July 15, 2026 - No. 28 In This Issue : The F414 Fiasco and its Ramifications : Russian aircraft engines to become even lighter after new unequaled tech invented : B-21 Raider Enters Low-Rate Initial Production as Flight Testing Expands. : 75 B-52 strategic bombers set to get gigabit connectivity and a fiber-optic network for their weapons pylons as part of a huge upgrade to keep them going till it reaches almost 100 : MTU Maintenance Opens Fort Worth Overhaul Shop : Gulfstream SAF Testing Shows Contrail Emission Cuts : The F-35’s Stealth Coating Fixed the One Problem That Made the F-22 a Maintenance Headache : US & Europe test giant next-gen jet engine that could change aviation (Video) : Next-gen ramjet fuel propulsion system for future offensive, defensive missions tested : Lufthansa Technik’s Decision Factors For New Southeast Asia Facility The F414 Fiasco and its Ramifications Rahul Bedi 09/Jul/2026 The GE-F414 impasse has amplified strategic concerns because the engine has emerged as the sole propulsion backbone of India's future combat aircraft, including its fifth-generation fighter programme. Representative image of the F/A-18F Super Hornet, powered by the F414-GE-400. Photo: Public Domain. New Delhi: Mounting uncertainty over India’s negotiations with the United States and General Electric (GE) over the F414 engine, which was selected to power several advanced indigenous combat aircraft programmes, has reinforced calls by senior Indian Air Force (IAF) veterans to acquire two squadrons – around 40 aircraft – of Russia’s fifth-generation Sukhoi Su-57 fighters as an ‘interim operational bridge’ until these platforms enter service. Their strategic argument, however, extends well beyond the protracted and increasingly fraught F414 negotiations. They maintain that the IAF is confronting three converging operational challenges: the Pakistan Air Force’s (PAF) imminent induction of China’s fifth-generation Shenyang J-35AE stealth fighter, the continuing decline in the IAF’s fighter squadron strength, and mounting delays in indigenous combat aircraft programmes dependent on the GE-F414. “With Pakistan poised to imminently take delivery of J-35AEs, the IAF’s most likely and viable course is to close the capability gap by swiftly acquiring two Su-57 squadrons,” Air Marshal Sanjeev Kapoor (retired), the IAF’s former Director General of Inspection and Safety, told The Wire. Russia itself, he added, is unlikely to transfer more than two such squadrons, making this a practical stopgap capability rather than a long-term fighter fleet replacement or option. Strategic concerns According to multiple overseas defence industry assessments, Pakistan is expected to begin inducting the export variant of the J-35AE from late 2026 or early 2027, with its fleet eventually reaching around 40 such aircraft by the early 2030s. By then, the IAF’s fighter squadron strength is projected to decline well below its current 29 squadrons – against an authorised 42 – as six legacy Jaguar squadrons are expected to begin retiring soon, outpacing the induction of replacements, including additional Dassault Rafales. Compounding these challenges, the GE-F414 impasse has further amplified strategic concerns because the engine has emerged as the sole propulsion backbone of India’s future combat aircraft, including its fifth-generation fighter programme. Also read: The F414 Row Is the Price of India’s Long Failure to Develop Its Own Jet Engines The IAF, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and its Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) have collectively selected this 98-kilonewton (kN) engine to power the advanced Tejas Mk2 fighter, prototypes and initial squadrons of the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) and the Indian Navy’s (IN’s) Twin-Engine Deck-Based Fighter (TEDBF). Any hitch or protracted delay in securing this engine, therefore, risks delaying not just one aircraft programme but virtually India’s entire next-generation indigenous combat aviation. Such abject dependence is by no means easily reversed. Modern fighter aircraft are designed around their engines, which determine everything from airframe geometry, air intakes and fuel systems to centre of gravity, flight-control integration and overall performance. Replacing the F414 at this stage would require extensive redesign, systems integration, flight testing and certification, effectively unravelling years of development. Such an undertaking, almost impossible to envisage, would almost certainly delay all three programmes by several years while adding billions of dollars in costs. More fundamentally, the