February 11, 2026 - No. 06 In This Issue : Death of the “Fragile” Jet: How the B-21 Raider Bomber Is Fixing Stealth’s Biggest Flaw : Boeing wins U.S. Air Force contract to modernize C-17A Globemaster III flight deck for decades of service global mobility : Skyryse lands another $300M to make flying, even helicopters, simple and safe : FCAS: Europe’s Version of the F-47 NGAD Is Coming in for a ‘Crash Landing’ : Aerodynamically unstable, 'invisible' to radar, and incapable of flying without computers, the F-117 Nighthawk proved that an "impossible" aircraft could penetrate air defenses intact and change modern warfare. : FAA: Boeing Not Cleared for Full Authority Despite Progress : The U.S. Air Force’s B-1B Lancer ‘Battered’ Bomber Is Being Pushed To the Limit : Navy’s T-45 Replacement Will Not Be Capable Of Making Carrier Landing Touch And Goes : World’s Most Advanced Fighter Plane Production Outpaces All Jets Combined : Fold, Float, Fly: A Transportable Amphibious Aircraft with Retractable Wings (Video) Death of the “Fragile” Jet: How the B-21 Raider Bomber Is Fixing Stealth’s Biggest Flaw By Jack Buckby Note: See photos in the original article. The B-21 Raider was unveiled to the public at a ceremony December 2, 2022 in Palmdale, Calif. Designed to operate in tomorrow's high-end threat environment, the B-21 will play a critical role in ensuring America's enduring airpower capability. (U.S. Air Force photo) Summary and Key Points: The evolution of stealth has moved from “delicate science” to “durable combat capability.” Early platforms like the B-2 Spirit were plagued by high maintenance demands, as their radar-absorbent materials (RAM) were easily degraded by heat and moisture. Modern fifth-generation fighters like the F-35 have streamlined this process, utilizing automated health monitoring to repair minor defects during routine service. As the B-21 Raider prepares for its 2026-2027 entry, it promises a leap in sustainability, using ruggedized coatings that reduce the “man-hours per flight hour” to historic lows, ensuring stealth can finally be projected at scale. B-21 Raider Bomber. Artist Rendition/Creative Commons. B-21 Raider. Image Credit: Creative Commons. The B-21 Raider: The Future of Durable Stealth Stealth has proven to be one of the most consequential aviation innovations of the post-Cold War era, allowing aircraft to penetrate defended airspace with drastically reduced risk of detection. Stealth fighters like the F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II, and bombers such as the B-2 Spirit, have shaped modern airpower strategy. Yet for decades, that advantage has come with a persistent and expensive flaw: the maintenance required to keep stealth effective has been onerous and labor-intensive, making it hard to sustain. Today’s stealth aircraft – and those still in the pipeline – are slowly solving this problem, however. Modern stealth fighters and bombers are designed not only to be hard to detect but also to be significantly easier to keep in the air with less maintenance downtime. From materials science to aircraft shaping and maintenance strategies, the evolution of stealth has been remarkable – and it’s becoming more impressive still. How Stealth Works Stealth – or low observability – is about reducing how platforms appear to sensors across the electromagnetic spectrum, most notably radars. Radar cross section (RCS) is a measure of how much electromagnetic energy a radar system receives from an object; lower RCS makes detection more difficult at longer ranges, and vice versa. In advanced aircraft, RCS can be reduced by orders of magnitude relative to conventional, non-stealth designs. In some cases, RCS can be reduced to the point that an entire aircraft’s footprint appears as a bird or insect on a radar screen. B-21 Raider bomber. Image Credit: Creative Commons. The B-21 Raider was unveiled to the public at a ceremony December 2, 2022 in..Palmdale, Calif. Designed to operate in tomorrow’s high-end threat environment, the B-21 will play a critical role in ensuring America’s enduring airpower capability. (U.S. Air Force photo) That effect is achieved through careful shaping of surface materials that absorb or deflect radar waves rather than reflect them directly back to the source. The geometry of the aircraft is critical: angled surfaces reduce RCS, as does planform alignment (whereby the leading and trailing edges of wings and tail surfaces are aligned at the same angles, typically parallel to each other). The use of internal weapon bays also contributes to the effect, deflecting radar waves away from the transmitter rather than simply back toward it. Combine those clever shaping tricks with advanced radar-absorbent materials (RAM) that are embedded into or applied onto the airframe, and the aircraft becomes almost invisible to many systems. Those increasingly advanced materials absorb or dissipate radar energy in such a way that it cannot simply bounce back. Until recently, these materials were delicate and highly sensitive to environmental conditions, requiring specialized handling and imposing significant maintenance demands. But that is now beginning to change. Early Stealth Was Hard to Manage The earliest operational stealth platforms proved the feature’s value on the battlefield but also exposed its greatest weakness: sustainability. The B-2 Spirit, which entered service in the late 1980s, employed stealth for strategic bombing, significantly reducing the likelihood that long-range air defenses would detect and track its massive flying wing. F-117 Nighthawk at National Museum of Air Force 19FortyFive Photo F-117A Nighthawk at USAF Museum. Image taken by 19FortyFive Owner, Harry J. Kazianis. Maintaining the B-2’s low-observable skin, however, proved to be a major logistical challenge – and it still is, today. Ram coatings and other materials were sensitive to moisture, abrasion, and