May 6, 2026 - No. 18

In This Issue

: Revolutionizing global aerospace transportation

: First B-52 To Arrive For Re-Engining At Boeing Plant Later This Year (Updated)

: Change incorporation on Boeing 777-9s will take “years”, CEO said

: The Piston Ceiling: The Operator’s Strategic Roadmap to Turbine Power in 2026

: Air Force Leaders: More Parts Key to Bringing Up C-5’s Low Readiness Rate

: Airbus Misses FAA Safety Deadline for A220 Jets, Triggers Industry Scramble

: Air Force Starting to Ramp Up Development of New NC3 Aircraft

: Boeing Global Services Eyes Further Time Savings

: Air Force clears T-7A Red Hawk for low-rate production

: How the 2027 Budget Will Change the Air Force Tanker Fleet 




 


Revolutionizing global aerospace transportation

by George Nield and Oscar Garcia
April 29, 2026

SpaceX’s Starship just before splashdown on Flight 10. The vehicle’s discoloration is due in part to testing of its thermal protection system. Credit: SpaceX
Less than 50 years after the Wright brothers took to the air in 1903, the De Havilland Comet became the world’s first commercial jet airliner, with the British Overseas Airways Corporation conducting a flight from London to Johannesburg, South Africa, on May 2, 1952. Later that decade, the Boeing 707, the Douglas DC-8, and similar aircraft were put into service. Although there have certainly been significant advancements since that time in aircraft safety, noise levels and fuel economy, the cruising speed of commercial airliners today, roughly 70 years later, has basically remained about the same, or even slightly decreased.

Given the recent advent of reusable launch vehicles, breakthrough developments in propulsion and additive manufacturing, rapid advances in artificial intelligence and continuing innovation by industry, we now have the opportunity to bring about dramatic changes in long-distance, high-speed aerospace transportation, both for people and for cargo. Surprisingly, that mission, sometimes referred to as suborbital point-to-point transportation through space, does not appear to be getting much attention from government or industry leaders. But having the ability to fly from one point on Earth to the opposite side of the planet in just an hour or two will be a major game changer for both national security and economic competitiveness. And U.S. leadership in developing and implementing such a capability will be imperative.

One example of the kind of vehicle that may make a difference is the SpaceX Starship. Even though SpaceX CEO Elon Musk originally envisioned the Starship as a way to travel to Mars and enable humanity to become a multi-planetary species, or to take NASA astronauts down to the lunar surface and back as part of the Artemis program, that same system would also have the ability to carry several hundred passengers or more than 100 metric tons of cargo on point-to-point missions, with flight times ranging from 30 minutes to an hour.
Potential customers could include:
•	Military and other national security organizations
•	Businesses needing rapid delivery of their products
•	Shipping, package delivery, and logistics companies
•	Government agencies and other groups involved in disaster relief, humanitarian crisis response and medical emergencies
•	Business travelers
•	Long-distance travelers from the general public

Because Starship is such a large vehicle, it may not be practical for operations near densely populated areas. But there are at least a dozen other companies, both in the U.S. and in other countries, that are designing, developing and testing smaller systems that are intended to meet the need for long-distance, high-speed transportation. Some of those systems are designed to take off and land horizontally, and could use runways at existing spaceports, airports or military bases. Others are designed for vertical launch and landing, operating either from coastal or inland facilities, or from offshore platforms.

Successful systems will need to address three challenges:
1.	The technical and logistical risks related to reusability and rapid-turnaround operations
2.	The regulatory uncertainty caused by differences between how aircraft and launch vehicles are approved for flight
3.	The lack of demonstrated market demand (as opposed to data from market surveys)

To overcome these challenges and position the U.S. to become the leader in suborbital point-to-point transportation through space will require bold decisions and timely action across government, industry, academia and the venture capital community. Specifically:
The U.S. should develop and implement a comprehensive, multi-faceted, “whole of nation” initiative focused on Global Rapid Transport. The overall objective would be to enable commercial suborbital and/or hypersonic cargo operations within five years and passenger operations within 10 years.
Executive Branch actions
An excellent way to communicate the importance and urgency of this initiative would be for the White House to issue an Executive Order declaring “Global Rapid Transport” as a national priority. He could also establish an Interagency Task Force, led by the Office of Science and Technology Policy, to oversee the effort. Members would include the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the Department of Transportation, the Department of Commerce, the Department of Defense, the Department of State, and NASA. Finally, he could call for updates of the National Space Policy and the National Space Transportation Policy so that they reflect the importance of U.S. leadership in long-distance, high-speed aerospace transportation.
Congressional actions
Congress would be responsible for passing the necessary legislation, specially what we refer to as “The Global Rapid Transport Acceleration Act,” and to provide the funding to implement the act’s provisions. Key hardware provisions include a National X-Plane Program, a Global Rapid Transport Prize, and a Point-to Point Commercial Services Program. The act would also implement a number of policy and regulatory actions.