larger strategic consequence of the F414 engine lock-in and its attendant procurement complexities is that India has, in effect, tied the future of its combat aviation to a single foreign power plant and, by extension, to the vagaries of its turbulent political, commercial, diplomatic and defence relationship with the US. India’s negotiation tactics Adding to the overall uncertainty surrounding the F414 programme is the manner in which India is conducting the engine negotiation itself. Rather than pursuing the F414 as a single, integrated national programme, the government has divided responsibility for the negotiations among multiple agencies, with overlapping but distinct commercial, industrial and technological priorities. Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), for its part, is negotiating the acquisition of F414 engines for the Tejas Mk2 while separately pursuing the 2023 understanding between the two countries to manufacture the power pack locally via technology transfer. Alongside, the DRDO and the ADA are separately handling discussions with GE on F414 supplies, technology transfer, engineering support, prototype integration and intellectual property rights (IPR) for the AMCA and the TEDBF and eventual series manufacture of a limited number of platforms. Matters have become still more contentious following GE’s recent reported demand for a near three-fold increase in the engine’s unit cost – from an estimated Rs 70-80 crore to more than Rs 200 crore – and a further investment of over $800 million to establish a dedicated F414 production facility in India. Instead of advancing one of India’s most strategically important defence-industrial programmes through a single, integrated national effort, the F414 process has become an object lesson in how institutional fragmentation can squander bargaining leverage, delay outcomes and complicate decision-making. It also underlines why programmes of such vital importance should never be pursued in this manner. Procurement decisions More fundamentally, many retired senior IAF officers privately acknowledge that the F414 impasse is merely the latest manifestation of a far deeper structural problem. They contend that it reflects decades of procurement drift, repeated postponement of acquisition decisions and excessive confidence in optimistic indigenous development schedules. “The IAF is now paying the price for repeatedly assuming that future indigenous programmes would arrive on time,” observed one retired three-star fighter pilot who declined to be identified. “Whenever timelines slipped, procurement decisions were simply deferred rather than backed by credible contingency planning” he said. The consequence, he added, is that the service now faces an increasingly narrow window in which to manage the transition from an ageing fourth-generation fleet to a credible fifth-generation force. Waiting for the AMCA, therefore, no longer offers a credible solution to the IAF’s near-term operational requirements. It is this reality – rather than the F414 negotiations alone – that has prompted several senior IAF veterans to advocate acquiring two SU-57 squadrons, less as a matter of choice than of operational necessity. And, it is against this backdrop that Russia has renewed its effort to position the Su-57 as both a long-term fleet option and an ‘operational bridge’ for the IAF until the AMCA becomes available. The advanced Russian fighter featured prominently at Aero India 2025 in Bengaluru, where it was showcased through static display and flying demonstrations highlighting its low-observable airframe, internal weapons bay, avionics integration and multirole strike capabilities. Thereafter, Moscow’s pitch for its fighter has extended beyond limited flyaway deliveries to possible co-production in India, technology collaboration and licensed manufacturing – an approach modelled on earlier Soviet and Russian-origin aircraft programmes pursued by India since the late 1960s. Russia has also repeatedly sought to revive the IAF’s interest in the Su-57 and would almost certainly portray any prolonged deadlock in the GE negotiations as evidence of the limitations of India’s defence-industrial cooperation with the US. Another fighter Aviation analysts, meanwhile, maintain that two operational Su-57 squadrons would justify establishing the infrastructure needed to support an entirely new fighter type, while enabling the IAF to develop tactics, doctrine and operational experience in fifth-generation air combat years before the AMCA enters service. For Moscow, on the other hand, such a deal would deepen aerospace cooperation