temperature changes, requiring extensive hangar time and specialized technicians to preserve them. Even small imperfections in a RAM surface could change how radar energy scatters, degrading stealth performance. That fragility has constrained the deployment of stealth aircraft, often confining them to well-supported bases with climate-controlled hangars and limiting sortie generation under certain conditions. How Fighters Have Evolved Fifth-generation fighters such as the F-22 and F-35 exemplify how far stealth design has advanced. The F-22, which is optimized for air superiority, was one of the first fighters designed from the outset with low observability across all aspects of the design, integrating angular surfaces and internal weapons bays with RAM coatings to push down RCS as far as practically possible for the era. The F-35, while similarly stealthy, reflects a different design philosophy: stealth as part of a broader operational package. Engineers accepted slightly less aggressive shaping in exchange for coatings and materials that are more tolerant of environmental effects and easier to repair. Those choices contribute to the platform’s stealthiness but don’t demand the same level of labor and maintenance from ground crews for every flight as earlier systems did. That being said, maintainers still perform specialized maintenance to preserve stealth characteristics, including resealing seams and repairing small surface defects. How Stealth Is Preserved Today, and What’s Next For early stealth aircraft such as the B-2 Spirit, the preservation of stealth remains a major driver of sustainment needs. The bomber undergoes Programmed Depot Maintenance every nine years, and the Air Force states that restoring its low-observable materials is a central part of that process, underscoring how environmental exposure and surface wear directly affect stealth performance. Newer stealth aircraft have been designed to reduce that burden: the F-35’s low-observable condition, for example, is monitored and managed through standardized maintenance processes rather than periodic, large-scale restoration. In its annual F-35 testing reports to Congress, the Pentagon’s Director of Operational Test and Evaluation explains that the aircraft’s Low Observable Health Assessment System enables maintainers to document, track, and repair stealth-related defects during routine unit-level maintenance. And while stealth maintenance is technically more manageable now than it was before, it remains challenging and improvements continue. Lockheed Martin has also said the program is working toward a sustainment target of 0.32 low-observable maintenance man hours per flight hour at fleet maturity. The B-21 Raider is going further. The successor to the B-2 Spirit has been designed from the outset to reduce LO sustainment demands, with the aircraft expected to use more durable coatings, newer manufacturing techniques, and new environmental protection shelters to limit weather-driven degradation of those surfaces while reducing the frequency and intensity of stealth maintenance required over its service life. With the B-21 Raider expected to enter operational service later this decade, its more durable, easier-to-sustain stealth could allow the U.S. Air Force to apply low observability more consistently and at greater scale than ever before – not just for this platform, but also for future fighters, bombers, and drones. Boeing wins U.S. Air Force contract to modernize C-17A Globemaster III flight deck for decades of service global mobility By Martin Chomsky (Defence Industry Europe) Photo: U.S. Air Force. The Boeing Company said it has received a contract award from the U.S. Air Force to keep the C-17A Globemaster III flying and mission-ready for decades. The agreement covers the design, manufacture, integration, qualification and military certification of a modernized flight deck for the aircraft. The program will replace critical avionics and mission-essential equipment with a modern, modular open systems architecture that allows plug-and-play enhancements. Boeing said the approach will enable the fleet to adopt new capabilities rapidly and affordably while addressing avionics obsolescence. “The C 17A has been the backbone of global air mobility for over three decades,” said Travis Williams, vice president of United States Air Force Mobility & Training Services at Boeing. “With the U.S. Air Force requirement to keep the C-17A viable through 2075, we already have a clear and achievable roadmap to support their needs, and the needs of our international partners around the globe.” “By resolving avionics obsolescence and introducing MOSA, we’re preserving a proven, highly dependable, heavy airlifter and keeping it at the forefront of performance and efficiency for decades to come,” Williams said. Boeing delivered 275 C-17A aircraft between 1993 and 2015, with 222 received by the Air Force and 53 by international partners across nine nations in a fully integrated virtual fleet support system. Skyryse lands another $300M to make flying, even helicopters, simple and safe Kirsten Korosec 10:21 AM PST · February 3, 2026 Skyryse, an El Segundo, California-based aviation automation startup, has raised more than $300 million in a Series C investment, pushing its valuation to $1.15 billion and into unicorn territory. The round, which was announced Tuesday and led by Autopilot Ventures, provided a multimillion-dollar accelerant for the startup as it nears the end of a lengthy Federal Aviation Administration certification process for its flight control system. The capital will also be used to integrate its operating system, known as SkyOS, across numerous aircraft, including U.S. military Black Hawk helicopters. Other investors in this round include Fidelity Management & Research Company, ArrowMark Partners, Atreides Management LP, BAM Elevate, Baron Capital Group, Durable