment.

The consensus from the Aviation Week DefenseChain Conference was that defense primes and suppliers are about to see their world turned on their heads. Executive Editor Jen Dimascio talks with Business Editor Michael Bruno and Capital Alpha Partners Managing Director Byron Callan about the challenges ahead.

Aviation Week editors gather in Las Vegas to talk about the buoyant mood at 2021 NBAA-BACE and COVID-19’s silver lining for the business aviation industry.

The world’s airlines gathered in Boston this week for the IATA AGM after a bruising last 18 months that has also seen sustainability rise up the agenda.

Listen in as Aviation Week editors discuss what they were hearing at the event.

Aviation Week editors discuss hot topics from the Air Force Association’s annual meeting including China’s massive buildup in nuclear capability, a change in acquisition approach at the Pentagon and the next competition for aerial refueling tankers.

The billionaire commander of the three-day mission to space talks about his experience and the importance of humans continuing to explore the heavens.

With its exit from Afghanistan, the U.S. is beginning a new phase of drone warfare, conducting strikes there without forces on the ground. But is the current technology enough to safely execute the mission?

Aviation Week editors witnessed terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon, and flew on missions guarding the capital. Listen to their stories.

Will surging COVID infections push back a recovery in aviation? And what’s behind Europe’s new restrictions on U.S. travelers? Listen in to find out.

NASA’s Space Launch System and Orion are big-government programs trying to keep pace in a marketplace increasingly dominated by commercial industry, meanwhile, the U.S. military is looking to build bridges to international partners, that same commercial industry and to the intelligence community.

Using a "digital twin" to model market demand and behaviors will help AAM players understand and trigger mass adoption. Listen in as Aviation Week’s Graham Warwick delves into the details with two PwC experts.

A newly opened factory on the Skunk Works complex heralds a new era and a return to series manufacturing by Lockheed Martin's 78-year-old advanced development programs business unit. Aviation Week Defense Editor Steve Trimble attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony on Aug. 10. He talks with fellow editor Guy Norris about what he saw and what it means for the next wave of military aircraft production.

Listen in as Aviation Week Network editors discuss what could be one of the most significant developments in long-haul commercial air travel as New York’s JetBlue starts daily service to London.

Listen in as Aviation Week editors discuss why Boeing’s next clean sheet airplane may be a long way off and why Airbus’ CEO is mad at a key supplier.

The Experimental Aircraft Association’s AirVenture always draws more people than any other air show. The mood is optimistic as people see the economy rebounding. Humanitarian organizations that use aircraft to support their mission also have a large presence. Listen in as Aviation Week editors on the ground discuss what's caught their eye this year. 

Sukhoi rolled out the model of a new fighter aircraft during the MAKS show in Russia targeting the export market. Aviation Week editors discuss the design and its prospects in a crowded market.

In the most recent release of the Advanced Air Mobility Reality Index, Electra and Airflow hit the top 20 list with their eSTOL aircraft. Aviation Week's Graham Warwick and Sergio Cecutta of SMG Consulting discuss the market feasibility of eSTOL and the challenges that lie ahead.

Listen in as Aviation Week editors delve into the nuances of United Airlines’ decision to buy 200 Boeing 737 MAXs and Airbus A321neos and what it means for the regional jet market.

Bird Guess, president/CEO of The Racial Equity Group, and Dr. Rebecca Keiser, chief of research security strategy and policy at the National Science Foundation, provide context and concrete actions.

The president and CEO of the United Launch Alliance (ULA) discusses the company’s upcoming first launch of the new Vulcan rocket, the impact of the Space Force and the future of space transportation.

Tory Bruno touched on a number of topics in this wide-ranging interview with Aviation Week editors Jen DiMascio and Irene Klotz. Here is a guide to the discussion:

1:05 ULA Vulcan Centaur overview
2:05 Vulcan first launch
2:22 Blue Origin BE-4 engine is the Vulcan’s pacing item
2:52 Astrobotic Peregrine first commercial lunar lander
4:00 Peregrine mission will be delayed to 2022
5:18 BE-4 challenges
6:20 Vulcan tanking test and Pathfinder vehicle
7:24 Sierra Space mission
9:23 Atlas to continue National Security Space Phase 2 missions
12:05 Reaction to Government Accountability Office report
13:03 National Security Space Launch Phase 3 Technologies
17:13 Flying unpredictable orbits
19:28 How the Space Force has changed ULA operations
23:04 Advanced Cryogenic Evolved Stage reusability
25:42 Commercial applications for new upper stage capabilities
28:00 The logistics of getting and sustaining humans on the moon
29:16 How to get 20%-30% more payload to the moon
31:40 Will ULA remain a launch company?
32:36 Corporate responsibility in space
39:06 Launching into congested areas of space
41:58 Integrated air and space traffic management
43:35 Is there a limit to space traffic?
49:04 Where ULA puts its space junk
51:40 What are ULA’s new big problems?

