August 19, 2026 - No. 33

In This Issue

: Army’s Apache grounding prompted by deadly Texas crash will end this week, memo says 

: Northrop Grumman and U.S. Navy complete E-2D Block II design review, moving next-generation airborne command and control toward 2029 flight tests 

: Northrop Grumman secures $1.2 billion U.S. deal for three more E-2D Advanced Hawkeye early warning aircraft

: Startup Pakistan: World’s largest electric aircraft 

: GE’s T901 Engine Clears Preliminary Flight Rating for UH-60 Black Hawk

: Airlines get grounded jets flying again, but engine bills linger

: Boeing upgrades EA-18G Growler for next generation jamming as U.S. Navy strengthens electronic warfare against modern threats

: Boeing upgrades EA-18G Growler for next generation jamming as U.S. Navy strengthens electronic warfare against modern threats

: Katana drone maker plans new version after DARPA win

: FAA Proposes Rolls-Powered Boeing 787 Nacelle Changes


 


 


 


Army’s Apache grounding prompted by deadly Texas crash will end this week, memo says
The service confirmed a transmission problem on the helicopters three months ago. It wasn’t a factor in this crash, an official told Defense One.

THOMAS NOVELLY
AUGUST 17, 2026 03:15 PM ET
•	ARMY AIRCRAFT 
 
Army officials plan to resume Apache training flights in days, after the fleet was grounded following a crash that left two soldiers dead in Texas, according to an internal memo reviewed by Defense One.

The two soldiers, Chief Warrant Officer 2 Deontre T. Huey and Warrant Officer Seth L. Olmstead, died during a maintenance test flight out of Fort Hood on Aug. 12. On Friday, Army officials announced a stand down of AH64 Apache training flight operations and said in a news release it “will remain in effect until we have a better understanding of the root cause of the accident.” 

However, a widely circulated internal Aug. 14 memo reviewed by Defense One said the grounding “concludes on midnight Tuesday,” with plans for “flight operations resuming on Wednesday 19 August.” The document acknowledges that from fiscal year 2023 through this year, the Army had nine fatalities from nineteen Class A mishaps, the term used for the service's deadliest and costliest incidents. 

“During the Army aviation AH-64 fleet safety stand down, commands will focus on aviation academics and safety related topics,” the memo states. “Senior commanders will be involved during the aviation safety stand down. Opening remarks shall be provided by general officers, who will articulate the importance of this event. Commanders will review, brief, and discuss an overview of current safety statistics and trends.” 

Safety stand downs are common after military crashes, but the current Apache grounding marks the latest in a recent string of safety mishaps for the storied attack helicopter. Three months ago, Defense One exclusively revealed a transmission problem that could “result in loss of tail rotor thrust, electrical power, and hydraulics. Some of the AH-64 Echo models had to be grounded as a result. Prior to that investigation, there had been at least three Apache incidents—including one crash during a maintenance flight out of Fort Hood, according to photos and information from a pilot.

While investigations into the crash are ongoing, a U.S. official told Defense One the service was “able to eliminate the transmission as a causal factor.” The official confirmed the Apache fleet would resume training flights this week.

A Boeing executive told Defense One on the sidelines of the Farnborough International Air Show in the United Kingdom last month that they couldn’t share the progress on fixing those transmission problems.

“Boeing does have crews that are there working with the U.S. Army on some of those components,” said Mark Ballew, Boeing Defense, Space, and Security’s senior director of business development and strategy for vertical lift. “So our team's been there, they’ve been working there for the last month-plus on that.” 

A Boeing spokesman told Defense One on Sunday the company is still working with the Army on the transmission problem.

Apaches are being relied on heavily during the ongoing war in Iran, are part of major foreign military sales this year, and have been used for high-level transportation of Defense Department leaders and celebrities. 

Officials wrote in Friday’s memo that “CENTCOM deployed formations are exempt from the safety stand down requirements.” 