Capital Partners, Positive Sum, Qatar Investment Authority, RCM Private Markets Fund managed by Rokos Capital Management, and Woodline Partners. The startup, which was founded in 2016, has raised more than $605 million in equity capital. Image Credits:Skyryse Skyryse has made inroads with investors as well as the U.S. military, emergency medical service operators, law enforcement, and private operators for its simplified flight system. The startup has stripped out dozens of mechanical flight controls like gauges and switches and replaced them with a system containing several flight computers that automate the more complicated and dangerous aspects of flying. This is not a fully autonomous system; a pilot must still handle the operations. But it’s designed to automate the trickiest aspects of flying, enhance the skills of pilots, and improve safety. That simplicity and ease of operation — a literal swipe of the finger on a touchscreen — has won over companies like United Rotorcraft, Air Methods, and Mitsubishi Corporation, which have contracts with Skyryse to integrate SkyOS on a variety of helicopters and airplanes. Skyryse started building and testing its system on helicopters, one of the most unstable aircraft to operate. But the idea is that SkyOS can be applied to any aircraft. That initial operating system, known as Skyryse One, automates takeoff and landing and fully automates hover and engine-out emergency landings. The company has since integrated the operating system on Black Hawk helicopters. Skyryse has made progress on its certification process with the Federal Aviation Administration. Last year, the FAA granted final design approval for the company’s SkyOS flight control computers. Skyryse must now complete formal flight testing and verification to achieve full certification. FCAS: Europe’s Version of the F-47 NGAD Is Coming in for a ‘Crash Landing’ By Stephen Silver Note: See photos in the original article. FCAS. Image Credit: Industry Handout. Summary and Key Points: The Franco-German Future Combat Air System (FCAS) is “on the verge of collapse” due to missed critical deadlines for work-sharing agreements by Dassault and Airbus. -Chancellor Friedrich Merz recently admitted that the 6th-generation project is making “no progress,” while French officials fear the manned fighter component is “dead.” FCAS. Image Credit: Creative Commons. -The core dispute centers on intellectual property and project leadership, with Paris accusing Berlin of “stealing know-how” and Berlin viewing the project as an expensive French bailout. -If the fighter jet splits into two separate programs, it could derail Europe’s ability to field a unified aerial deterrence by the 2040 deadline. “FCAS is Dead”: Why Europe’s Most Ambitious Fighter Jet Is on the Verge of Collapse The Future Combat Air System (FCAS) is an ambitious but somewhat troubled project intended to deliver a sixth-generation fighter jet, along with a “combat cloud” and remote carriers. “We are not making any progress with this project,” Friedrich Merz, Germany’s chancellor, said of the FCAS project last year. “Things cannot continue as they are.” The Economist reported in October that the FCAS project, a joint project of France, Germany, and Spain, was in trouble. “ Industrial bickering is putting it all at risk,” the report said, with Airbus and Dassault at odds over control of the project. Then, this week, Politico’s European arm reported that the project was “on the verge of collapse.” “An announcement that [the project] is over is more likely than a relaunch,” a source described as “an official familiar with French President Emmanuel Macron’s thinking” told the outlet. A French lawmaker, meanwhile, went further, declaring that “FCAS is dead, everyone knows it, but no one wants to say it.” French officials do still wish to salvage the project, Politico reported. A UK Eurofighter Typhoon flies above the Baltics on 25 May 2022. UK and Czech fighter jets have been taking part in air defence training over the Baltic region. UK Eurofighter Typhoons, F-35s and Czech Gripens were involved in an exercise as part of Neptune Shield 22 (NESH22), a multinational maritime vigilance activity. NESH22 has seen a range of multi-domain activities between air, land and maritime assets across Europe and in the Baltic and Mediterranean Seas. It runs from 17 to 31 May 2022. “We are doing everything we can to try and save this program. We’ll see how we can land,” the head of the French arms procurement agency, Patrick Pailloux, told reporters this week, per Politico. Politico also detailed how the prior understandings broke down. “The manned fighter has been at the core of the bitter industrial disputes between Dassault and Airbus over leadership, technology, and work-sharing, with little sign of a resolution. Dassault is looking for more control over the development of the Next Generation Fighter (NGF), a key component of the FCAS project,” Politico said. The companies missed a December deadline to resolve their differences. “In Berlin, German officials insist Germany still wants to preserve parts of the project — particularly the joint combat cloud and other shared systems — even if the fighter itself splits into two separate jets,” the Politico report said. Dassault Rafale Artist Image. Image Credit: Creative Commons. Macron Speaks on FCAS Fighter Meanwhile, the French president spoke on Tuesday and made clear that he doesn’t consider the project dead. According to Bloomberg News, citing a French-language interview Macron gave to Le Monde and other newspapers, President Emmanuel Macron is still trying to salvage the FCAS project. “Germany and France are making a last-ditch effort to salvage one of Europe’s most ambitious defense projects, which has become mired in a battle for control between the main companies, as momentum builds in Berlin to bury it,” Bloomberg reported, adding that