Of all the head scratching military procurement programmes across the world, few are more confounding than India's haphazard efforts at fighter aircraft modernisation.

Cancelled development efforts, shifting requirements, and struggling attempts at domestic production have all combined to stymie several attempts at modernising the Indian air force.

The geopolitical pressure is on, following last year's air battle between India and Pakistan, and New Delhi is once again attempting to recapitalise its fleet — both with new Rafale fighters from Dassault and another crack at domestic aircraft production.

FlightGlobal's managing editor for defence Greg Waldron joins Ryan Finnerty to discuss what's in store for India's latest attempt at a tactical revamp.

FlightGlobal’s airlines team take a look at the impact a rapidlyageing population in Japan is having on carriers such as ANA and JapanAirlines.

Touching on topics such as networks and fleets, they also considerhow trends differ – sometimes in favour of airline growth – in other markets.

In this special episode of FlightGlobal Focus, we give you a brief summary of everything that happened at the 2026 Singapore airshow, which took place in the island city-state last week.

China took centre stage at the show, with major appearances by the country's military and commercial aircraft. Highlights included flying displays by Chinese-made J-10C fighters and the new C919 passenger jet.

A model of China's new J-35A stealth was also on display, generating significant interest among several military delegations.

Asia airlines reporter Alfred Chua recaps all that, plus a review of new orders placed at the Singapore air show.

With 2026 now in full-swing, FlightGlobal's defence editorial team is crisscrossing the globe to report from some the world's most important military trade shows and exhibitions, where international deals are made and leading manufacturers debut their latest hardware.

In February we'll be attending the biannual Singapore airshow and the World Defense Show in Saudi Arabia, at a time when regional powers in the Indo-Pacific and Middle East are all expanding their defence capabilities.

Flight's Asia defence editor Greg Waldron gives a preview of what to expect in Singapore, and some helpful tips for navigating southeast Asia's premier military conference.

Meanwhile, our Europe defence editor Craig Hoyle shares his experiences from Saudi Arabia, as the Kingdom hopes to continue expanding the World Defense Show in Riyadh.

FlightGlobal’s aerospace team explains last year’s order and delivery figures from Airbus and Boeing, adding deeper context and detail to the headline numbers.

IATA forecasts that the global airline industry will achieve its highest-ever profits in 2026. But risks to the outlook remain significant, not least amid troubling geopolitical developments around the world.

In this episode, FlightGlobal’s Alfred Chua and Lewis Harper discuss the outlook for airlines over the next 12 months.

In the wake of the successful US military raid to depose Venezuelan strongman Nicolas Maduro, our defence team looks at how the Pentagon pulled off the audacious and risky operation that saw special operations helicopters fly into downtown Caracas to deliver an assault force.

FlightGlobal's Ryan Finnerty, Craig Hoyle and Greg Waldron discuss the raid, how it compares to previous actions in Iran and Somalia, and what the operation means for the future of helicopters in combat.

Welcome to FlightGlobal Focus, your essential podcast for trusted aviation insight. We publish new episodes twice weekly: join us on Friday for a concise news briefing and on Monday for in-depth analysis covering airlines, defence or aerospace.  Stay informed, stay ahead and get expert coverage from the team at FlightGlobal. Pioneering aviation insight.

A note from Amber Elias: This is my last episode of FlightGlobal Focus. It has been a pleasure creating this podcast series and hosting it in 2025.

In this episode, Amber Elias is joined by Lewis Harper, Alfred Chua and Howard Hardee.

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Listeners can get a discount for a new subscription to Airline Business with the code ABPODCAST and to FlightGlobal with the code FGPODCAST (terms and conditions apply).

If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, please email ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

For sponsorship and commercial opportunities, please email ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

First Flight is a production of FlightGlobal, an award-winning aviation media company, and is executive produced by Amber Elias. Audio editing by Lucy Johnson.

Welcome to FlightGlobal Focus, your essential podcast for trusted aviation insight. We publish new episodes twice weekly: join us on Friday for a concise news briefing and on Monday for in-depth analysis covering airlines, defence or aerospace.  Stay informed, stay ahead and get expert coverage from the team at FlightGlobal. Pioneering aviation insight.

In this episode, Amber Elias is joined Jon Hemmerdinger, Dominic Perry and David Kaminski-Morrow.

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Listeners can get a discount for a new subscription to Airline Business with the code ABPODCAST and to FlightGlobal with the code FGPODCAST (terms and conditions apply).

If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, please email ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

For sponsorship and commercial opportunities, please email ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

First Flight is a production of FlightGlobal, an award-winning aviation media company, and is executive produced by Amber Elias. Audio editing by Lucy Johnson.

Welcome to FlightGlobal Focus, your essential podcast for trusted aviation insight. We publish new episodes twice weekly: join us on Friday for a concise news briefing and on Monday for in-depth analysis covering airlines, defence or aerospace.  Stay informed, stay ahead and get expert coverage from the team at FlightGlobal. Pioneering aviation insight.

In this episode, Amber Elias is joined by Greg Waldron, Craig Hoyle and Ryan Finnerty.

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Listeners can get a discount for a new subscription to Airline Business with the code ABPODCAST and to FlightGlobal with the code FGPODCAST (terms and conditions apply).

If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, please email ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

For sponsorship and commercial opportunities, please email ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

First Flight is a production of FlightGlobal, an award-winning aviation media company, and is executive produced by Amber Elias. Audio editing by Lucy Johnson.