From Boeing’s difficulties on the tanker program to its shift toward fighter sustainment and upgrades, Aviation Week editors analyze their recent conversation with Leanne Caret, CEO of Boeing Defense, Space and Security.

Our editors compare impressions from the first joint Pratt & Whitney and United Technologies Aerospace Systems media day. 

At this year’s IATA annual general meeting in Dublin, the Middle East carriers once again dominated the news. While the CEOs of Delta and Emirates refused to engage in a public spat over open dkies, Qatar Airways was considerably less restrained. Aircraft tracking was also high on the agenda, but no consensus was reached on how to resolve the issue. Listen in as our editors discuss all this and the latest on Qatar Airways refusing its first A320neo.

Our editors were at this year’s Airbus Innovation Days in Hamburg, where Airbus executives were vocal about supply chain issues they’ve encountered with both the A320neo and A350. The narrowbody was built as what Airbus COO Tom Williams described as a “glider” due to issues with its Pratt & Whitney PW1100G engines. And the A350 is playing catch up as Airbus tries to maintain its ambitious delivery plans despite troubles with cabin component suppliers. A potential stretched version of Boeing’s 737 MAX was dubbed "Mad Max" by Airbus sales chief John Leahy, who is also looking at the case for a stretched A350-1000. Listen as our editors discuss all this and more.

As the International Space Station approaches the end of its service life, NASA is supporting Boeing and SpaceX efforts to build commercial crew vehicles  that can take crew to the ISS and later commercial space stations. Aviation Week editors discuss those efforts, as well as the money NASA may save in supporting SpaceX’s Red Dragon, which the commercial spaceflight company intends to land on Mars using supersonic retro-propulsion technology.

The mental health of pilots and the privacy of their records and consultations with doctors is back in the news following the report by French air safety investigators on the crash of a Germanwings A320 in the Alps last year. Jim Asker, Jens Flottau and John Croft discuss the issues and what might be done to prevent such tragedies.  

The race for routes to Cuba by U.S. carriers is on. Will there be enough demand for flights to cities other than Havana? Is Cuba ready for a rapid increase in tourism? Join our editors as they discuss the possibilities for this new market.

Senior Business Editor Michael Bruno and aerospace analyst Kevin Michaels discuss how massive supplier tie-up would have been "a stick in the eye" to Airbus and Boeing.

As Air Canada provides a boost with C Series orders, editors discuss the merits of a proposed investment by the Canadian government.

On the sidelines of this week's air show, our Aviation Week editors discuss whether Airbus really has the edge over Boeing it claims and what defense hardware is in high demand in the Asia-Pacific region.

Virtual reality. Crowd-sourcing weather data. Co-pilots on the ground. Changes are coming to flight operations, maintenance and training. Executive Editor Jim Asker and Avionics and Safety Editor John Croft discuss the next-generation hardware and new techniques that will boost safety and save money.

As Boeing rolls out the first 737 MAX, Senior Editor Guy Norris and Aviation Week Intelligence Network Forecaster Brian Kough discuss what the re-engined airliner means to Boeing and whether Airbus can hold on to the neon’s 60/40 advantage in orders.

The last Dubai Airshow saw record-breaking orders for commercial airliners. Not so this year, but our onsite editors say that’s not necessarily something to worry about. They explain why in this report from the show.

With all the secrecy surrounding the Pentagon's Long-Range Strike Bomber competition, the winner was hard to predict. But AvWeek's editors discuss some of Northrop’s strengths that are not readily apparent. That includes experience with the particular kind of stealth technology needed for a long-range bomber as well as some of the company's business side decisions that may have made it attractive in this $21.4 billion contest.

As business talks between Bombardier and Airbus fall apart, Aviation Week editors discuss why the new cutting-edge passenger jet is facing severe headwinds in the market--and whether Bombardier has the resources to see it through.

For the foreseeable future, national security space launches will keep the United Launch Alliance and enginemaker Aerojet in business. But the outlook down the road is full of change and opportunity, as Blue Origin plans to build a new launch vehicle and test facility in Florida and will team up with ULA on a new Vulcan rocket.

This week’s Check 6 marks the start of a series of special features running before Aviation Week & Space Technology’s 100th anniversary in August 2016 with a discussion of stealth and counterstealth technology.

What if commercial pilots never had to learn to fly IFR? The distinction between instrument flight rules and visual flight rules (VFR) may go away in the not-too-distant future. What if the Black Hawk successor offered military pilots a 360-degree, all-weather view on a touch screen that could easily be reconfigured? These are the sort of things we might see in next-gen cockpits. Join Aviation Week editors Jim Asker, John Croft and Graham Warwick in peering into the future.

Berkshire Hathaway’s bid to acquire Precision Castparts and Google’s restructuring are among the developments discussed by Executive Editor Jim Asker, Editor-in-Chief Joe Anselmo and Graham Warwick, the managing editor for technology. Their wide-ranging discussion also touches on GKN, Alcoa, US Airways, Boeing, Airbus, Lockheed Martin, United Technologies and Sikorsky.