with India and reinforce its argument that Russia remains a more flexible defence partner than Western, especially US suppliers. While Russia has historically been more accommodating on licensed production and local manufacturing, it too has closely guarded genuinely advanced propulsion, stealth and sensor technologies, much like every other major aerospace power. Yet, the case for acquiring the Su-57 is far from unequivocal. Introducing yet another fighter type into an already diverse IAF inventory of six combat aircraft would further complicate logistics, maintenance and training while adding to the financial burden of an already overstretched modernisation programme. Such a purchase could also complicate India’s evolving defence relationship with the US. But supporters of the proposal dismiss these concerns as secondary to the IAF’s immediate operational requirements. “The central issue is not platform preference but operational preparedness,” said the aforementioned three-star veteran. The IAF cannot allow a prolonged capability vacuum while waiting for next-generation indigenous aircraft to arrive, he added. Ultimately, the Su-57 debate is less about choosing a Russian fighter than about managing the consequences of years of flawed and delayed procurement decisions and overly optimistic planning assumptions. Should the unresolved F414 engine issue continue to hamper and postpone the IAF’s next-generation combat aircraft programmes, the question before it may soon cease to be whether it wants the Su-57. It may instead become whether it can afford to confront a fifth-generation threat in its neighbourhood without one. Russian aircraft engines to become even lighter after new unequaled tech invented A prototype of the PD-35 engine for cargo planes features a composite thrust reverser flap — a shift that could bring significant performance gains The PD-35 is the first Russian engine with polymer composite fan blades — cutting fan weight by one-third Every kilogram saved reduces fuel burn and increases payload - a remarkable achievement for a cargo engine Composites are widely used in airframes, but remain rare in engine components — even for Western giants like Rolls-Royce and GE Russia aims to boost non-metallic materials in its engines from 10 to 30% by 2035. B-21 Raider Enters Low-Rate Initial Production as Flight Testing Expands. As per reports @northropgrumman 's B-21 Raider has officially entered Low-Rate Initial Production (LRIP) while continuing an extensive flight test campaign, with multiple aircraft now actively participating in the program. The U.S. Air Force's next-generation stealth bomber has already achieved several major development milestones, including the successful completion of aerial refueling trials, further validating its operational capabilities. The B-21 Raider is expected to achieve Initial Operational Capability (IOC) around 2027 at Ellsworth Air Force Base, marking a significant step toward modernizing the U.S. strategic bomber fleet. 75 B-52 strategic bombers set to get gigabit connectivity and a fiber-optic network for their weapons pylons as part of a huge upgrade to keep them going till it reaches almost 100 By Efosa Udinmwen Published July 9, 2026 US Air Force plans huge B-52 upgrade with fiber optic pylons (Image credit: Leon Neal/Getty Images) Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter • B-52 bombers receive gigabit weapon links through advanced fiber optic pylons • The US Air Force plans 130 modern pylons for the aging strategic bomber fleet • New pylons allow heavier weapons on upgraded B-52 aircraft for decades The US Air Force is moving ahead with another major modernization effort for its fleet of 75 B-52H bombers, focusing on replacing weapons pylons originally designed during the late 1950s. Advertisement The proposed Advanced Wing Weapons Pylon introduces support for far heavier weapons while also bringing modern digital connectivity through the MIL-STD-1760E interface. Those interface requirements include gigabit data transfer capability and fiber optic connections that allow advanced weapons to exchange significantly larger volumes of information with aircraft systems. Latest Videos From New pylons prepare decades-old bombers for future weapons According to an Air Force business notice, the replacement pylon must carry either conventional or nuclear weapons weighing up to 20,000 pounds, while the wing hardpoint remains limited to 28,000 pounds. Advertisement This development effort will require about 36 months before reaching a critical design review, although industry feedback will determine whether that