Macron plans to speak with Chancellor Merz. “It’s a good project, and I haven’t heard a single German voice suggesting it’s not,” Macron told the newspapers in the interview. “For my part, I believe things must move forward.” “Because you can imagine, if by chance, the German partner were to question the joint aircraft project, we would be forced to question the joint tank project as well,” Macron told the outlets. What comes next for the project? “FCAS is meant to be operational around 2040, but that deadline may be hard to meet,” the Bloomberg report said. “The program’s difficulties call into question Europe’s broader ability to form wartime alliances as the region comes under increasing US pressure to spend more on defense and become more self-reliant.” Shown is a graphical artist rendering of the Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) Platform. The rendering highlights the Air Force’s sixth generation fighter, the F-47. The NGAD Platform will bring lethal, next-generation technologies to ensure air superiority for the Joint Force in any conflict. (U.S. Air Force graphic) How the Troubles Started In early December, the European Council on Foreign Relations analyzed why the FCAS project has run into trouble. “For years now, FCAS has been synonymous with Franco-German troubles. The project was supposed to bring the two partners closer together and build a central pillar of Europe’s military sovereignty,” the European Council on Foreign Relations analysis said. “Now, rumour has it that the fighter jet part could be scrapped. A fighter jet project without the fighter jet—while this sounds like the perfect metaphor for the state of Europe’s defence abilities, it could well be the only way to salvage the project. As the EU pushes for a stronger, more unified defence industry, backed by €800bn, FCAS shows that political will and money alonewill not be enough. Indeed, the drama around one of Europe’s largest joint defence projects could be a lesson on what not to do.” The project that launched in 2018, per that analysis, “improved stealth, use of AI, and an ability to deploy cyber warfare.” The idea is that Dassault will lead the Next Generation Fighter, with Airbus responsible for the Combat Cloud and the Remote Carriers. So what went wrong? “From its inception, FCAS has been plagued by problems,” the ECFR analysis said. “In Berlin, an often-expressed sentiment behind closed doors is that France just wants Germany to pay for their aircraft, while the French feel that Germany is trying to steal their intellectual property and their market share in defence. As France’s defence industry, especially its aircraft manufacturing, has long been a source of pride and a significant employer, Paris is taking the concern seriously.” The biggest fight has been over how the jet will be developed. Image of the UK’s concept model for the next generation jet fighter “Tempest”, which was unveiled by Defence Secretary, at Farnborough International Air Show back in 2018. GCAP Fighter. Industry Handout Image . “Germany has more money (especially with the recent changes), while France has more experience in building fighter jets: Dassault built the Rafale by itself, while Airbus has only been one partner in the Eurofighter consortium,” ECFR wrote. “Vautrin, the French defence minister, noted in a recent interview that ‘Germany today has not the ability to build an aircraft,’ a claim disputed in Berlin.” The CEOs of Dassault and Airbus have been engaged in a public dispute. “Dassault CEO Eric Trappier has been very outspoken in his criticism of the project. ‘I don’t mind if the Germans complain. Here, we know what we’re doing. If they want to do it themselves, let them do it themselves’ he recently told the French press,’” the analysis said. “Airbus’s CEO responded in kind, proposing France leave the project. The German approach to project sharing focuses more on knowledge sharing and collaboration, as Germany seeks to build more capabilities for a next-generation fighter jet. Given the gap in knowledge on aircraft manufacturing, the French see this as Germany trying to get their hands on French know-how.” Aerodynamically unstable, 'invisible' to radar, and incapable of flying without computers, the F-117 Nighthawk proved that an "impossible" aircraft could penetrate air defenses intact and change modern warfare. Written by Valdemar Medeiros Published 28/01/2026 às 15:44 Armed forces Note: See photos and videos in the original article. Aerodynamically unstable, 'invisible' to radar, and incapable of flying without computers, the F-117 Nighthawk proved that an "impossible" aircraft could penetrate air defenses intact and change modern warfare. Unstable, computer-dependent, and invisible to radar, the F-117 Nighthawk showed that an "impossible" aircraft could penetrate air defenses and change modern warfare. When the F-117 Nighthawk When it was revealed to the public in the late 1980s, its appearance caused immediate bewilderment. Hard lines, angular surfaces, an absence of traditional aerodynamic curves, and a look that resembled a geometric object more than an aircraft. This was not an engineering oversight. It was quite the opposite. The F-117 was designed to sacrifice almost everything — including flight stability in exchange for something that no other operational aircraft possessed at that time: practical invisibility to enemy radar. The result was one of the most radical projects in the history of military aviation. An airplane designed to go unnoticed. In the 1970s, engineers from Lockheed Skunk Works They reached an uncomfortable conclusion: to drastically reduce the radar signature, it would be necessary to completely abandon the classic aerodynamic shapes used since the Second World War. Smooth curves reflected radar waves back to the source. Flat surfaces, inclined at calculated angles, scattered these waves away. The F-117 was