Here what disciplines have the most demand, salaries, sign-on bonuses, and the value that work and life balance plays in the compensation package.

Aviation Week editors discuss the latest news surrounding the disappearance of Malaysian Airlines Flight MH370 on March 8, 2014. If a “flaperon” found on the island this week is indeed from the Boeing 777-200ER, what does its location and condition tell us about the final minutes of the Beijing-bound widebody jet?

Federal officials are investigating American, United, Delta and Southwest airlines to determine if they are coordinating efforts to keep capacity down so that ticket prices remain high. If they are found in violation of antitrust laws, they could face huge fines. Executive Editor Jim Asker and Jens Flottau, managing editor for commercial aviation, discuss the case and how it relates to the carriers’ battles against competitors based in the Middle East and Norwegian Air International. They also recount a 1982 incident that landed an American Airlines CEO in court for a conversation with a competitor.

Wide-ranging interviews with Tom Enders, Jim McNerney, Alain Bellemare and Fred Curado, the chief executives of four big aerospace companies, are in the latest issue of Aviation Week & Space Technology. Editor-In-Chief Joe Anselmo, Executive Editor Jim Asker and Managing Editors Jens Flottau and Graham Warwick discuss the CEO's comments on commercial airplanes, defense, space, business aviation, R&D and their companies’ prospects for the future.  

Aviation Week defense editors on the recent success of Dassault’s Rafale and Saab’s Gripen fighters and what that means for the rest of the market. Will it spell doom for the Eurofighter Typhoon? Does Boeing’s F-18 have a shot at more orders in Kuwait. And a peek at the upcoming competition for a Turkish fighter.

Until now, the military has driven development of unmanned aerial vehicles. But the U.S. Navy X-47B’s recent aerial refueling demonstration could be a transition point for the fledgling industry, in which commercial players are increasingly pushing the technical edge.

As NATO and Russia are stepping up air patrols in and around Eastern Europe – including an increasing amount of flights with transponders turned off – aviation safety officials are scrambling to keep the skies safe for commercial airlines.

India hit the reset button on stalled contract talks with Dassault, opting for a government-to-government sale of 36 Rafale fighters. Aviation Week editors Amy Svitak, Bill Sweetman and Jen DiMascio discuss what the deal means for India, Dassault and future combat aircraft competitions.

Ahead of next week's Space Symposium in Colorado Springs, our editors discuss the latest on an American-built engine to send U.S. national security assets to space, competition between ULA and Space X, the state of U.S.-Russian relations and more.

This week's Check 6 podcast comes to you from Pratt & Whitney in East Hartford, Conn. Editors Joe Anselmo and Guy Norris sat down with Greg Gernhardt, the president of Pratt & Whitney Commercial Engines, to talk about the company’s geared turbofan engine and its battle for market share with the CFM LEAP-X.

Aviation has become technically safer and safer. Is it now time to address the pilot as a safety concern? The community has successfully addressed wind shear and controlled flight into terrain. Unintended consequences are certain, as we are seeing in the case of locked cockpit doors, and overly specific solutions are usually not flexible enough to work. Distributed cockpit operations with crew support on the ground could be one means of addressing the problem. The industry is so safe because it has tackled its problems. Technology should be able to help us failsafe pilot actions.

Aviation Week editors discuss the Satellite 2015 Telecom Conference and the state of private investment and technological advances.

Back from the ISTAT Americas conference, Aviation Week editors discuss debate of an order bubble, new 777 upgrades, the A380neo concept and Bombardier’s CSeries.

Aviation Week editors discuss the latest from Orlando: What Bristow's tiltrotor bet means for the future of rotorcraft, Airbus Helicopters's H160 unveiling and more.

Aviation Week editors Jim Asker, John Croft and Michael Fabey discuss the ongoing search for MH370 and the outlook for changes to flight tracking.

Aviation Week’s Graham Warwick and Joe Anselmo and Business & Commercial Aviation’s Bill Garvey talk about what’s ailing Bombardier in commercial and business aviation and its move to bring in aerospace veteran Alain Bellemare to fix things.

Our editors discuss the global pilot shortage and why the solution is not as simple as paying American regional pilots more.

From X-planes to the “black budget” to where the U.S. is placing its technology bets for the future, Aviation Week editor's discuss what’s buried in President Obama’s fiscal 2016 budget request to Congress.

Jim Asker, Guy Norris and Amy Butler discuss adaptive engine technology, sixth-generation fighters, threats to the F-35 and the next presidential aircraft.

A preview of programs and issues to watch for during the first week of February, when the Pentagon makes its budget request to Congress.

Aviation Week editors discuss the reasons behind our selection of Vladimir Putin as Person of the Year for 2014.