schedule remains achievable. • You may like • America’s iconic B-52 Stratofortress 'BUFF' bomber gets new avionics and upgraded engines • • Chinese researchers claim software identifies aerodynamic flaws in US B-21 Raider • US Marine Corps gets six 'blind' F-35B stealth fighters loaded with lead ballast instead of advanced radars The service expects an initial production requirement of between 20 and 24 pylons, with at least 12 arriving during the first production year before expanding toward roughly 130 units. The procurement replaces the Improved Common Pylon, introduced during the 1960s after its original design work began in 1959 for considerably lighter weapons. Sign up to the TechRadar Pro newsletter to get all the top news, opinion, features and guidance your business needs to succeed! By signing up, you agree to our Terms of services and acknowledge that you have read our Privacy Notice. You also agree to receive marketing emails from us that may include promotions from our trusted partners and sponsors, which you can unsubscribe from at any time. Air Force documents explained that previous engineers never anticipated external weapons exceeding 5,000 pounds, leaving the current equipment facing structural concerns under modern operational requirements. Officials said the replacement effort will identify suppliers capable of delivering accelerated pylon designs while modifying existing carriage equipment for newer and substantially heavier munitions. The standardized electrical interface also enables modern avionics to exchange complex guidance, mission, and release information with sophisticated precision weapons through high-speed digital links. • What to read next • Chinese firm's fiber trial hits staggering 51.3 Tb/s over 128 miles without signal regeneration • • Drone-killing laser weapons greenlit for use in US airspace • • Why fiber is the real secret to scaling intelligence in artificial intelligence factories Upgrade supports broader B-52J modernization effort The pylon replacement forms part of the wider conversion turning today's B-52H fleet into the B-52J through new engines, modern radar, updated avionics, and expanded weapons integration capabilities. Advertisement The Air Force requested $30 million during fiscal 2027 for research and development supporting the new pylons, alongside another $50 million for integrating newer AGM-158 Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile variants. Budget documents describe the Advanced Wing Weapons Pylon as "the key that unlocks all future heavy-weight weapon capabilities for the B-52," reflecting its importance within broader modernization plans. The upgraded equipment increases both weapon weight capacity and carriage numbers, allowing each pylon to support eight JASSM missiles instead of six. Separately, the Air Force requested $1 million during fiscal 2027 to begin examining possible long-term successors for the B-52, even as modernization continues. Those parallel efforts illustrate how military planners intend to extend the bomber's operational usefulness toward almost 100 years while simultaneously examining eventual replacement options. Whether every modernization objective proceeds according to current schedules remains uncertain, although ongoing investment shows continued confidence in extending the aircraft's military relevance for decades. Via Aviation Tech Today MTU Maintenance Opens Fort Worth Overhaul Shop Lee Ann Shay July 08, 2026 CFM International Leap-1B Credit: Sean Broderick/Aviation Week MTU Maintenance opened its refurbished 43,000 m2 (463,000 ft.2) facility in Fort Worth, Texas, July 8 and inducted its first engine, a Gol Linhas Aereas CFM International Leap-1B, which is now mounted on a fixed overhaul system and is undergoing an incoming inspection. The new facility offers Leap-1A and -1B overhauls and in-house engine repairs and is part of CFM’s Premier MRO network. MTU Maintenance Fort Worth also plans to add GE Aerospace GEnx engine services by the end of the decade. The shop currently employs just over 200 people but hopes to ramp up to 1,200 by 2032, when it expects to be fully ramped up. This year, it plans to overhaul 10 Leap engines and grow that to 240 shop visits annually once both the Leap and GEnx programs are fully operational. MTU opened the site in 2023 and invested $120 million to upgrade and expand it to add full disassembly, MRO, assembly and test capabilities. The site also includes a new 100,000 lb.