In June, an Apache went down near the coast of Oman while “patrolling international waters,” according to U.S. Central Command. After the helicopter was reportedly struck by an Iranian drone, the U.S. military deployed a Navy drone boat to rescue the downed crew. 



 


 


 


Northrop Grumman and U.S. Navy complete E-2D Block II design review, moving next-generation airborne command and control toward 2029 flight tests

By Martin Chomsky (Defence Industry Europe)

August 17, 2026
Photo: U.S. Navy.

Northrop Grumman and the U.S. Navy are moving the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye Block II upgrade from design into aircraft modification and testing after completing a Critical Design Review in May. The milestone advances a major modernization of the carrier-based airborne command-and-control aircraft, with flight testing scheduled for fiscal 2029.

Northrop Grumman, manufacturer of the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye, worked with the Navy’s E-2/C-2 Airborne Command & Control Systems Program Office, known as PMA-231, on the technical review. The review assessed the finalized system product baseline and cleared the Block II program to begin physical aircraft retrofits.

Block II represents the next evolution of the aircraft’s Delta System Software Configuration 6 and establishes a new software foundation for faster capability insertion. The upgrade introduces a modernized cockpit architecture, greater computing power, an Open Mission Systems framework and enhanced cybersecurity.

The Navy intends those changes to preserve the E-2D’s role as a central airborne command-and-control node in contested maritime operations. The modernized cockpit and flight systems are also designed to reduce pilot workload and improve situational awareness during complex battlespace-management missions.

A central element of the upgrade is the Open Mission Systems architecture, which is intended to address current and future component obsolescence. The approach will also allow new technologies to be integrated without dependence on proprietary architectures, supporting faster updates as operational requirements change.

The Block II infrastructure is designed to improve battle-force resilience against increasingly complex threats while shortening the path for new capabilities to reach operational aircraft. For Northrop Grumman and the Navy, completion of the design review shifts the effort from engineering development toward physical integration and eventual flight evaluation.

PMA-231 manages the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye and E-2C Hawkeye throughout their service lives. The aircraft support U.S. Navy airborne early warning and command-and-control missions, with Block II intended to provide the computing and software architecture required for future capability growth.






 


Northrop Grumman secures $1.2 billion U.S. deal for three more E-2D Advanced Hawkeye 
early warning aircraft

By Martin Chomsky (Defence Industry Europe)
Air
|
July 23, 2026
Photo: Northrop Grumman.

Northrop Grumman has signed another agreement with the U.S. Department of War for additional E-2D Advanced Hawkeye airborne early warning and command aircraft. The contract is valued at $1.2 billion and covers the delivery of three more aircraft.

The aircraft are to be delivered by the end of 2031. They are expected to be built in the Block II configuration.

The order is intended, among other things, to keep the E-2D final assembly line operating in the coming years. Northrop Grumman currently holds a backlog of about 28 aircraft, according to the information provided.

The award comes as the future of the production line remains tied to further domestic or export demand. In the absence of recent marketing successes, the U.S. Department of War has already started initial funding linked to the planned wind-down of production.

Northrop Grumman is working with the U.S. federal administration on efforts that could support further E-2D sales outside the United States. 

Northrop Grumman is also carrying out modernization work on aircraft that have already been delivered. Those projects include changes to the fuel system, including the installation of an aerial refueling probe.

The company is also working on cockpit reconstruction and the replacement of required onboard avionics components. The latest order therefore supports near-term production continuity while the wider program depends on follow-on demand and export opportunities.






 


Startup Pakistan

@PakStartup
World’s largest electric aircraft has completed its first test flight, marking an exciting step forward for the future of electric aviation. The aircraft reportedly stayed in the air for just 27 minutes during its initial flight, while the test was carried out at an estimated cost of only $5. 

The milestone demonstrates how electric aircraft technology is continuing to develop, with engineers working toward cleaner and more efficient air travel. 

Although the aircraft is still in the testing stage, its successful flight highlights the potential of electric propulsion to transform aviation. More testing will be needed before electric aircraft become widely used.