Aviation Week editors Graham Warwick and Guy Norris discuss with Joe Anselmo what the future looks like from the annual American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics conference. Topics include cockpit automation, air-launch to space, truss-braced wings, small core engines and hybrid/blended wing bodies.

Is innovation alive and well in the industry? What is the place of younger engineers?

Aviation Week editors discuss what they expect in the year to come and what surprised them in 2014.

London Bureau Chief Tony Osborne and International Defense Editor Bill Sweetman discuss the U.K.'s recent trouble hunting for a possibly Russian submarine and what it says about their state or readiness.

Learn how Boeing fail-safed the battery and listen as we discuss how the aircraft was certified and still experienced serious problems.

Aviaiton Week editors discuss the F-35C and its ongoing carrier trials.

Senior Space Editor Frank Morring and Senior Editor Guy Norris discuss the failures by Orbital Sciences and Virgin Galactic with Editor-in-Chief Joe Anselmo.

Executive Editor Jim Asker discusses the Japanese regional jet project with Asia-Pacific Bureau Chief Bradley Perrett and Jens Flottau, managing editor for commercial aviation.

Joe Anselmo and Graham Warwick ask Guy Norris about his story on Lockheed Martin's Skunk Works and their Compact Fusion Reactor.

Joe Anselmo and Jens Flottau discuss the economics of the strikes, especially Air France and Lufthansa.

Jen Dimascio, Bill Sweetman and Amy Butler discuss the history of the F-22 with all its quirks.

Join Lee Ann Tegtmeier and Brian Kough as they discuss Aviation Week's MRO forecast ahead of MRO Europe.

Joe Anselmo, Guy Norris and Jens Flottau discuss the Pratt & Whitney-powered A320neo first flight this week and what it means for the industry.

Join Jim Asker, Frank Morring and Guy Norris as they discuss major developments in Commercial Crew and rocket engines.

Frank Morring, Bill Sweetman and Jim Asker discuss U.S. plans to develop new rocket engines and where U.S. capability might be in the near future.

Aviation Week editors risk the risk that wildlife pose to airports and airlines, what the industry is doing about it - including some unconventional ideas - and why there’s still plenty of work to be done. 

A new venture is developing a low-cost launch vehicle to orbit small satellites. But two smaller companies bid for – and ultimately lost – contracts to build technology demonstrators for the U.S. Army’s next-generation rotorcraft. Listen in as we discuss the state of entrepreneurship in aerospace & defense.

In this week’s Check 6 podcast, our editors discuss the state of innovation in the aerospace and defense industry. The discussion touches on past innovations that are becoming a reality in today’s military forces, why the commercial sector is so much better at harnessing innovation and whether there is an innovation crisis in aerospace.

As CFM prepares to flight test the first Leap engines in California, and Airbus gets set to make the first flight of the PW1100G-powered A320neo, Executive Editor Jim Mathews discusses with Guy Norris, AW&ST Senior Editor for propulsion, the market, the challenges, the risks and some possible directions for the future.

IATA and ICAO are on a path to make sure aircraft cannot be lost without a trace. Executive Editor Jim Mathews discussed the action with Aviation Week & Space Technology senior editor for Avionics and Safety, John Croft and Air Transport World senior editor, Aaron Karp.

Almost no one thinks the shooting down of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 was intentional. It’s hard to imagine an upside for Russia, Russian-backed separatists or Ukraine in blasting out of the sky an airliner full of civilians from nations not involved in the conflict. At the same time, the most capable, modern air-defense missile systems are not simple to operate. So what might have gone wrong that allowed a Buk-M1 missile to take down MH17?

The shootdown of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine stunned the world. But in this incident, answers are emerging much more quickly than they did in the still unsolved disappearance of Malaysia Flight MH370 earlier this year. In this week's Check 6 podcast, we delve into the incident and discuss the question of why the airplane was flying over a war zone in the first place. 

Aviation Week editors take a look at the key talking points in commercial aviation ahead of the Farnborough air show.

Emirates President Tim Clark talked to Aviation Week's Jens Flottau on the sidelines of the IATA AGM in Doha about flight MH370 and aircraft tracking. 

Business jet manufacturers are banking on China to pull the industry out of its doldrums. But the country still has a long way to go, ICF International Vice President Kevin Michaels writes in the May 19 edition of Aviation Week & Space Technology. On our latest Check 6 podcast, Michaels talks with Editor-in-Chief Joe Anselmo about factors that he believes will keep the Chinese bizav market from reaching its potential for at least another decade.

Imagine a day when overhaul shops will be able to just print replacement parts. The time and cost savings could be huge, but how will the technology be adapted for the aerospace industry?

What do the initial sanctions by the West on Russian and Ukrainian provocateurs of the former’s invasion of the latter’s Crimean region mean for Western aerospace and defense? Reaction so far has been mild, but that could change.