In collaboration with NASA and the Space Force, DARPA would stand up a National X-Plane Program for reusable hypersonic and suborbital vehicles. The objective would be to demonstrate rapid turnaround, high-speed operations and reliability and maintainability. The Department of Transportation would create a Global Rapid Transport Prize for repeatable, long-distance, high-speed cargo delivery. The prize would be administered through an experienced nonprofit entity like the XPRIZE Foundation. The goal would be to attract new entrants and accelerate innovation and flight demonstrations. Building on its recent successes in creating commercial markets, NASA would establish a high-speed Point-to-Point Commercial Services Program using public-private partnerships and modeled on the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services, Commercial Resupply Services, and Commercial Crew Program efforts. The goal would be to de-risk private investment and enable a viable commercial market.

On the regulatory front, the FAA would be tasked with modernizing the current framework by creating a new “High-Speed Global Transport Vehicle” category. This would simplify the existing regulatory structure and minimize confusion over whether high-speed, high-altitude vehicles are aircraft or launch vehicles. The FAA would also establish pre-approved flight corridors for vehicles involved in high-speed point-to-point transportation and outline a pathway towards passenger certification, consistent with public safety. Finally, the FAA would define a process to apply for funding in support of dual-use Airport/Spaceport infrastructure projects.
To facilitate the needed economic development, the Department of Commerce would oversee the National Institute of Standards and Technology in working with industry and standards development organizations to develop widely accepted industry consensus standards that would minimize the regulatory burden on the high-speed aerospace transportation industry during global operations. The Department would also direct the U.S. Economic Development Administration to encourage private capital investment in the high-speed global transport industry through federal tax incentives and loan guarantees.

Because successful commercial operations will require enhanced international engagement and coordination, the Department of State would be directed to negotiate bilateral agreements that would facilitate licensing reciprocity and support the timely approval of international flights involving high-speed global transport vehicles. The Department would also engage with the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, the United Nations Office of Outer Space Affairs, and the International Civil Aviation Organization to harmonize standards and enable global routes for the high-speed global transport industry. 

Implementation Timeline: With the adoption of the steps described here, the overall schedule could be significantly shorter than typical aerospace projects. The first two years would consist of program initiation, rulemaking, early ground and flight tests and demonstrations, and potentially even some prize awards. Years 3 to 5 could see the first commercial cargo operations. Passenger operations and global network expansion would take place during years 6 to 10.

Cost and Impact: Although the overall cost of this initiative could be on the order of $100 billion over 10 years, the U.S. government share would be approximately $20-30 billion over the same period. That would leave industry with the need to raise $70-80 billion over a 10-year time frame. If successful, the end result would be the creation of a $20-50 billion per year industry. There would also be a major strategic benefit: ensuring U.S. leadership in high-speed aerospace transportation operations and delivering a transformational capability in global supply chains and logistics.
With targeted investment and regulatory reform, the United States has the opportunity to catalyze a new global transportation capability — delivering transformative economic and strategic benefits within a decade. Now is the time for action!

George C. Nield is the president of Commercial Space Technologies, LLC, and chairman of the Global Spaceport Alliance. He served as the FAA Associate Administrator for commercial space transportation from 2008-2018.
Oscar S. Garcia is the executive chairman and CEO of Interflight Global Corporation and chairman of the High-Speed Flight (HSF) Group, focused on enabling high-speed aerospace transportation and spaceport-to-spaceport transportation.




 


First B-52 To Arrive For Re-Engining At Boeing Plant Later This Year (Updated)

New Rolls-Royce F130 engines are a critical upgrade for Air Force B-52s, but work has been beset by delays and growing costs.
Joseph Trevithick
Published May 4, 2026 11:54 AM EDT

Note: See photos and videos in the original article. 


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The U.S. Air Force says the first B-52 to receive new F130 engines is set to be delivered to Boeing’s facility in San Antonio, Texas, to begin the modification process later this year. The long-awaited engine upgrade effort for the bombers, also known as the Commercial Engine Replacement Program (CERP), recently passed a Critical Design Review (CDR). The CDR was originally expected to be completed three years ago, underscoring the delays and cost growth that have dogged work on CERP.

The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center (AFLCMC) announced CERP’s CDR milestone today. The Air Force selected Rolls-Royce’s F130 turbofans as the winner of a competition to re-engine its 76 operational B-52H bombers back in 2021. Boeing is in charge of the CERP integration work, which will also include the installation of new twin-engine pods and other modifications to support the new engines. CERP is one of a host of upgrades the Air Force’s venerable B-52Hs are set to receive in the coming years, with the aircraft set to eventually be redesignated as B-52Js. The bombers are in line to continue serving into the 2050s.
B-52 Future Stratofortress: The Upgrades That Will Transform The B-52H Into The B-52J

“This CERP critical design review is the culmination of an enormous amount of engineering and integration work from Boeing, Rolls Royce, and the Air Force that will enable the B-52J to remain in the fight for future generations,” Air Force Lt. Col. Tim Cleaver, the CERP Program Manager within the Bombers Directorate at AFLCMC, said in a statement. “It’s that point that you go from having a concept turned into a design, to then turning that design into something physical – something that we will test and field for Air Force Global Strike Command.”
“The review marks the conclusion of years of detailed design work and a series of ‘dry runs’ between the Air Force and its industry partners to ensure all issues were addressed ahead of the formal review,” according to an AFLCMC release. “The upgrade also includes new subsystems, such as a modern generator for each engine, which will significantly increase the aircraft’s electrical power capacity to support future capabilities.”
Rolls-Royce | Rolls-Royce F130 engines for B-52 begin testing

“Following this initial work, the two modified B-52J test aircraft will undergo extensive testing at Edwards AFB, California to validate the new systems,” the release adds. “Once testing is complete, the program will move toward modifying the remainder of the B-52H fleet.”