It is 2 a.m., do you know where your digital twin is? Once buzzwords, the aerospace and defense industrial base is embracing the digital thread in manufacturing at an increasing pace. Managers see a future where digital twin approaches go from just product design to the whole supply system. Coupled with other technological leaps, such as working from anywhere on any device, digitization promises many benefits but also challenges. Costs, cyber risks and human capital challenges loom. Aviation Week talks with Accenture advisors on the outlook.

The 2021 SpeedNews Commercial Aviation Industry Supplier Conference in LA this month provided many executives and advisors the first opportunity to gather again since COVID-19 shut down the sector a year before.

Aviation Week Business Editor Michael Bruno talks with Richard Aboulafia of the Teal Group, Ron Epstein of Bank of America and Kevin Michaels of AeroDynamic Advisory about the state of industry, the future, and the past.

Before his retirement on June 30, NTSB Chairman Robert Sumwalt shares insights into some key things that would make the aviation industry safer—and how to do it.

Ranking the leading players in the emerging advanced air mobility (AAM) market is a full-time task as companies almost daily announce product or investment milestones. As Aviation Week launches a new publication dedicated to the AAM ecosystem, technology editor Graham Warwick and senior editor Guy Norris are joined by SMG Consulting’s Sergio Cecutta to discuss the thinking behind the latest update of his AAM Reality Index.

Both Airbus and Boeing are looking in big boosts in production of their narrowbody jets. But with some regions of the world still closed to outsiders, the widebody market is a different story. Listen in as Aviation Week editors break down the situation. 

Industry leaders say it is a question of when – not if – markets will surpass pre-pandemic business levels. But make no mistake, A&D has been forever changed by the effects of the outbreak, and there is no better place to see that makeover than in the digital revolution sweeping industry. Accenture’s TechVision 2021 found 89% of executives say employees face the largest and fastest change in history. Listen as Accenture leaders and Aviation Week dive into what it means for A&D.

It’s $75 million Falcon 10X will take on Gulfstream and Bombardier in the ultra-long-range market—and aims to correct a mistake made decades ago. Listen in as Aviation Week editors Joe Anselmo, Molly McMillin and Thierry Dubois discuss with analyst Richard Aboulafia.

Will we ever be able to trust an autonomous aircraft? Mark Skoog, the principal investigator for autonomy at NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center, joins Aviation Week’s Graham Warwick and Guy Norris to discuss an effort to enable autonomous aircraft to be programmed with internal values and rules of behavior to ensure they are safe. Listen in.

After a blistering congressional hearing, Aviation Week editors break down some of the F-35 program’s recent struggles and cost issues to develop the program and maintain and operate the fighter.

After a successful first flight of the Ingenuity on Mars, the under secretary for science and research at the Smithsonian Institution Ellen Stofan talks with Aviation Week editors about the historic nature of the mission, coming 117 years after the Wright Brothers flew at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.

Greg Gibson, Sun ‘n Fun airshow director and chief marketing officer, speaks with Molly McMillin, Aviation Week managing editor of business aviation, about the return of the aerospace expo and the importance of the show, following last year’s cancellation due to the COVID-19 pandemic. While the number of exhibitors is down 20% from typical years this time, attendance is setting records. Is this show laying the groundwork for AirVenture Oshkosh in July?

Power unit glitch forces new MAX groundings and adds to quality control woes. But is it a storm in a teacup? Listen in as Aviation Week’s editors analyze Boeing’s latest challenge.

Air travel is surging back in the U.S., but the opposite is happening in other regions. Aviation Week’s editors and forecasters explain why—and what it means for airlines and aircraft manufacturers.

Skyborg could also be a cargo delivery aircraft. The program launched by Air Force Research Laboratory is mainly known for developing artificial intelligence for a new family of unmanned combat air vehicles, but the program also includes Volansi's cargo delivery system.

We talk with Volansi CEO Hannan Parvizian and newly appointed board member Will Roper, formerly assistant secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics, about how Volansi could become the next Skyborg. 

China could become the world’s largest commercial aviation system by the middle of the decade. Up to recently, Western suppliers were integral to the Asia giant’s aerospace development, and the relationship was mutually beneficial. But with the new Biden administration potentially following the former Trump administration’s more-adversarial approaches, and with Comac’s C919 hitting new milestones, a new era is dawning on the trans-Pacific paradigm. In this episode of Check 6, Aviation Week Senior Business Editor Michael Bruno talks with consultant Alex Krutz of Patriot Industrial Partners about what suppliers need to think about now for the future of U.S.-China aerospace.