born from this logic. Its faceted shape was mathematically optimized for breaking the radar signal return...not to fly efficiently. Every panel, every angle, and every edge existed to deceive sensors, even if it made the aircraft inherently difficult to control. Total instability: a plane that can't fly itself. The price of extreme stealth was high. Aerodynamically, the F-117 was... profoundly unstableIn manual flight, without electronic assistance, it simply wouldn't be able to stay airborne long enough to complete any mission. The solution came from computing. The Nighthawk was one of the first fighter jets to rely entirely on a computer system. quad digital fly-by-wire, which he did Constant corrections, dozens of times per second....to keep the aircraft stable. The pilot didn't "fly" the plane in the traditional sense. He gave commands, and the computer decided how to execute them without losing control. If the electronic systems failed, the flight became virtually impossible. Stealth above all else. In addition to its extreme geometry, the F-117 incorporated a series of solutions designed exclusively to reduce its detectability. The air intakes were concealed and lined to mask the heat from the engines. The weapons were carried... internally...avoiding external surfaces that would reflect radar. Even the fuselage materials were chosen to absorb some of the electromagnetic waves. Radar technology courses The result wasn't absolute invisibility, but something revolutionary for the time: the F-117 could... to penetrate dense air defense systems without being detected in time to be intercepted.. Surgical strike, not aerial combat. The Nighthawk wasn't designed for dogfights. It didn't carry cannons, air-to-air missiles, nor did it have great maneuverability. Its mission was different: to penetrate deep into enemy territory, attack high-value strategic targets and leave undetected. Equipped with laser-guided bombs, the F-117 became a platform for precision attack, capable of destroying bunkers, command centers, radar systems, and critical infrastructure with just a few aircraft, something unthinkable under previous doctrines that relied on large formations and heavy escorts. The combat debut that shocked the world. The F-117's consecration came during the Gulf WarIn 1991, while hundreds of coalition aircraft operated under constant threat of anti-aircraft missiles, the Nighthawk carried out night missions over the North Atlantic. Baghdad, one of the most heavily defended cities on the planet at that time. Even when repeatedly flying over heavily protected areas, the F-117 maintained an impressive survival rate. It demonstrated, in practice, that stealth could replace quantity, profoundly altering the way air warfare would be planned from then on. Stealth aircraft postersLimitations, setbacks, and lessons learned. Despite its success, the F-117 was not invulnerable. In 1999, during the Kosovo War, one was shot down by Serbian defenses that exploited predictable flight patterns and the stealth limitations against low-frequency radar. The episode did not invalidate the concept, but it showed that... Stealth is not magic.It is a tactical advantage that depends on doctrine, planning, and surprise. With the advancement of more versatile stealth aircraft, such as the B-2 Spirit and then the F-22The Nighthawk began to be retired. In 2008, it officially left active service. The legacy of an "impossible" airplane. The impact of the F-117 goes far beyond its operational life. It has proven that... Computers could compensate for poor aerodynamics., that stealth was a real strategic weapon and that the future of military aviation would not be defined solely by speed or maneuverability. Every modern stealth fighter carries part of the Nighthawk's DNA. The aircraft that "couldn't fly itself" paved the way for an era in which aerial warfare was fought, first and foremost, in the invisible spectrum of sensors and algorithms. FAA: Boeing Not Cleared for Full Authority Despite Progress Helwing Villamizar Feb 2, 2026 10:33 AM EST ‍SINGAPORE — At an industry conference in Singapore on Monday, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Administrator Bryan Bedford said Boeing is making progress but still “needs to do more” before it can fully regain the delegated airworthiness/certification responsibilities curtailed after repeated quality lapses. Bedford also described a longer-term intent to return more final-check responsibility to the manufacturer while repositioning government staff deeper inside production facilities, with more embedded oversight rather than simply “signing off at the end.” The FAA has already restored limited authority for the company to issue airworthiness certificates under its delegation framework, and it renewed Boeing’s Organization Designation Authorization (ODA) for three years, effective June 1, 2025. On production, the 737 line moved from a 38/month cap (imposed after the January 2024 door-plug incident) toward 42/month, which both the company and multiple third-party reports describe as a key recovery milestone. Bedford separately told reporters (Bloomberg) the FAA was still evaluating a request to push Boeing 737 MAX output beyond 42/month (to 47/month). The Trust to Regain Restoring limited delegation while keeping enhanced oversight signals that regulators are trying to balance two competing realities: airlines desperately need deliveries, but Boeing’s credibility after years of lapses requires verifiable, repeatable process control. The FAA basically wants a phased handback tied to measurable factory discipline (rework, traveled work, audit findings), with inspectors increasingly embedded earlier in the build flow rather than just at final signoff. This approach matters because it directly governs how fast output can scale and how smoothly long-delayed programs move through certification, even as the