CERP is a particularly critical upgrade effort for the B-52 fleet. Today, the bombers are powered by eight Pratt & Whitney TF33 engines, which have not been in production since 1985, and have become increasingly costly and difficult to maintain. The TF33 is also just a dated design that traces back to the late 1950s.
Air Force personnel work on one of the TF33 engines on a B-52 bomber. USAF
Under CERP, the TF33s will be replaced with the new eight F130s, which offer substantially better fuel economy and reduced maintenance demands, as you can learn more about here. This, in turn, is expected to result in major reductions in sustainment costs and new operational benefits, including extended range. Greater reach also means less need for support from already heavily in-demand aerial refueling tankers. Before CERP kicked off, the Air Force had spent decades going back and forth on the possibility of a B-52 re-engining effort.

Boeing B-52 Re-engine: The Right Choice for the Air Force
As noted, CERP has suffered multiple delays and significant cost growth since 2021. The Air Force originally hoped to see F130-engined B-52s reach initial operational capability in 2030, but that subsequently slipped to 2033. It could be another three years after that before the entire fleet is re-engined. At that point, it will have been 15 years since the original contract for the new engines was awarded.

“According to the program, delays stem from ongoing engine inlet issues the program found during design testing and from Boeing’s lag in submitting proposals needed for maturing the program’s cost and schedule baselines,” according to a report the Government Accountability Office (GAO) published in June 2025. “Officials stated that Boeing submitted qualified proposals in summer 2024 that the program is currently reviewing.”

A wind tunnel model that Boeing has used as part of the B-52 re-engining program. Boeing

“As part of ongoing design work, officials identified a critical issue regarding engine inlet distortion – a non-uniform flow of air that can affect the engine’s performance and operability – resulting in a redesign of the engine inlet. While the program used a digital model during the rapid prototyping effort that simulated how prospective contractors’ engines would fit in the aircraft, officials said performance data from testing showed that the design did not meet requirements,” the GAO report added. “Officials stated that Boeing will complete wind tunnel testing to fully verify the design in summer 2025. Officials stated that these data are essential to completing the critical design review, planned for April 2026, 3 years later than originally planned.”

Despite the Air Force’s current plan to finally have the first B-52 delivered to Boeing for CERP modification later this year, it is unclear when that work will actually begin or wrap up. TWZ has reached out to the Air Force for more information.
“The [CERP] acquisition strategy extends system development until FY33,” according to an annual report the Pentagon’s Office of the Director of Test and Evaluation (DOT&E) published earlier this year. “The program schedule includes a system-level CDR in FY26 [Fiscal Year 2026], followed by the modification of the two LRIP [low-rate initial production] aircraft in FY27 for testing.”

In February, Defense One reported that Rolls-Royce had confirmed that the first batch of F130s intended for integration on an actual B-52 would not be delivered to the Air Force until sometime in 2027. The Air Force, in cooperation with Boeing and Rolls-Royce, has been testing F130s on the ground under CERP.
An F130 engine in a test fixture at the US Air Force’s Arnold Engineering Development Complex. Rolls-Royce

“Developmental and integrated flight testing is scheduled to begin in FY29, leading to IOT&E [initial operational test and evaluation] in FY32. The proposed production program would award LRIP contracts to procure engines and modify 51 of the 74 B 52 fleet aircraft (69 percent) prior to the planned completion of IOT&E in FY32,” the DOT&E report also said. “IOT&E will be conducted using the two fully modernized B 52J LRIP aircraft. Two full rate production decisions, planned for FY33 and FY34, will address the remaining 23 aircraft.”

The current estimated cost of the program is also unclear. There were reports in 2024 that it had risen from $8 billion to $9 billion. In December 2025, Boeing received just over $2 billion for a task under an existing CERP contract, which the Pentagon said would go toward “completing system integration activities after Critical Design Review and modifying and testing two B-52 aircraft with new engines and associated subsystems.”

CERP is not the only B-52 upgrade effort that has faced challenges, either. The Radar Modernization Program (RMP) has also suffered delays and cost growth. The first B-52 with a new AN/APQ-188 active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar was finally delivered for testing last year, as you can read more about here.
A picture of the new AN/APQ-188 radar integrated onto a B-52 bomber. USAF
The relatively small size of the B-52 fleet, combined with operational demands, presents additional complexities when it comes to major upgrades. The B-52’s continued value in supporting conventional operations has been underscored just recently by its participation in strikes on Iran. The bombers also have a key role in the air leg of America’s nuclear deterrent triad. This all puts hard limits on how many B-52s the Air Force can allow to be sidelined at any one time for any other reason.