-thrust test cell. Its onsite training academy offers a 14-week program that includes classroom-based theory and practical training. “We invest this time in our new recruits to ensure familiarization with MTU standards and processes, real operational readiness when they go onto the shop floor, as well as a common and mutual understanding of teamwork at MTU,” says a company spokeswoman. Launch customer Gol operates more than 64 Boeing 737-8 aircraft powered by the Leap-1B, according to Aviation Week data. Gulfstream SAF Testing Shows Contrail Emission Cuts G800 with Pearl 700 engine flew neat SAF; modded G700 served as flying laboratory By Amy Wilder • Writer July 7, 2026 Gulfstream Aerospace has become the first business aviation company to complete a high-altitude flight-test campaign demonstrating the potential for 100% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) to reduce contrail-forming particle emissions at altitudes up to 50,000 feet, the company said. The campaign marked the first 100% SAF flight for the Gulfstream G800 and its Rolls-Royce Pearl 700 engine. Researchers paired the G800 with a specially modified G700 converted into a flying emissions-measurement laboratory. Flying in close formation, the two aircraft captured measurements of particulate matter and contrail-forming atmospheric characteristics at altitudes higher than those flown by most airliners, but typical for business jet missions. Researchers compared jet-A, low-sulfur jet-A, and 100% hydroprocessed esters and fatty acids (HEFA) SAF, which contains no sulfur or aromatics. Preliminary results suggest a significant measurable reduction in the particulate emissions that contribute to contrail formation when operating on neat SAF. “As aviation continues its work in optimizing environmental efficiencies, Gulfstream is focused on advancing solutions that deliver measurable impact today while shaping a more sustainable future for flight,” said Gulfstream president Mark Burns. “This campaign reflects our strategy to lead with advanced technology, real-world testing, and meaningful collaboration to better understand and reduce aviation’s environmental impact.” Preparing for the campaign required months of work, including modifying the G700 cabin to integrate in-flight emissions instrumentation. Pilots trained in simulators to execute formation profiles designed to capture near-field emissions and contrail evolution several miles in-trail. The research was conducted in collaboration with the FAA’s Center of Excellence (ASCENT), NASA, the German Aerospace Center (DLR), the Missouri University of Science and Technology, Aerodyne Research, Rolls-Royce, Montana Renewables, and World Fuel Services. “This collaboration enabled these first-ever high-altitude 100% SAF emissions observations, allowing the team to operate safely and efficiently while maintaining the precision needed for accurate data collection,” said Rich Moore, NASA research scientist. “This real-world data is essential to improving our models and understanding aviation’s broader environmental impact.” Gulfstream said its aircraft have flown more than 3.5 million nm on SAF blends to date. The campaign data will be shared with the broader aviation and atmospheric science communities to help refine analytical models and inform future fuel standards. “Partnering with Gulfstream was an excellent opportunity that will help inform and quantify our efforts to mitigate the impacts of persistent contrails,” said Julie Marks, executive director of the FAA’s Office of Environment and Energy. “We appreciate the collaboration with industry as the FAA continues to evaluate how SAF may help reduce persistent contrails.” The F-35’s Stealth Coating Fixed the One Problem That Made the F-22 a Maintenance Headache Every stealth aircraft before the F-35 paid a brutal price for invisibility: fragile radar-absorbing skin that degraded almost as soon as it was applied. The F-22 is the cautionary tale, its coatings a major reason it costs roughly $60,000 an hour to fly and struggles to keep half its fleet mission-ready. The F-35 was engineered a decade later to solve exactly that, and the result was so much better the Air Force put the newer jet’s coatings onto the older one. By Harry J. Kazianis U.S. Air Force Maj. Paul Lopez, F-22 Demo Team commander, performs an aerial demonstration during the Thunder over Georgia Air Show at Robins Air Force Base, Sept. 28, 2019. Founded in 2007, the F-22 Raptor Demo Team showcases the unique capabilities of the world's premier 5th-generation fighter aircraft. (U.S. Air Force photo by 2nd Lt. Sam Eckholm) Summary and Key Points: Every stealth aircraft before the Lockheed Martin F-35 paid a brutal price for invisibility: a fragile radar-absorbing skin that degraded almost as