Boeing 737 MAX line works beyond the post-crisis 38-per-month cap toward higher rates. For Boeing, Bedford’s message was clear: There’s progress, but not a “back to normal” one. The American aerospace giant reported fourth-quarter and full-year 2025 results on January 27, 2026, after closing the sale of portions of its Digital Aviation Solutions business, which generated a US$9.6 billion gain and dominated the quarter’s bottom line. On the commercial side, the Seattle-based manufacturer delivered 160 aircraft in Q4 and 600 in 2025—the highest annual delivery total since 2018—yet still recorded an operating loss of $632 million for the quarter and an operating loss of US$7.1 billion for the full year, underscoring that higher output didn’t fully translate into healthier unit economics. The U.S. Air Force’s B-1B Lancer ‘Battered’ Bomber Is Being Pushed To the Limit By Harrison Kass Note: See photos in the original article. Two B-1B Bombers. Image Credit: US Air Force. Synopsis: The U.S. Air Force is equipping the aging B-1B Lancer fleet with external pylons, a modification designed to transform the Cold War-era supersonic bomber into a standoff platform capable of launching bulky hypersonic weapons that do not fit in its internal bays. -While this upgrade increases drag and radar signature on an already “battered” airframe suffering from structural fatigue, it provides essential mass firepower and flexibility. The “Battered” Bomber: Why the Air Force Is Overhauling the B-1B News that the B-1B Lancer is getting external pylons has sparked claims that the bomber is being converted to extend its service life and to carry hypersonic weapons. But the real question, whether the B-1B carries hypersonic weapons or not, is how long the B-1B really keep flying, and is it worth upgrading on the way out? Building the B-1B Designed in the late Cold War as a high-speed, low-altitude nuclear penetrator, the B-1B was built with an emphasis on speed and payload, terrain-following penetration, and survivability through tactics rather than stealth. In the 1990s, following arms control treaties and strategic changes, the B-1B transitioned from nuclear to conventional missions. Through the 21st century, the B-1B has been used extensively, conducting conventional missions in the post-9/11 era, operating as a bomb truck for close air support and strike, with long loiter times and high payload for JDAM-class weapons. With external pylons now available, the B-1B is increasing its payload and may enable the use of hypersonic weapons. But wear-and-tear accumulated from decades of high operational tempos—at high speeds and low altitudes—has left the fleet battered. Do upgrades make sense for such a worn fl Internal Bays vs. External Carriage The upgrade in question is the addition of external pylons. Historically, the B-1B has used three large internal weapon bays to carry its payload. The internal bays are not intended for stealth performance but rather to improve aerodynamics and range. External hardpoints are present in the design lineage, but operational use has been limited relative to internal bays. Adding the external pylons won’t radically change the B-1B into something new, but the pylons promise multiple advantages, i.e., payload growth, flexibility, standoff employment, and rapid surge capabilities. Why Now? The emergence of newer, larger weapons has likely inspired the addition of external pylons. Hypersonic and very-large standoff weapons are physically bulky—too large for the B-1B’s internal bays. External pylons enable the B-1B to serve as a truck for standoff missiles, launching weapons from outside the densest air defenses, which a non-stealth platform would have difficulty penetrating. The addition of hypersonic weapons to the payload inventory is an intriguing prospect that external pylons potentially enable. If the B-1B were to become a hypersonic-capable strike aircraft, it would add a new dimension to its capabilities, enhancing value in high-end conflicts. The Downsides of External Carriage External carriage entails drawbacks. The pylons increase drag, which reduces range, endurance, and dash performance. In contested environments, where the B-1B already struggles, external pylons would further push it toward a standoff-only role. Are the trade-offs worth the benefits? Given the increased weapons options and compatibility with modern standoff doctrine, is the B-1B worth upgrading? Perhaps, but the benefits are modest in the face of peer IADS; the external pylons do not make the B-1B a new bomber but rather an improved version of a Cold War concept, now with greater firepower that can be launched from a greater distance. The Future of the Program The B-1B fleet has been driven hard. The airframes are aging. Availability has already become a chronic issue. Structural fatigue of the wings, fuselage, and attach points is affecting readiness. Parts availability has declined, while the maintenance burden has increased. The engine and various systems are incurring higher sustainment costs. B-1B at the National Museum of the USAF, Dayton, OH. In sum, the fleet has become difficult to maintain; keeping it around further will require very careful and intentional sustainment efforts—but it won’t change the fact that the B-1B is already on a glide path towards retirement; the fleet’s retirement is inevitable, with or without external pylons. But for the time being, the Air Force needs capacity. Standoff missiles can make payload-heavy platforms, like the B-1B, valuable. However, the standoff-enhanced B-1B remains only a bridge, delivering large salvos and complicating adversary defense planning in the interim until the B-21 Raider program arrives. As B-21 numbers grow, the B-1B will become less essential, and will eventually be retired. Navy’s T-45 Replacement Will Not Be Capable Of Making Carrier Landing Touch And Goes The Navy has already