A B-52 bomber heads out on a mission in support of Operation Epic Fury against Iran in March 2026. USAF

“The challenge with B-52 that I think everybody forgets, it’s such a small fleet that has such a tremendous requirement in terms of readiness,” Air Force Gen. Dale White told TWZ and other outlets at a roundtable at the Air & Space Forces Association’s (AFA) annual Warfare Symposium in February. “You’ve got to have a certain number on the ramp. That’s a requirement.”

Last August, White was named as the Direct Reporting Portfolio Manager for Critical Major Weapon Systems. The role was created to provide a “single empowered leader” to manage several top-priority Air Force weapon systems programs.
Despite these hurdles, the Air Force has continued to frame CERP, as well as the new radars and other upgrades, as being essential to keep the B-52 fleet going for decades to come. The service’s overall bomber plans envision a future fleet made up of B-52 and new B-21 Raiders, though the exact timeline for transition is unclear. The latest Air Force budget request for the 2027 Fiscal Year says the service now plans to retire its B-1 bombers in 2037, one year later than previously scheduled. This has also raised questions about what the retirement schedule might be for the B-2.

A B-52 bomber takes part in a recent exercise. USAF
After years of setbacks, there does now look to be a firmer path forward to re-engining the first B-52H with new F130 turbofans.

Update: 4:24 PM EST –
The AFLCMC has now confirmed to TWZ that work to integrate the F130 engines on the first B-52 is scheduled to begin in Fiscal Year 2027, which begins on October 1 of this year. Modification of the second B-52 is set to start in Fiscal Year 2028. Ground and then flight testing are expected to follow in Fiscal Year 2029. The Air Force is still targeting Fiscal Year 2033 for reaching initial operational capability with the re-engined B-52s.

“This milestone reflects the strength of our partnership with the U.S. Air Force and Boeing applied to a shared mission,” Jennifer Schwerin, Director of Early Life Cycle & Naval Programs-Defense at Rolls-Royce, has also now said in a statement. “Together, we are delivering on the Commercial Engine Replacement Program with pace and precision, keeping the B-52J modernization on track and reinforcing confidence in the critical capability it will provide to the warfighter into the 2050s.”
In addition, Boeing has released an updated rendering of the fully-upgraded B-52J, seen below. The configuration depicted is very similar to what was seen in a previous rendering that the company put out back in 2022, including the presence of two new large humps on top of the fuselage. Though their shapes are slightly different, they both have profiles commonly associated with wideband satellite communications systems. Two fairs under the nose have also been eliminated. You can read more about the significance of these changes here.






 


Change incorporation on Boeing 777-9s will take “years”, CEO said

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By Scott Hamilton
Background to a new series


May 3, 2026, © Leeham News: Boeing has more than 30 777-9s built and stored at the Everett (WA) Paine Field, where the 777s are assembled.

Some have been stored since 2020. Years of testing, fixing, and certification delays pushed the anticipated delivery to next year. However, every stored aircraft must undergo change incorporation first to meet the standards required by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which involves years of scrutiny, system updates, and fixes identified in testing.

Beginning tomorrow, LNA will publish a five-part series on incorporating change. Boeing has received a lot of publicity about this practice since the March 2019 grounding of the 737 MAX, the early 787s that were rife with design and production issues, and the suspension of 787 deliveries beginning in October 2020. These programs had unprecedented levels of change incorporation required.

However, the process isn’t new, and Boeing learned a lot over the decades. LNA describes the evolution of change incorporation since the Boeing 767 program. The 767 was originally designed as a three-crew cockpit. A few airplanes were produced in this configuration. After the FAA approved operation by two-person crews, Boeing had to change these airplanes from three- to two-person cockpits and change those in production.

LNA recounts change incorporation for the 767, 747-400, 777 Classic, 787, and the 777X.

CEO Kelly Ortberg, responding to a question on the 1Q2026 earnings call, gave a high-level outline of what Boeing faces with the 777X.

Change incorporation before delivery
More than 30 Boeing 777-9s are stored today. This Google Earth photo of Paine Field, Everett (WA), shows many of them. These are distinguishable by the green fuselage and white wings.

“Change incorporation is basically for the airplanes that we have built, [we must] incorporate all the changes that have happened since they’ve been built. Things that result from the certification program, and things that happen as a result of productivity improvements or process improvements,” Ortberg said. “We go back in, and we incorporate all those changes before we make the delivery. It is a pretty massive activity that we have underway.”

Ortberg said that there is a dedicated team within BCA focused specifically on incorporating changes into the airplanes. Boeing has roughly 30 777s that’ll go through this change incorporation process over several years.

“It depends on when the airplane was built,” Ortberg continued. “The older the airplane, the more change incorporation and the more structural-related changes that are needed, and they’ll take longer. The newer the airplane, it’s likely more minor upgrades. Each airplane has a different change incorporation work scope. That’s what the team is doing right now, going through defining the statement of work.”