soon as it was applied and required enormous hours of maintenance. The F-22 Raptor is the cautionary tale: its coatings are a major reason it costs roughly $60,000 an hour to fly and it struggles to keep half its fleet mission-ready. The F-35 was engineered a decade later to solve exactly that, baking its stealth into the skin itself. The result was so much better that the Air Force went back and put the newer jet’s coatings onto the older one. The Stealth Fighter Challenge Everyone Forgets F-22 Raptor Lakeland Florida Airshow. Taken by Harry J. Kazianis on 4/19/2026. Stealth has always come with a hidden tax, and it is not the one most people imagine. The famous challenge of building a radar-evading aircraft is shaping it correctly, but the enduring, expensive challenge is keeping it stealthy once it is flying. The radar-absorbent materials, or RAM, that soak up enemy radar energy have historically been delicate, and prolonged exposure to weather, heat, and chemicals rapidly degrades a coating’s effectiveness, which is why maintaining low-observable skin has been one of the great burdens of the stealth age. The story of the F-35’s coating is the story of how engineers finally tamed that problem, and it is best understood by starting with the aircraft that suffered from it most. The Raptor’s Expensive Skin The F-22 Raptor is one of the most capable air-superiority fighters ever built, and its stealth skin is one of the most demanding maintenance burdens in military aviation. Like the F-117 and B-2 before it, the Raptor relies on radar-absorbent coatings and tapes that must be carefully applied to the seams between its body panels, and those treatments begin degrading almost immediately. As The War Zone documented in a striking set of images, the RAM on an F-22’s nose can visibly crumble and fall away, corroding under exposure and flight stress. Keeping that skin combat-ready is, by that outlet’s account, one of the costliest aspects of operating an aircraft that runs roughly $60,000 per flight hour and has hovered near a 50 percent mission-capable rate. The maintainers who do the painstaking work, masking, sanding, and re-binding coatings by hand so a jet returns from a training range undetected, have their own nickname in the fleet: “Martians,” for the low-observable world they work in. Baking Stealth Into the Skin The F-35 arrived roughly a decade after the Raptor, and its designers treated that maintenance nightmare as a problem to engineer away. Instead of relying primarily on coatings painted and taped onto the surface, the F-35 uses a fibermat RAM baked directly into its multilayer composite skin, so the radar-absorbing property is part of the structure rather than a fragile layer on top. It is more durable, easier to work with, and faster-curing than older topcoats. A U.S. Air Force F-35A Lightning II, assigned to the F-35A Lightning II Demonstration Team, performs precision aerial maneuvers during the Columbus Air Show at Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base, Columbus, Ohio, June 21, 2026. The F-35A Demonstration Team showcases the unique aerodynamic capabilities, advanced avionics, and combat readiness of the military’s premier fifth-generation fighter to inspire the next generation of Airmen and demonstrate American air power. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Airman 1st Class Samir Harris) The precision of the manufacturing matters just as much as the material. The F-35’s body panels are cut and fitted by multi-axis robots and laser measurements to extraordinarily fine tolerances, so the gaps between panels are a fraction of those on older jets. Because the reflective seams between panels are one of the classic giveaways that radar exploits, shrinking them to near nothing means the airframe is not only absorbent in itself but assembled so tightly that there is little for radar to catch. The payoff is resilience, which the older jets never had. The Navy boasts that the F-35C retains its stealth with minimal low-observable maintenance even in the harshest shipboard conditions, the salt-laden carrier environment that would ruin the coating on a B-2. The Proof, and the Catch Lockheed Martin set out to prove the durability with data. Before the jet entered service, the company built a full-scale signature-measurement model, then, according to the same War Zone reporting, simulated the cumulative effect of more than 600 flight hours of “extensive damage” on it. The all-important radar cross-section measurements showed the jet’s stealthy signature remained intact, evidence that accumulated wear does not push the aircraft out