Nanoracks CEO Jeff Manber predicts that by the end of the year, private space companies will have more discretionary money to spend than the U.S. federal government. Listen in as he provides an update on his company’s acquisition by Voyager space and more.

Nineteen months after they predicted UAM would be a niche market, Aviation Week’s Graham Warwick and Teal Group’s Richard Aboulafia are back to address why investors are now pouring billions of dollars into the emerging sector. 

Don Grommesh, Bill Lear’s employee No. 8, served as chief engineer, vice president of Learjet engineering and vice president and general manager of customer service.

Al Higdon, Joined Lear Jet in 1964 and helped make Learjet a household name. Higdon, now retired, is co-founder of Sullivan, Higdon & Sink, now Signal Theory.

Dave Franson, joined Learjet as director of public affairs from 1997 and served for seven years. Franson is now president of the Wichita Aero Club.

It has been a roller coaster ride in aerospace over the last year. From how to keep up with demand, to how to keep the lights on, to how to restructure and even rebound – the A&D sector has seen it all since this time last year when Covid-19 was just beginning to register worldwide. One year on, how is industry responding and what do A&D leaders think will happen in the coming months and years? In this edition of Check 6 with Accenture, Senior Business Editor Michael Bruno explores these topics with John Schmidt, Accenture’s global A&D lead, and Jeff Wheless, global A&D research leader.

Aviation Week editors talk with Jared Isaacman, the founder and CEO of Shift4Payments, and the man about to command first all-civilian mission on board a SpaceX Dragon capsule.

As the Pentagon is grappling with how to maintain the F135 engine powering F-35 fighters, the engine on a Boeing airliner failed on a flight in the western U.S. Aviation Week editors discuss what these incidents mean for safety and reliability as well as the future of military engines.

Listen in as the former Boeing CEO and his new business partner Kirsten Bartok Touw discuss plans to invest in transformational aerospace technologies—and why the next 20 years could be the best ever.

The special episode of the podcast offers the full recording of an interview with Scott Bateman, the executive producer of a new documentary about the U.S. President's long-range transport fleet. 

Investors are putting billions into urban air mobility and space projects, hoping to strike the next Tesla. Listen in as Aviation Week editors discuss the trend.

The General Atomics Aeronautical Systems MQ-9, proposed as a way to facilitate communications in the late 1990s, really caught on as a way for the U.S. to track insurgents during its so-called war on terrorism.

Since then, the use of unmanned aerial vehicles has revolutionized warfare, but will its future hold? Aviation Week editors discuss potential changes for the platform in the U.S. and abroad.

Before the pandemic, demand for professional pilots was intense and the long-term outlook predicted severe shortages. The pandemic and decrease in air travel has led to widespread pilot layoffs and furloughs. Did COVID-19 suddenly solve the pilot shortage problem? What lies ahead for business aviation once the pandemic subsides? Will the shortage return?

As Europe clears the MAX's return, 777X and 787 woes cap a horrible year and record loss for Boeing. Listen in as Aviation Week editors discuss.

Listen in as PwC experts discuss how understanding and leveraging data can help aerospace companies win.

Universal Hydrogen wants to enable zero-emissions commercial aviation by tacking the two biggest challenges: creating a distribution infrastructure and kick-starting demand for hydrogen. So the startup plans to build a logistics system and modify regional aircraft to use the zero-carbon fuel.

To discuss the company’s plans, technology editor Graham Warwick is joined by Universal Hydrogen’s co-founder and CEO, serial disruptor Paul Eremenko, along with Andy Marsh, CEO of fuel-cell and green-hydrogen producer Plug Power, and Roei Ganzarski, CEO of electric propulsion developer MagniX.

Critics worry R&D cuts will hamper ability to catch Airbus. Veteran aerospace analyst Ron Epstein joins Aviation Week’s Guy Norris to discuss.

Matthew Mejía, Aerion chief financial officer and executive vice president strategy and investor relations, discusses the status of the AS2 supersonic business jet program with Bill Carey, Business and Commercial Aviation senior editor.

In this week’s podcast, we go behind the scenes for a glimpse into how the cover story of the Jan 11-24 issue of Aviation Week & Space Technology took shape. Senior Editor Guy Norris is joined by Executive Editor for Technology Graham Warwick and Sergio Cecutta, founder and partner at SMG Consulting, to talk about picking the winners in the urban air mobility (UAM) race. Sergio explains the thinking behind SMG’s new Advanced Air Mobility Reality Index - https://aamrealityindex.com - an effort to pierce the hype surrounding this hot new sector of aviation.