Ortberg said that Boeing will bring all the airplanes down to a common configuration level and then incorporate the changes. “We think that’s going to be the most efficient way. This isn’t new. This is something we’ve always planned. It’s a part of the production process. Unfortunately, when you build the airplanes early to get all the learning, in order to make the final delivery, we have to bring them all up to the latest configuration. It’s in our operating plan, and we’re in the early stages of that change incorporation effort.”

LNA specifically details this last description in its series.

No details or time-per-airplane
Ortberg didn’t detail the types of changes required to move from one spectrum to the other. Nor did he say how long the changes will take per airplane. LNA notes that Ortberg said the work scope statement is still being defined on a per-airplane basis.

The change incorporation for the gaps between fuselage barrels on the 787, discovered in 2020, took 3-4 months per airplane. Changes to the MAXes took “longer than it took to build them,” former CEO David Calhoun said, without being more precise. Before the MAX crisis began, it took about 10 days to assemble a 737.





 


The Piston Ceiling:
The Operator’s Strategic Roadmap to Turbine Power in 2026

Why upgrade from a Cirrus SR22T? As announced following the release of our 2026 Cirrus SR22 Buyer’s Guide, the SR22 series continues its unbroken reign atop the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) delivery charts, with Cirrus celebrating its 11,000th SR Series delivery and the G7+ generation pushing the boundaries of what a piston single can achieve. Safe Return Emergency Autoland, now standard on the SR22 G7+, represents the first FAA-certified autoland system for a piston aircraft, a technological leap that has redefined the safety calculus for owner-pilots. At speeds of 213 KTAS and with a service ceiling of 25,000 feet, the turbocharged SR22T remains the undisputed champion of its class.
And yet, for a growing segment of operators, that class is no longer sufficient.
The Reality of Piston Fatigue
At Flying Finance, we see both sides of the acquisition equation daily. Within the last month alone, our team closed and funded financing on aircraft that ranged from a 1950 Navion B to a 2022 Piper M350 and a brand new Tecnam P2008 MkII, and included a Beechcraft Bonanza, Cessna 182T and Cirrus SR22T. All of these airplanes represent exceptional choices for their specific mission profiles. However, we also see a recurring pattern among our most active business clients. It is a phenomenon we have begun to call Piston Fatigue.

Don’t worry, piston fatigue is not a mechanical issue. Cirrus, Piper, Beechcraft and Cessna, and Tecnam make incredible aircraft. Piston fatigue is an operational issue. It manifests when a 200 hour per year business operator realizes that their $1.2 million asset has suddenly become the primary bottleneck in their professional life. It shows up when you have to cancel the third flight in a single month because of an icing forecast that your TKS system cannot safely handle for the duration of the route. It appears when the oxygen cannulas come out for the fourth consecutive leg above 12,500 feet and your passengers begin to wonder if this is truly preferable to the airlines, because it feels like a medical ward.
Why the Cirrus SR22T May No Longer Be Enough
To understand the upgrade path, we must first look at the benchmark. Why would an owner upgrade from a Cirrus SR22T? The answer usually involves a fundamental mismatch between the capabilities of the aircraft and the demands of a growing business mission. When pressurization, useful load, and all weather dispatch reliability become non-negotiable requirements, even the world’s best selling high performance piston reaches its operational limits. It’s an efficiency calculation that increasingly favors the aircraft with a PT6A up front.

For the business owner flying 200 or more hours annually across regions where ice, altitude, and passenger comfort dictate the success of a trip, the turbine transition is not an indulgence. It is a logical efficiency calculation. This is where the emotional and physical reality of the piston ceiling begins to take hold.
The Symptom of Piston Fatigue
Fatigue appears the moment the oxygen cannulas come out. At Flying Finance, we have a very specific saying for our clients: cannulas are for patients, not passengers. When you are flying a high net worth client or your family across the Rockies or even along the East Coast, handing them a plastic tube for their nose does not feel like private aviation. It feels like medical transport. Suggest it to a young child or grandchild and that trip is done before you reach level flight. It is the moment the utility of the aircraft is called into question and is the moment your passengers start questioning how adventurous the flight might become. 

This fatigue also manifests as TKS Timer Anxiety. While many pistons are certified for flight into known icing (FIKI) via TKS weeping wing systems, there is a massive gap between what is legal and what is logical for a mission. TKS relies on a finite tank of glycol fluid. In a serious icing encounter, you are not just flying the airplane. You are watching a countdown timer. Once that fluid is gone, your protection is zero.
Furthermore, piston engines simply lack the excess horsepower required to climb out of an icing layer with speed. Ice accumulation on unprotected areas like antennas, landing gear, and step ups adds drag that a piston engine often cannot out muscle. A TKS equipped piston is a system designed for escaping ice. A boot equipped turbine like the Piper M500 or the Daher TBM is a system for defeating it. With 500 or more horsepower and pneumatic boots, you do not sit in the layer and hope for the best. You climb through it at 2,000 feet per minute to reach the clear sky at FL250.

