FlightGlobal Focus

American AI and defence technology start-up Shield AI is developing one of the most unique military aircraft of the modern era. 

The X-Bat is an unmanned fighter jet that takes off and lands vertically from a set of mobile rails. It has no landing gear and no remote pilot, instead flying autonomously under the control of Shield AI’s Hivemind software.

Its designer cut his teeth designing reusable rockets at orbital launch provider SpaceX and is now bringing that technology to the world of fighter jets.

In this episode, FlightGlobal's Ryan Finnerty speaks with X-Bat designer and Shield AI senior vice-president Armor Harris.

FlightGlobal's Airlines team looks back on a busy week, which saw Lufthansa Group emerge as the winning bidder for TAP Air Portugal, as well as lots of debate at two IATA events in Brussels on the EU emissions trading system and sustainable aviation fuel mandates.

We also discuss how the recent Houthi attacks on Riyadh and other Saudi Arabian airports are affecting airline plans to fly to the kingdom.

The latest from Toulouse, where Airbus is weighing the option of stretching out its A350 and A220. Plus, we visited turbofan blade maker Chromalloy in Tampa to explore a supply crunch that has the industry tied in knots, and we watched Regent’s all-electric seagliders take flight over Narragansett Bay.

In something of an industrial coup, Boeing has secured government contracts to build both the US Air Force F-47 and US Navy F/A-XX sixth-generation fighters.

It's a stunning reversal for a company whose fighter manufacturing business seemed to be on shaky footing just a few short years ago. What does the dual win mean for Boeing's industrial rivals? And does one company designing both fighters mean the two jets will share a high level of commonality?

FlightGlobal's Americas defence reporter Ryan Finnerty speaks with aerospace analysts Richard Aboulafia of AeroDynamic Advisory and Tony Bancroft of Gabelli Funds to find out.

FlightGlobal's Americas and European Airlines editors take a look at September's air traffic control system failures in the UK, the wind-down of Spirit Airlines in the USA, and what's going on in the US regional aviation sector.

We also examine the age-old issue of whether London Heathrow will ever build a third runway.

The FlightGlobal Focus team explores recent headlines, from Airbus adapting its wing-manufacturing strategy to meet roaring demand, to Boeing navigating ETOPS delays amid a GE9X seal redesign, to Vertical Aerospace opening a Kemble assembly site while seeking strategic partners.

It's been more than 40 years since Argentina attempted to seize the Falkland Islands from the UK by force, igniting war in the South Atlantic. The UK emerged victorious in the 74-day conflict, and the Union Jack still flies in the islands today.

But in a bizarre turn of events, the American-Israeli war with Iran has stoked old tensions over the Falklands. In response to an alleged lack of support for the American war effort, US President Donald Trump has suggested he would not support the UK if Argentina made a second attempt at taking the archipelago.

The move comes as Argentinian President Javier Milei has been ratcheting up incendiary rhetoric about the Falklands, amid worsening economic conditions and elections in 2027.

The FlightGlobal defence team gets together to look back at the 1982 Falklands War, how the British military posture in the islands has changed since then, and what a second conflict might play out.

Asian carriers have reported their second-quarter earnings, which have included some heavy losses at China's 'Big Three' airline groups. India's airlines have also been grappling with challenges of their own, although new leadership at Air India and IndiGo is expected to usher in change.

FlightGlobal's Airlines team, including Asia-Pacific Airlines Editor Alfred Chua - who has just been out to visit Malaysia Airlines - discuss the latest news from this part of the world.

A look into some of the summer's top stories, from the FAA's effort to revive commercial supersonic flight to the approaching first flight of Airbus’s A350F and Heart Aerospace’s recent first flight of its all-electric X-1 demonstrator.

The US Navy has spent more than two decades developing its new aircraft carrier, incorporating 23 new or significantly updated technologies into major systems across the ship.

These include the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System, which replaces the steam-driven catapult of the venerable Nimitz-class carriers with an electric induction motor.

The navy says the system costs less to operate and inflicts less structural fatigue on aircraft. Together with other changes to the Ford-class, the new carriers are meant to increase sortie generation by an appreciable amount.

However, US President Donald Trump has long opposed the electromagnetic catapult and over the past 10 years has repeatedly mused about ordering the navy to return to a steam-piston system.

After years of talking about it, the Trump White House in August officially directed the US Navy to begin exploring options for replacing EMALS and other electrically driven systems with conventional steam and hydraulic alternatives on future Ford-class ships.

FlightGlobal's defence editor Greg Waldron joins Ryan Finnerty to discuss the move and how it will impact carrier operations.