Disclaimer: This post is for informational purposes only and is based on publicly available reports. The image is AI generated and is just for reference.

#ElectricAircraft #FutureOfAviation #ElectricFlight #GreenTechnology #AviationNews #Innovation







 


GE’s T901 Engine Clears Preliminary Flight Rating for UH-60 Black Hawk

Published on: August 17, 2026 at 10:24 PM CEST

 Parth Satam


Following successful forward flight testing aboard a UH-60M Black Hawk, the next-generation T901 Improved Turbine Engine has officially achieved its Preliminary Flight Rating (PFR), clearing a critical path toward formal military qualification and eventual fielding. (Image credit: Sikorsky)

The next-generation T901, developed as part of the ITEP program, cleared the Preliminary Flight Rating and will now proceed toward full airworthiness qualification testing.

The T901 engine developed by GE Aerospace to replace the T700 engines powering the U.S. Army’s UH-60M Black Hawk and AH-64 Apache fleets has completed Preliminary Flight Rating (PFR) testing, the service announced on Aug. 12, 2026. The Army described the PFR as a key airworthiness milestone on the path toward full qualification.

This new development comes a year after the T901’s first ground test in January 2025 on a Black Hawk. Images from both the test events show orange-colored shrouds on both the main and tail-rotor assemblies, believed to contain sensors to collect data on the engine’s performance. 

The Army said that the next step is the full airworthiness qualification testing, which is scheduled to begin in the first quarter of Fiscal Year 2027 and will run in parallel with the UH-60M’s developmental testing. The campaign will include Flight Load Surveys and continued flight tests to “demonstrate the added capabilities the T901 provides for the UH-60M at heavy, high, and hot conditions.”   


Additionally, the Army released on Aug. 14 a sources sought notice for the production of the T901. This will allow the service to push the engine into rapid production after testing concludes.
The two T901-GE-900 engines for the UH-60M Black Hawk helicopter integration delivered by the U.S. Army to Sikorsky at the latter’s facility in West Palm Beach, Florida. (Image Credit: Sikorsky)

T901 engine
The T901 was developed in response to the Army’s Improved Turbine Engine Program (ITEP) effort, with the primary requirement of a 3,000 shaft-horsepower powerplant for the UH-60 and AH-64. GE Aerospace says that the T901 is an improvement in several attributes to the existing T700.

Compared with the T700, the T901 provides 50% more power and 25% better specific fuel consumption, translating into “less fuel usage and fewer carbon emissions,” while its single-spool core architecture is intended to simplify maintenance. GE also says the engine incorporates ceramic matrix composites and additive manufacturing to reduce weight and improve efficiency.


Plans to upgrade the MH-60M Black Hawks operated by the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment “Night Stalkers” (160th SOAR) depend in part on the T901’s development. U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) officials told journalists at the SOF Week conference in May that they hope to integrate the T901 into their MH-60Ms to create a Block 2 variant of the type. 

The Army emphasized how the T901’s development deviated from traditional engineering practices. The conventional route has been “a slow, step-by-step process” with years of testing prototypes “in a sealed ground chamber” to test parts until they fail from fatigue, allowing engineers to identify weaknesses and redesign them before flight testing begins.

Moreover, the T901 program “changed the paradigm with simultaneous ground and flight testing,” the Army said. The service explained that “running ground and flight trials in parallel allowed the team to rack up over 2,600 test cell hours and more than 90 hours of aircraft ground and flight test time.”

This approach shortened the “feedback loop between the ground and air,” where if test pilots detected a minor anomaly during a flight run, ground engineers “could immediately replicate the conditions, diagnose the issue, and push software or hardware refinement back to the flight line for the next day’s mission.”