Finally, there is the Velocity Gap. It crystallizes when a 500 nautical mile mission transforms a productive day trip into an exhausting overnight. At 170 to 180 knots, you are at the mercy of the headwinds. At 260 to 330 knots, you’re back in time for dinner.
The Piper M350: The Only Pressurized Piston in Production
In a market flooded with high performance singles, the Piper M350 stands alone. It is the only pressurized piston aircraft currently in production. This distinction fundamentally separates it from every other piston powered competitor. For pilots and business operators searching for the ceiling of piston performance, the M350 is the definitive option.

The M350 delivers on the promise its lineage established decades ago with the Malibu platform. Powered by the turbocharged Lycoming TIO-540-AE2A producing 350 horsepower, the aircraft cruises at 213 KTAS, similar to the five passenger SR22T, while carrying up to six occupants at an expanded useful load of 1,308lbs for an additional 322nm (up to 1,343nm), in genuine comfort. But the headline specification is the 5.5 psi differential cabin pressurization system. This allows the M350 to cruise at its maximum approved altitude of 25,000 feet while maintaining a cabin altitude of approximately 8,000 feet. No oxygen masks. No cannulas. Just move about the cabin comfort above the weather.

The advantage of pressurization is hard to overstate. Every unpressurized piston, regardless of how powerful or fast it may be, mandates supplemental oxygen for any sustained flight above 12,500 feet. For business operators frequenting routes like Atlanta to Miami, Dallas to Nashville, Charlotte to DC, or Denver to the Golden State, the entire mission profile changes when you can climb above convective weather and icing layers. By removing the physical fatigue of oxygen equipment and offering radar and FIKI as standard, the M350 shifts from a regional airplane into a professional tool.
Executive Club Seating and Professional Safety
The interior of the M350 reinforces this professional positioning. The aircraft’s club seating allows rear passengers to face each other, transforming the pressurized cabin into a mobile conference room. With built in work tables and USB charging ports at every seat, the aircraft is ready for business at 25,000 feet.

Safety features elevate the M350 further into professional territory. Standard equipment includes the GWX 75 Weather Radar. This is a genuine airborne radar system that provides real time storm cell tracking, not satellite delayed imagery. Standard flight into known icing certification with pneumatic de-icing boots means the M350 can legally and safely dispatch into weather conditions that ground its unpressurized competitors. Unlike TKS systems that offer finite fluid reserves, the M350 boots operate mechanically off engine bleed air. This provides essentially unlimited duration icing protection.

The Garmin G1000 NXi three screen avionics suite delivers the advanced safety systems modern pilots demand, including Synthetic Vision Technology and Electronic Stability Protection. The GFC 700 autopilot includes the Level Mode button, which is a single push that returns the aircraft to straight and level flight during a disorientation event. It will not bring you all the way to a safe landing, but it will help you regain control after a turbulent throw. 

Flying Finance recently closed funding on a Piper M350 for an operator who understood exactly what this aircraft represents. That transaction was not about acquiring another piston single. It was about breaking through the ceiling into pressurized, radar equipped, and FIKI certified capability without the turbine price tag. With a 2026 market price around $1,575,000 and variable operating costs near $450 per hour, the M350 delivers a light turbine experience on a piston budget.
Identifying the Turbine Roadmap
If you have already read our 2026 Aircraft Market Guide, you may have seen that once an operator has moved past both the SR22T and the M350, the roadmap branches into a few distinct paths. In the current 2026 market, we have identified a specific investment sweet spot in each of those paths. It is the three to seven year old vintage. Purchasing in this window allows a business owner to avoid the massive 30% depreciation hit that comes with a new aircraft while still benefiting from current generation avionics and factory support. As you will see, the sweet spot differs depending on which aircraft, largely due to the specific maintenance and warranty considerations. 

This roadmap typically includes the Cirrus SF50 Vision Jet for those who prioritize safety and lifestyle, or the Piper M500 and M600 for those who want pure business efficiency. At the top of this roadmap sits the Daher TBM. With a cruise speed of 330 knots and the ability to fly at FL310, it is the corporate missile of choice for those who need to cover large distances quickly.

To help our clients understand these tradeoffs, we often point them to resources like our own Matt Herr’s analysis on When an Upgrade from Piston to Turboprop Makes Sense. It is all about matching the capital to the mission.






 


Air Force Leaders: More Parts Key to Bringing Up C-5’s Low Readiness Rate
April 30, 2026
By Matthew Cox

Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Kenneth S. Wilsbach told lawmakers Apr. 30 that the service’s biggest airlifter, the C-5 Galaxy, has a 37 percent mission capable rate—one of several challenges facing the mobility fleet.

Mission capable rates are one of the best-known metrics for aircraft availability. Aircraft are deemed mission capable when they are able to perform at least one of their core missions. In fiscal 2024—the last year the Air Force publicly released rates—the Vietnam War-era C-5’s rate was 49 percent.