of spec. That same resilience explains the “rusty F-35” photos that circulated widely: the brown staining seen on carrier jets was a surface effect on a coating known to contain iron, an oxidation that analysts judged unlikely to meaningfully affect the jet’s stealth qualities, and one the Navy had been developing shipboard repair processes for since well before the F-35C ever deployed. None of this means the F-35’s stealth is maintenance-free, and it would be misleading to suggest otherwise. Restoring the coating after real damage still means rebuilding both the exact physical contour and the electromagnetic properties of the surface, work that demands validation against precise specifications and, for the more complex repairs, engineering oversight from the manufacturer. As far back as 2012, the Navy was already working out how to perform low-observable repairs aboard ship without specialized facilities, a measure of how involved the task is. Easier than the Raptor is not the same as easy. An F-35A Lightning II pilot assigned to the 125th Fighter Wing conducts a preflight maintenance check at Jacksonville Air National Guard Base, Florida, April 15, 2026. Coordination between pilots and maintainers ensures aircraft are mission-ready to execute aerospace control and air defense missions under Air Combat Command. The 125th FW sustains readiness to support federal and state missions, including combat operations, humanitarian assistance, and disaster response. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. N.W. Huertas) The Skin That Upgraded Its Elder The clearest measure of how well the F-35’s approach worked is what the Air Force did with it. Lockheed Martin has confirmed that some of the more durable low-observable coatings and gap-fillers developed for the F-35 were subsequently incorporated into the F-22, with program officials stating that the newer materials improved the system and reduced the Raptor’s life-cycle cost. The student successfully advanced to a master’s degree. That trajectory now points forward. The coming B-21 Raider is expected to carry another leap in low-maintenance stealth materials, and the experimental mirror-like coatings glimpsed on a handful of F-22s at Nellis Air Force Base hint at the multi-spectral, easier-to-sustain skins that sixth-generation fighters like the F-47 will demand. Each generation inherits the same hard lesson the F-22 taught, and the F-35 answered: an aircraft is only as stealthy as the skin you can keep in fighting shape, and the real breakthrough was not making a jet invisible, but keeping it that way without grinding the fleet to a halt. US & Europe test giant next-gen jet engine that could change aviation (Video) Welcome back to the Fluctus Channel, where we explore the latest in military aviation and naval innovation, from GE and Safran’s next-gen jet engines to joint U.S.-Dutch maritime operations, carrier interoperability, and stealth ship technologies. Fluctus is a website and YouTube channel dedicated to sea geeks. Whenever you are curious or an incorrigible lover of this mysterious world, our videos are made for you ! We publish 3 videos a week on our Youtube channel and many more articles on our website. Feel free to subscribe to not miss any of our updates and visit our website to discover additional content. Don’t forget to follow us on twitter: Please keep the comments section respectful. Any spam, insults or troll will be deleted. To contact us, make sure to use our email in the about section of this channel. Next-gen ramjet fuel propulsion system for future offensive, defensive missions tested During the ground test, the team ignited and operated the system in a direct connect flight-representative environment. Read Next: Hypersonics: US based rotating detonation rocket engine company to scale production By Prabhat Ranjan Mishra Military Jul 05, 2026 11:04 PM EST The approach marks an essential risk reduction step in enabling solid fuel ramjet propulsion to help close a critical performance, and cost gap. (Representational image) L3Harris L3Harris has taken a significant step toward advancing next-generation propulsion technology for future offensive and defensive missions. The company revealed that a recent test demonstrated progress toward a high-performance, lower-cost propulsion option. The test also met the Department of War’s goal to provide superior advanced weapon systems, at affordable mass, that will outpace adversaries and expand the range of solutions available to the warfighter. “This test is an important step in proving solid fuel ramjet propulsion can deliver the speed, range and