The modified UH-60 Black Hawk at Sikorsky’s facility in West Palm Beach, Florida during the ground testing of the GE T901 engine. (Image Credit: Sikorsky)

Digital engineering and high-and-hot testing
Before the physical T901 engine powered an aircraft, its design had already undergone thousands of hours of simulated testing in a digital environment during the Engineering and Manufacturing Development (EMD) phase. The Army explained the team built a digital twin and used Numerical Propulsion System Simulation to run thousands of iterations, incorporating real-world data from early altitude testing.

The combined Lockheed Martin, GE, and the U.S. Army team also used advanced Computational Fluid Dynamics to model complex aerodynamic and thermal behaviors. By simulating heat transfer within the cramped confines of the helicopter’s engine compartment before manufacturing any physical parts, the team mitigated integration risks and saved months of software and hardware redesigns.

The ultimate benchmark for the T901 is its high-and-hot operational rating: the ability to deliver full mission performance at 6,000 feet in 95-degree Fahrenheit conditions (6k/95°), where high density altitude severely degrades engine performance.
To expand the engine’s flight envelope so it could handle these extreme operational conditions, the program took a methodical, stepped approach. The Army says the recent testing reached 17,000 ft and 160 knots and established the foundation for the formal operational assessment of the 6k/95° requirement planned for FY2028.





 


Airlines get grounded jets flying again, but engine bills linger

Fri 14/08/2026 - 15:58
By Rajesh Kumar Singh

CHICAGO, Aug 14 (Reuters) - Airlines are getting grounded jets back into the air. The bills left by a years-long engine crisis are proving much harder to bring down.
Air New Zealand offers a glimpse of how those costs can linger. Engine problems at one point left as much as 20% of its fleet unavailable, forcing it to lease extra aircraft and engines to protect its schedule.

Availability has since improved sharply, but Chief Executive Nikhil Ravishankar told Reuters it could take 12 to 18 months to shed the extra leases and related costs, only partly offset by supplier compensation.

The crisis was fueled by durability problems affecting some newer engines and a Pratt & Whitney powder-metal problem that forced accelerated inspections and removals, compounded by shortages of labor, parts and repair capacity. Airlines leased replacement engines and aircraft to keep flying, leaving them with higher overhaul, parts and lease costs even as groundings ease.

Delayed deliveries from Boeing and Airbus are adding to the pressure by keeping older jets in service longer and pushing some airlines into engine work they had expected to avoid.

A Reuters analysis of U.S. Transportation Department data found that across six large U.S. airline operations, reported spending on engine labor, aircraft-engine repairs and engine materials rose about 68% between 2019 and 2025, while hours flown increased about 10%.

The same pattern appeared in the latest available Transportation Department data, with reported spending in those categories up 17% in the first quarter from a year earlier while hours flown increased less than 2%.

Maintenance spending can vary with engine age, accumulated cycles, fleet-management decisions and the timing of shop visits, during which engines are removed from aircraft for inspection or repair. The Transportation Department data do not identify what caused the increase.

GE Aerospace referred to comments made on its second-quarter earnings call. Safran and RTX did not respond to requests for comment. Rolls-Royce declined to comment.
RTX's Pratt & Whitney illustrates the disconnect. Groundings tied to its geared-turbofan engines, which power many newer single-aisle jets, fell 25% in the first half. But in the second quarter, the mix of heavier PW1100G repair work was 14 percentage points higher than a year earlier.

Latest regulatory filings from United Airlines and American Airlines also show higher first-half maintenance expenses driven partly by engine-overhaul work.

Parts and other materials account for about 60% of the direct cost of a typical single-aisle engine overhaul, according to consultancy Oliver Wyman. Newer engines deliver fuel-efficiency gains, but overhaul bills are higher because they have fewer developed repair options and fewer used parts available, partner Sam Sargent said.

George Dimitroff, head of valuations at Ascend by Cirium, said overhaul and mandatory parts-replacement costs for newer LEAP and GTF engines, which power most Airbus A320neo- and Boeing 737 MAX-family jets, have risen about twice as much since 2019 as for older CFM56 and V2500 engines.

Not all the maintenance growth on newer engines is tied to technical problems; maturing fleets also require more scheduled work.