axed carrier qualifications for new pilots, but now even practicing carrier touchdowns on land will be off limits with its new jet. Joseph Trevithick Published Feb 4, 2026 5:38 PM EST The TWZ Newsletter Note: See photos and videos in the original article. Weekly insights and analysis on the latest developments in military technology, strategy, and foreign policy. Terms of Service and Privacy Policy The U.S. Navy has shown no signs of reversing course on major changes to its pipeline for new naval aviators in its latest draft requirements for a replacement for its T-45 Goshawk jet trainers. The Navy has already axed carrier qualifications from the syllabus for prospective tactical jet pilots and has plans to significantly alter how other training is done at bases ashore. These decisions have prompted concerns and criticism, but the service argues that advances in virtualized training and automated carrier landing capabilities have fundamentally changed the training ecosystem. Aviation Week was first to report on the recent release of the latest draft requirements for what the Navy is currently calling the Undergraduate Jet Training System (UJTS). The service is looking to acquire 216 new jet trainers to replace the just under 200 T-45s it has in inventory today. The Navy has been pursuing a successor to the T-45 Goshawk for years now, and the UJTS effort has been delayed multiple times. The goal now is to kick off a formal competition relatively soon, ahead of a final contract award in mid-2027. T-45s on the flightline at Naval Air Facility (NAF) El Centro in California. USN A number of companies have already lined up to compete for UJTS. This includes Boeing with a navalized version of its T-7 Red Hawk, the TF-50N from Lockheed Martin and Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), the M-346N offered by Textron and Leonardo (and now branded as a Beechcraft product), and the Sierra Nevada Corporation’s (SNC) Freedom jet. Clockwise from top left: Renderings of Boeing’s navalized T-7, the TF-50N from Lockheed Martin and Korea Aerospace Industries, SNC’s Freedom jet, and the Beechcraft M-346N. Boeing/Lockheed Martin/Textron/Leonardo/SNC The newest UJTS draft request for proposals reinforces the aforementioned changes to the carrier qualification and so-called Field Carrier Landing Practice (FCLP) training requirements. Though conducted at bases on land, FCLP landings have historically been structured in a way that “simulates, as near as practicable, the conditions encountered during carrier landing operations,” according to the Navy. The Navy’s plan now is to eliminate the actual touch-and-go component of FCLP training, also known as FCLP to touchdown, at least for students flying in the future UJTS jet trainer. Instead, the syllabus will include what is described as FCLP to wave off, where student pilots in those aircraft will fly a profile in line with being waved off from a landing attempt on an actual carrier prior to touchdown. F-18 Field Carrier Landing Practice (FCLP). Touch-and-Go Landing. “The Naval Aviation Enterprise has determined that the UJTS air vehicle will conduct FCLP [field carrier landing practice] to wave off,” a Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) spokesperson explained to Aviation Week. “However, FCLP to touchdown will be trained via other means in the UJTS system of systems.” TWZ has reached out to NAVAIR for more information about the other elements of the planned “UJTS system of systems” that will be used to support continued FCLP to touchdown training requirements. As noted, the Navy has already cut the carrier landing qualification requirement from the pipeline for individuals training to fly F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and F-35C fighters, as well as EA-18G Growler electronic warfare aircraft. At least as of last August, carrier qualifications were still part of the syllabus for student aviators in line to fly E-2 Hawkeye airborne early warning and control aircraft, as well as for all international students. “Field Carrier Landing Practice (FCLP) landings ashore are still required for graduation,” a Navy spokesperson also told TWZ in August 2025, but did not specify whether or not this meant “to touchdown.” TWZ has reached out to the office of the Chief of Naval Air Training (CNATRA) for more information on current and future planned naval aviation training requirements. All of this has major ramifications for the forthcoming UJTS jet trainer competition. Not even having to perform FLCPs to touchdown, let alone actual carrier qualifications, fundamentally changes the aircraft designs that can be considered to replace the carrier-capable T-45s. Carrier landings and takeoffs stress airframes, especially landing gear, in completely different ways compared to typical operations from airbases on land. US Navy T-45 Goshawk carrier qualifications on USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) As it stands now, only SNC’s clean sheet Freedom offering is explicitly designed for touch-and-goes on carriers and FCLP-to-touchdown landings ashore, and the company has been putting heavy emphasis on the continued importance of those capabilities. The other competitors that have emerged so far have presented variations on existing land-based jet trainer designs. Freedom Family of Training Systems (FoTS) “The strategic decision of moving carrier qualifications from the training syllabus to their fleet replacement squadrons was driven by increased technological capabilities in the fleet, as well as the need to reduce training pipeline times, enabling the fleet to receive qualified pilots faster,” the aforementioned Navy spokesperson also told TWZ last August. “After earning their initial qualifications after graduation, naval aviators in the strike pipeline are required to complete touch-and-goes and carrier landings at sea during their assignment at