affordability our customers need,” said Scott Alexander, President, Missile Propulsion, L3Harris. Lufthansa Technik’s Decision Factors For New Southeast Asia Facility Lee Ann Shay July 08, 2026 A Lufthansa Technik Philippines’ hangar in Manila specializes in widebody aircraft maintenance. Credit: Lufthansa Technik Lufthansa Technik Philippines evaluated several areas in Southeast Asia for its second widebody aircraft facility before selecting Clark International Airport, which is about 80 km, or a 1.5-hr. drive, from its Manila facility at Nino Aquino International Airport. Finding a site in Southeast Asia “was never a doubt” because of the region’s growth and strategic location—it was just a matter of where, says Holger Beck, Lufthansa Technik Philippines CEO. After evaluating “all the options,” it decided to add a second facility in the Philippines, where it has been operating for 25 years and knows the business environment. The proximity between the sites also is advantageous because the MRO can leverage its mature Manila location to help launch the new one at Clark, which is scheduled to open the first half of 2028. Operating two mid-sized facilities instead of one mega one minimizes risk in case something like a typhoon occurs. The Philippines is also geopolitically neutral, which was another selling point. The dual widebody base maintenance facilities in the Philippines will broaden Lufthansa Technik’s capacity and capabilities to service customers in Asia, Australia, Europe and the Middle East. The Clark facility will add Boeing 787 heavy check capability, the timing of which is good because the fleet is approaching “the heavy, heavy checks,” Holger says. It also is investing more in Airbus A350 maintenance capabilities so it will have the full scope of Boeing 777, 787, A330, A340, A350 and A380 heavy maintenance services. Lufthansa Technik Philippines maintains A320 narrowbodies, but widebodies are its main focus. The new 157,000-m2 (1,689,930-ft.2) site at Clark will accommodate up to nine widebody aircraft and will complement Manila’s 226,000-m2 facility that holds up to six widebodies and three narrowbodies. Clark, a former U.S. military base, serves several Asian and Middle East airlines, and it also is a big logistics hub, which was a major selling point for Lufthansa Technik. UPS, for instance, already operates there and plans to open a new hub at the airport later this year. Southeast Asian Airlines is an all-cargo carrier based at Clark, and several other Asian carriers provide regional freight service. FedEx has been operating at Clark since 1984. Clark Airport also is about an hour's drive to the seaport in Subic Bay, which is one of the largest ports in the Philippines. Perhaps even more appealing than the infrastructure elements are the Filipino people, who often speak English and are very dedicated, Beck says. About 20 million people live in and around Manila, so the catchment area for potential employees is vast. The area includes colleges that offer aviation programs and aviation maintenance technician schools. Lufthansa Technik Philippines, a joint venture with MacroAsia Corp., itself has “a really strong track record of training people in Manila,” because it has trained more than 10,000 Filipinos since operating in the country, Beck says. It inputs about 400 students annually in its 18-month maintenance training program, which is followed by two to three years of gaining experience on the production floor. “We have known for quite some time that we would like to expand, so two years ago” it started to source new students from the Clark area. “We already have roughly 500 people from the Clark area that have been trained and are building up their competence,” Beck says. When the new facility at Clark opens in 2028, it expects to have a full staff from the area already trained, experienced and ready to go. The two facilities will operate in parallel—each with their respective staffs, but at least initially some specialists will be exchanged, Beck says. Lufthansa Technik is investing at least $100 million in the Clark facility. In addition to the hangars, it will include a paint shop and workshops for nondestructive testing, tool calibration, structures, components, composites, machining, panels, upholstery and “a large shop for seats, galleys and lavatories,” Beck says. “The goal is that we can maintain or repair all parts that are touched at a base maintenance event in-house to reduce the downtime and smooth the logistics,” he says. Given all of the advantages of Clark, “we are very confident that this is exactly the place to be,” Beck says. Curt Lewis