Defense One reports, “Air Force test pilots used artificial intelligence aboard an experimental fighter jet to successfully evade a simulated incoming missile, showcasing how the service’s aviators may rely on AI in a future fight. Lockheed’s secretive Skunk Works research arm acknowledged the experiment Monday.”
Full Story (Defense One)
Tag: February 2026
Air Force Boosts B-21 Raider Production, Targets 2027 Delivery
Breaking Defense reports, “The Air Force today announced a new agreement with Northrop Grumman to ‘ramp’ production of the in-development B-21 Raider, using $4.5 billion in reconciliation funding to help deliver the bomber by 2027.”
Full Story (Breaking Defense)
Lockheed Martin to Test Digital Atomic Clock on Upcoming GPS III Satellite
Aviation Week reports, “Lockheed Martin and the U.S. Space Force are testing several new technologies aboard the next GPS III satellite, including a new digital atomic clock … The 10th GPS III satellite, scheduled to launch in early 2026, will carry a new digital version, Lockheed Martin Vice President for Navigation Systems Malik Musawwir told reporters Feb. 23 at the Air and Space Force Association’s Air Warfare Symposium here.”
Full Story (Aviation Week)
General Atomics Names YFQ-42A Collaborative Combat Aircraft ‘Dark Merlin’
Aviation Week reports, “General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. (GA-ASI) announced Feb. 23 that its collaborative combat aircraft (CCA) has a name: the Dark Merlin. The GA-ASI YFQ-42A is one of two CCAs being developed for the U.S. Air Force’s first increment of its program, along with the Anduril YFA-44A. After first flights in 2025, both of the prototypes now await a potential production award in 2026.”
Full Story (Aviation Week)
Video
The YFQ-42A drone by General Atomics
(Techno Thunder; YouTube)
SpaceX Pushes Reusability Record With 33rd Falcon 9 Flight
The Starlink 6-104 mission added another 28 Starlink V2 Mini Optimized satellites into low Earth orbit. As Spaceflight Now reports, “Liftoff from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station happened at 10:47 p.m. EST (0347 UTC). The Falcon 9 rocket flew on a south-easterly trajectory upon leaving the pad.”
Full Story (Spaceflight Now)
Video
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches 28 Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. (Launch occurs at the 0:10 second mark)
VideoFromSpace; YouTube
Canada Certifies Airbus H175, Opening Door to Public Service Missions
Vertical Magazine reports, “Airbus is fielding interest from ‘a range of customers’ in Canada following domestic certification of the H175 super-medium helicopter, but won’t say if the type has landed its first operator or when deliveries might begin. Still, the company sees significant potential for search-and-rescue (SAR), law enforcement and emergency medical services (EMS) in Canada’s harsh and unforgiving cold-weather climate.”
Full Story (Vertical Magazine)
AIAA Members Named to National Academy of Engineering
FROM THE INSTITUTE
Twelve AIAA members are among the 130 newest members of the National Academy of Engineering (NAE). Academy membership honors those who have made outstanding contributions to “engineering research, practice, or education, including, where appropriate, significant contributions to the engineering literature” and to “the pioneering of new and developing fields of technology, making major advancements in traditional fields of engineering, or developing/implementing innovative approaches to engineering education.”
SpaceX Marks Second Bahamas Landing After Starlink Mission
SPACE reports, “SpaceX landed a rocket in The Bahamas for the second time ever on Thursday, Feb. 19. A Falcon 9 rocket topped with 29 of SpaceX’s Starlink broadband satellites launched from Florida’s Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 8:41 p.m. EST (0141 GMT on Feb. 20).”
Full Story (SPACE)
Video
SpaceX launches Starlink satellites, lands off coast of Bahamas. (Launch occurs at the 0:11 second mark)
VideoFromSpace; YouTube
Boeing Lands Historic 737 MAX Order from Vietnam Airlines
Aviation News Daily reports, “Vietnam Airlines has officially signed a landmark agreement to purchase 50 Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft, marking the flag carrier’s first-ever commitment to Boeing’s single-aisle family. This massive investment aims to catalyze the airline’s domestic and regional expansion as travel demand in Southeast Asia reaches record heights. The deal was finalized on February 18, 2026.”
Full Story (Aviation News Daily)
NASA Outlines Flight Plan for Crewed Artemis II Mission
Aviation Week reports, “NASA used its first Space Launch System rocket to send an uncrewed Orion spacecraft on a 25-day test flight around the Moon in late 2022, kicking off its Artemis lunar exploration campaign. On Artemis II, the agency will attempt to broaden Orion’s operational envelope by adding a flight crew, with assessments of the spacecraft’s environmental control, life support and astronaut interactive systems on tap.”
Full Story (Aviation Week)