LEASES OUTLAST GROUNDINGS
Long shop visits can force airlines to lease replacement engines.
JetBlue Airways has said some Pratt engines can take 200 to 300 days to complete a shop visit. The airline has also increased the number of engines it leases.
Short-term leases for some newer LEAP and PW1100G engines have exceeded $6,500 a day in completed transactions over the past year, compared with around $5,000 a day in 2022-23, according to aviation consultancy IBA.

Austin Willis, CEO of engine lessor Willis Lease Finance, told Reuters airlines needing replacement engines have often sought leases lasting around three years, while shorter contracts are frequently extended. That can leave airlines paying even after their own engines return.

OLD JETS, NEW BILLS
A full overhaul of a CFM56-5B engine used on older Airbus A320-family jets can easily cost more than $10 million, Willis said.

Oliver Wyman and the International Air Transport Association estimated that delayed aircraft replacements could have added about $3.1 billion to global airline maintenance costs in 2025.

Delayed aircraft retirements are also tightening the supply of cheaper used engine parts. Industry officials and experts say fewer engines are being dismantled for parts, pushing up used-parts prices and leaving airlines more dependent on new parts from manufacturers.

PRICING TENSIONS
The squeeze has sharpened tensions between airlines and engine makers over repair costs and pricing.

Asked at the International Air Transport Association annual meeting in June whether engine makers had too much pricing power and were using shortages to charge airlines more, United Chief Executive Scott Kirby replied: "Yes and yes."

Industry executives say developing new technology costs billions of dollars and manufacturers often discount engines heavily upfront, expecting to recover that investment over years through parts and maintenance.

Safran CEO Olivier Andriès last month said increases in repair and spare-parts prices should be moderate and reflect higher supplier costs rather than an "abusive posture."
GE Aerospace CEO Larry Culp told investors last month that LEAP-related aircraft groundings had fallen to near zero. GE is also rolling out upgraded parts designed to let the engines stay on aircraft longer before needing major maintenance.

RTX, which has said it is improving durability and expanding repair capacity, reported Pratt's PW1100G repair output rose 43% in the second quarter from a year earlier and turnaround times fell 23%.

For airlines, the financial relief can take longer.

"The fact that AOGs (aircraft on ground) have come down, that doesn't change the maintenance cost," Willis said.






 


Boeing upgrades EA-18G Growler for next generation jamming as U.S. Navy strengthens electronic warfare against modern threats

By Martin Chomsky (Defence Industry Europe)
Electronic Warfare
|
August 18, 2026
Photo: Boeing.

Boeing is marking 20 years since the first flight of the EA-18G Growler, the U.S. Navy’s carrier-based airborne electronic attack aircraft. The anniversary comes as the Navy and Boeing continue upgrading the platform’s processing, detection and jamming capabilities for future operations.

The first Growler, designated EA-1, flew from Lambert International Airport in St. Louis, Missouri, on Aug. 15, 2006. Boeing test pilot Ricardo Traven and chief weapons system operator Rick Junkin were at the controls.

“From the first flight, that I had the pleasure to pilot with my WSO Rick Junkin, it was obvious to us what a terrific capability and future this aircraft would blaze in the years that followed,” Traven said. Development had formally started in December 2003 under a five-year System Development and Demonstration contract between Boeing and the U.S. Navy.

The EA-18G was developed to replace the Northrop Grumman EA-6B Prowler and perform electronic warfare missions including surveillance, jamming and suppression of enemy air defenses. Based on the F/A-18 Super Hornet, the Growler can operate from aircraft carriers and conduct both stand-off and escort jamming missions.

“I started my career flying the EA-6B Prowler,” said former U.S. Navy Growler pilot Paul “Disco” Ritter. “It was an amazing machine — it was fun, like flying a farm truck. Transitioning to the Growler was like upgrading to a Ferrari.”