the Fleet Replacement Squadrons (FRS).” FRSs provide initial training on specific types of aircraft before individuals move on to operational units. What this all means, in functional terms, is that the Navy is planning for a future where tactical jet pilots will not make a full FCLP landing, let alone touch down on a carrier, until after they are winged and flying a front-line aircraft. Though not explicitly mentioned, the “increased technological capabilities” referred to here include the Navy’s substantial investments in virtualized training and assisted carrier landing capabilities, such as Magic Carpet, in recent years. There is also a cost benefit arguement to be made. Eliminating the need for features required for carrier-based operations could help keep down the price tag of any future T-45 replacement, as well as reduce developmental risk. The overall changes to the training syllabus will have their own cost impacts with the cut down in time and resources required for a student pilot to get their wings. At the same time, concerns and criticism have been voiced about the possible downstream impacts of cutting elements long considered critical to naval aviation training. What can be done in virtualized aviation training environments, in particular, has become very impressive in recent years, but they still cannot fully recreate the experience of live training events. “Carrier qualification is more than catching the wire. It is the exposure to the carrier environment and how an individual deals with it,” an experienced U.S. Navy strike fighter pilot told TWZ back in 2020. “The pattern, the communications, the nuance, the stress. The ability to master this is one of our competitive advantages.” The Navy does still has yet to issue a final set of requirements for the UJTS jet trainer. However, signs only continue to grow that the service is committed to its new vision for training future naval aviators. World’s Most Advanced Fighter Plane Production Outpaces All Jets Combined Lockheed Martin delivered 191 F-35s in 2025 as the global fleet neared 1,300 aircraft across 12 nations. By Karan Bhatta January 13, 20263 Mins Read Photo: Italy Air Force FORT WORTH— Lockheed Martin has confirmed that 2025 became the most productive year in the history of the F-35 Lightning II program, underscoring the aircraft’s central role in allied airpower. The announcement followed the delivery of 191 aircraft before year-end, with final assembly centered in Fort Worth (DFW), where the program’s primary production facility operates at a sustained high tempo. The record output highlights how the F-35 program has moved beyond development challenges into a phase of industrial maturity. With production now exceeding that of all other allied fighter jets combined, the aircraft has become the dominant fifth-generation platform across NATO and partner nations. Photo: US Air Force in Europe F-35 Fighter Jet Record Production Lockheed Martin stated that F-35 production levels are now five times higher than any other allied fighter aircraft currently in manufacture. This pace reflects a global supply chain that spans multiple countries while maintaining a steady delivery rhythm to customers on three continents. During 2025, several partner nations reached critical milestones that reinforced production momentum. Norway completed deliveries from its original order, while Finland and Belgium each received their first aircraft following training transitions in the United States. The growing output also pushed the global F-35 fleet past 1 million cumulative flight hours during the year. That operational milestone reflects both fleet size and sustained frontline usage across air forces. Photo: US Air Force in Europe Expanding Global Fleet The F-35 fleet now includes nearly 1,300 aircraft in service across 12 nations, making it the most widely deployed fifth-generation fighter in the world. Even at that scale, the program has not yet reached half of its total planned production volume. According to Simple Flying, Lockheed Martin remains committed to producing just under 3,000 aircraft across all variants, including the F-35A conventional takeoff model, the F-35B short takeoff and vertical landing variant, and the F-35C carrier-based version. At the start of the new year, the confirmed backlog stood at 416 aircraft, reflecting strong long-term demand. In 2025 alone, Italy increased its total order by 25 aircraft, Denmark added 16, and the United Kingdom expanded its commitment. Canada is also evaluating a substantial follow-on purchase, while other potential sales remain under discussion. F-35 Lightning II; Photo- Wikipedia Strategic Impact Operational use of the F-35 expanded significantly during the year, with allied pilots employing the aircraft in air defense missions for the first time. Polish F-35s were used to intercept hostile drones, marking a notable step in frontline employment within Europe. The scale of production has strategic implications that extend beyond individual missions. When compared with all other fifth-generation fighters worldwide, the F-35 fleet now outnumbers the combined total of rival stealth aircraft by a wide margin. Industry analysts note that this numerical advantage, paired with networked sensors and allied interoperability, gives the F-35 a unique position in modern air combat planning. The aircraft’s availability in large numbers remains a defining advantage. Photo: US Air Force in Europe Bottom Line The F-35 program’s record-setting production year confirms its status as the backbone of allied tactical airpower. With output surpassing all other allied fighters combined, the aircraft’s industrial scale now matches its operational ambition. Stay tuned with us. Further, follow us on social media for the latest updates. Join us on Telegram Group for the Latest Aviation Updates. Subsequently, follow us on Google News Curt Lewis