Wilsbach said the decline in the C-5’s rate is one of the reasons the Air Force requested $24.7 billion in its fiscal 2027 budget for aircraft sustainment.
“That dollar figure will allow us to buy the parts and maintain those aircraft and bring the availability up,” he said.

During the hearing, committee members questioned Wilsbach and Air Force Secretary Troy E. Meink about Air Force efforts to modernize its mobility and tanker fleets, which have operated at a high tempo during Operation Epic Fury.
Rep. Harold Rogers (R-Ky.) asked about the status of the Next Generation Airlifter, or NGAL, program and questioned whether the Air Force is moving forward with replacing the C-5 and the C-17 Globemaster III or “simply managing the decline of a critical capability.”

Meink said the Air Force has “finished some of the analysis on what that next generation system is going to look like” and extended the C-5s “out through 2040.”

“At that point, we intend to start replenishing those aircraft first, and then following that, we will go into replenishment of the C-17s, which are in very good condition right now,” Meink said.

In addition to the $24.7 billion in the budget for the Weapons Systems Sustainment account, Wilsbach said the 2027 budget request includes more than $4 billion for the Working Capital Fund, so the service can buy the critical spare parts needed for repair work and maintenance on the C-5s, C-17s and other aircraft at the completion of Epic Fury.

“We’ll bring those aircraft back, we’ll refurbish them to extend their lifetime,” Wilsbach said. “I wouldn’t categorize our mobility force as declining, but rather sustaining.”

In February, Air Mobility Command interim boss Lt. Gen. Rebecca J. Sonkiss said “there is no other aircraft that can do what the C-5 does,” but figuring out a pathway to replacing the Galaxy and C-17 fleets with the NGAL will be “key to the readiness for the joint force.”

While responding to a tanker modernization question from Rep. Chuck Fleischmann (R-Tenn.), Wilsbach noted that the budget request also includes $105 million for updating the battlefield connectivity of the tanker force “so that they have a similar data link network that we have in our fighters.”

Modernized connectivity is another problem area for the mobility and tanker fleets that Sonkiss has highlighted. The Air Force has been “woefully negligent … way too long” by failing to invest in connectivity for the air mobility and tanker fleets, she has said.

While much of the focus on tanker modernization has been on the proposed Next Generation Air refueling System, Sonkiss has also argued for improving the survivability of existing aircraft. “There’s various ways to get after survivability,” she told reporters in February. “It starts with being connected so that you have battlespace awareness.”

Fleischmann wanted to know how the Air Force is ensuring its tanker fleet has the capacity for a sustained conflict in the Pacific.

A congressional mandate in the fiscal 2026 National Defense Authorization Act requires that the service have 478 tankers in fiscal 2027 and reach 502 by the start of fiscal 2029. Fiscal 2027 documents released in April indicate the Air Force has roughly 475 tankers—370 KC-135 Stratotankers and 105 KC-46 Pegasus refuelers.

“We have a number that we’re supposed to meet this year of 478, which we will do,” Wilsbach said. “And we are working our way with this budget, and perhaps future budgets, to get to 502.” The Air Force is requesting $3.9 billion to buy 15 KC-46s and service expects to receive 20 Pegasus aircraft in 2027 as part of its existing contract with Boeing.





 


Airbus Misses FAA Safety Deadline for A220 Jets, Triggers Industry Scramble

Airbus A220 cockpit barrier delays push compliance beyond July 2026, as airlines request extensions to 2027.

By Natalia Shelley
April 30, 20263 Mins Read

Photo: Clément Alloing
WASHINGTON— Airbus has informed U.S. regulators that it will not meet the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)’s July 31, 2026, deadline to equip Airbus A220 aircraft with secondary cockpit barriers, citing certification delays and supplier constraints.

The development has prompted JetBlue Airways (B6), a major A220 operator based at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), New York, to formally request a one-year exemption.

The issue affects aircraft deliveries and compliance across U.S. fleets as airlines work to meet safety mandates introduced by the Federal Aviation Administration.

Airbus acknowledged that production capacity and certification timelines have slipped, leaving operators unable to comply with the revised deadline.

Photo: By Colin Brown – N3023J – Airbus A220-300 – JetBlue Airways from flickr.com, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=137431763

Airbus A220 Compliance Delay
Airbus confirmed in a communication to operators that certification of the A220’s secondary cockpit barriers has extended beyond initial projections.

The manufacturer indicated that supplier limitations have constrained production output, making it difficult to meet regulatory timelines.

The FAA had originally set a compliance deadline for August 2025, later extending it to July 31, 2026, to give airlines and manufacturers additional time. Despite this extension, Airbus now expects certification to be completed only in the third quarter of 2026, Flight Global flagged.

The manufacturer also noted that once certification is finalized, airlines will require approximately 210 days to complete crew training and operational adjustments before the systems can be fully implemented.
Photo: JetBlue

Airline Extension Requests
JetBlue has formally petitioned the FAA to extend the compliance deadline to July 31, 2027, citing Airbus’s inability to deliver certified systems on time.