The first EA-18G was delivered to the Naval Air Test Center at Patuxent River, Maryland, in September 2006, followed by the first fleet aircraft for Electronic Attack Squadron VAQ-129 in June 2008. Growlers completed their first combat deployment in 2011, and Boeing delivered the 100th aircraft to the Navy in May 2014.

Australia became the first country outside the United States to operate the aircraft after Boeing unveiled the first Royal Australian Air Force Growler in July 2015. Boeing inducted the first EA-18G into the Growler Modification Program in March 2021 to support compatibility with Next Generation Jamming capabilities.

Boeing said Growlers have recently supported U.S. and allied operations in the Red Sea, Venezuela and other parts of the Middle East by jamming enemy air defenses. The aircraft can also collect threat information and provide targeting data, threat warnings and protection to platforms including the F/A-18 and F-35.

“The Growler provides added layers of protection for the entire air wing by gathering information on threats not seen in real time and provides that target data, threat warning, and protection to other aircraft like the F/A-18 or the F-35,” Ritter said. “No other military aircraft does what it does, and it has changed how the air wing operates and performs strikes.”

“The range of the threats our military faces today have increased tremendously, and the layered electromagnetic effects the Growler provides reduces the capability of those threats we face,” Ritter said. “The Growler gives our air wing a clear advantage in the fight.”

The Growler Modification Program will increase processing power, improve detection capabilities and enable the aircraft to employ Next Generation Jamming pods. Boeing is also developing the Growler Block II capability suite to extend the EA-18G’s electronic warfare capabilities and support continued protection of U.S. and allied forces.







 


Swiss F-35A Lightning II production advances at Italy’s Cameri plant, with first locally built fighter due for delivery in 2028

By Martin Chomsky (Defence Industry Europe)
Air
|
August 15, 2026
Photo: Lockheed Martin.

Production of Switzerland’s F-35A fleet is moving forward at Leonardo’s Cameri facility in northern Italy, where the first Swiss fuselage section has been assembled with a wing. Armasuisse said the first F-35A produced at Cameri is scheduled to be transferred directly to Switzerland in mid-2028.

The fuselage section now in production carries the serial number MJ-4 and will eventually form part of Swiss aircraft J-6004. The associated wing is also being manufactured at Cameri, Europe’s only F-35 final assembly site.

Once work on the structural section is completed in Italy, the fuselage with its attached wings will be transported to Lockheed Martin’s plant in Fort Worth, Texas. It will then be integrated with the remaining aircraft components as Switzerland’s procurement moves through the international F-35 production network.

The first eight F-35As allocated to Switzerland are scheduled to be based at Ebbing Air National Guard Base in Arkansas from mid-2027. Those U.S.-built aircraft will initially support training for Swiss pilots and ground personnel before being progressively transferred to Switzerland.

The first F-35A produced at Cameri is expected to reach Switzerland in mid-2028. J-6004, whose first major components are now being manufactured in Italy, is scheduled to arrive in Switzerland at the end of 2029.

Switzerland plans to introduce the fighter progressively at three military airfields. F-35A operations at Payerne are scheduled to start in mid-2028, followed by Meiringen in 2030 and Emmen in 2032.

Cameri is one of three locations worldwide where F-35 aircraft are manufactured, alongside Fort Worth and Nagoya in Japan. The Italian site has capacity to produce up to 20 aircraft annually and also manufactures about one-third of all F-35 wings.
The plant produces both F-35A and F-35B aircraft for the Italian armed forces and forms part of a production network involving more than 2,100 suppliers worldwide. F-35 components are manufactured across several countries before being brought together for final assembly.

Italy is one of five European partner nations in the F-35 programme alongside the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Denmark and Norway. Other European countries also participate in production, with the aircraft’s centre fuselage manufactured in Germany and its rear fuselage produced in the United Kingdom.

Armasuisse said the production of Swiss F-35A components at Cameri reflects the programme’s international and European industrial structure. Switzerland also views geographical proximity and industrial and security cooperation with European partner states as important elements of the programme.







 


Katana drone maker plans new version after DARPA win

NewsAviation
By Dylan Malyasov
Aug 14, 2026

Photo by Paul Flacks


Key Points
•	Avidrone's Katana helicopter drone won DARPA's Lift Challenge with a 3.84-to-1 payload-to-weight ratio, earning $1.25 million.
•	Avidrone said it will now develop a new version of Katana for defense and industrial applications.

Avidrone Aerospace said this week it will develop a new version of Katana, the single-rotor helicopter drone that won the top prize at DARPA’s Lift Challenge earlier this month in Dayton, Ohio.

Katana carried a 51-kilogram (112.4-pound) payload aboard a 13.3-kilogram (29.3-pound) airframe, producing an official payload-to-aircraft-weight ratio of 3.84 to 1, Avidrone said. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency had set a 4-to-1 ratio as the goal when it opened the competition in November 2025, a mark no existing heavy-lift drone had reached and one no team in the competition managed to hit. Avidrone’s result was the closest.

The Lift Challenge ran Aug. 4 through 9 at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force, drawing 124 registered teams, 76 of which reached the flight line. Competitors flew a 9.3-kilometer (5-nautical-mile) circuit course, carrying a loaded payload out, dropping it, and flying back empty, all within a 30-minute window. Katana used a conventional single-main-rotor, tail-boom helicopter layout, a design older than most production drones on the market, while several rival teams built unconventional airframes to chase the same payload target. Avidrone completed its winning run in 19 minutes and 17 seconds.

Because no team reached DARPA’s 4-to-1 target, the agency cut its prize payouts in half. Avidrone collected $1.25 million instead of the $2.5 million top prize. MTech Operations LLC placed second at a 3.64-to-1 ratio for $750,000, and Xtreme Aerial Concepts placed third at 3.45 to 1 for $500,000.

“This is a result of bringing together years of know-how, our proprietary autopilot and flight-control technologies, and decades of experience designing and flying aircraft specifically for heavy cargo lift,” Avidrone said.

The company said interest in Katana grew after the competition.

“In response, we are moving forward with continued development of a commercialized version designed for defense and industrial applications,” Avidrone said.







 


FAA Proposes Rolls-Powered Boeing 787 Nacelle Changes
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Sean Broderick 
August 13, 2026
Credit: Boeing

Operators of Rolls-Royce-powered Boeing 787s will have four years to replace certain fan cowl parts to ensure the engines are protected from debris in the rare case of a serious engine failure, a new FAA draft rule said.

The notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) addresses a certification gap following design changes of Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines. The changes leave oil tubes and other components on the right (No. 2) engine’s inboard side inadequately protected from debris that a major left-engine failure could shed, Boeing determined.
The issue has not been linked to any in-service incidents, Boeing said.

The manufacturer is developing reinforced cowl panels and recommended to operators in February that they be replaced within four years. The FAA NPRM is based on Boeing’s bulletin and proposes the same compliance timeline once a final rule is issued.

“Boeing identified a noncompliance and informed the FAA,” Boeing said in a statement. “In February 2026, Boeing issued guidance to operators to replace the affected parts by 2030. We support the FAA making that guidance mandatory. The in-service fleet can continue normal operations.”

Boeing determined “the protection system on the left fan cowl of the right engine does not sufficiently cover the components” on affected engines, the FAA explained in the NPRM’s preamble. “This insufficient cover could leave multiple oil lines and the P30 sense line in the right engine exposed to possible cross engine debris from the intermediate pressure turbine (IPT) rotor stage of the left engine.”

The updated parts integrate metal shielding to restore required debris protection. Neither the NPRM nor Boeing’s bulletin detail the new parts’ costs.

Boeing’s February bulletin said the affected fleet includes Trent 1000-powered aircraft from first deliveries through line no. 1214. That aircraft, a British Airways 787-10, was delivered in June 2025. Boeing data shows it delivered 407 Rolls-powered 787s in that stretch.

Curt Lewis