The airline operates a growing fleet of A220 aircraft and faces operational challenges without regulatory relief.

A similar exemption has already been granted to Horizon Air, which operates Embraer 175 aircraft and encountered comparable delays from its manufacturer. That extension also runs through July 2027, setting a precedent for other carriers seeking additional time.

Industry stakeholders have expressed mixed reactions, with pilot groups arguing that manufacturers have had sufficient time to prepare for the requirement.
However, airlines emphasize that compliance depends heavily on supplier readiness and certification approvals.
Photo: Airbus

Cockpit Safety Rules
The requirement for secondary cockpit barriers stems from a 2023 FAA rule aimed at enhancing aircraft security.

These barriers are designed to prevent unauthorized access to the flight deck during flight, adding an additional layer of protection beyond reinforced cockpit doors.

The regulation traces its origins to post-2001 aviation security reforms, which sought to address vulnerabilities exposed by past incidents.
The FAA maintains that such measures remain critical to ensuring passenger safety and operational security.

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Air Force Starting to Ramp Up Development of New NC3 Aircraft

April 30, 2026
By Greg Hadley

The Air Force plans to finalize an acquisition strategy for its new Looking Glass nuclear command, control, and communications program by September, part of a prelude to a significant increase in the service’s NC3 spending in the coming years. 

“Looking Glass” is the nickname given to the Airborne National Command Post mission—aircraft that fly with the systems and crews needed to receive and relay orders from the President and launch intercontinental ballistic missiles via the Airborne Launch Control System. The Air Force only recently took back the mission after more than 25 years as a Navy responsibility.

The Air Force could choose to acquire new aircraft for what it is calling “Looking Glass-Next.” Or it could decide to add the mission to its in-development E-4C Survivable Airborne Operations Center, which is meant to replace the E-4B “Doomsday” plane as the flying command post for national leaders to direct nuclear and conventional forces, execute emergency war orders, and coordinate civil response actions in case of a major emergency. 

Gen. S.L. Davis, head of Air Force Global Strike Command, acknowledged both possibilities in an interview with The War Zone in January but said no decisions had been made. 

Documents from the 2027 budget request released this month use similar, if somewhat generic, language to describe the basic requirements for Looking Glass-Next and the E-4C. The Looking Glass-Next system will “be hardened to protect against nuclear and electromagnetic effects and use a Modular Open System Approach (MOSA) for a mission system that will integrate secure communications and planning capabilities on modern information technology infrastructure.” 

The E-4C aircraft “will be hardened to protect against nuclear and electromagnetic effects and modified with an aerial refueling capability to enable sustained airborne operations. The mission system will integrate secure communications and planning capabilities on modern information technology infrastructure based on a Modular Open System Approach (MOSA),” the documents continue. 

The budget documents also say the Looking Glass-Next program office will “look at ways to expand the industrial base, accelerate commercial preference, develop incentives that maximize industry creativity, and create best value for the government while reducing program risk” and anticipates receiving final approval on its acquisition strategy by the fourth quarter of fiscal 2026, or between July and September. 

In the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act, lawmakers directed the Air Force to submit a study to Congress on that acquisition strategy and specifically told the service to consider acquiring and modifying new C-130Js for the mission. 

That’s what the Navy is doing for its “Take Charge and Move Out” mission, which is similar to the Looking Glass mission focused mainly on receiving, verifying, and relaying orders to the Navy’s nuclear submarines. 

Since 1998, the Navy’s E-6B Mercury has flown both the TACAMO and Looking Glass missions, but the sea service is transitioning TACAMO to the new E-130J Phoenix II and giving Looking Glass back to the Air Force, which flew the mission for decades using the EC-135.

The Air Force plans to start small with Looking Glass, asking for $65 million for the project in fiscal 2027. In 2028, however, it is projecting a sixfold increased budget of $409.5 million
SAOC

Similarly, the service is starting to ramp up its spending on the E-4C after awarding the contract for the program to the Sierra Nevada Corporation in April 2024. In the 2027 budget, the Air Force is asking for $2.2 billion to continue research, development, and testing efforts on the SAOC.

That figure is expected to grow in the coming years, to $2.52 billion in 2028 and $2.71 billion in 2029, all in R&D funding. All told, the budget’s five-year spending plan charts more than $10 billion in developing the SAOC.

Sierra Nevada Corp. is buying and converting Korean Air 747-8 passenger jets for the SAOC, and flight testing began in September 2025. According to the Air Force budget documents, a critical design review will start in fiscal 2027 and last through fiscal 2029.





 


Boeing Global Services Eyes Further Time Savings
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Robert Wall 
April 28, 2026
Credit: Lindsay Bjerregaard/Aviation Week

A drone hunting for missing rivets and signs of corrosion over a hulking C-17 transport is among the initiatives Boeing Global Services (BGS) is pursuing to enhance productivity.

Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg, on the company’s first-quarter earnings call on April 22, said automation and artificial intelligence efforts have cut cycle times at BGS by approximately 25% year to date, as the business deals with a record $33 billion in backlog. BGS boss Chris Raymond, in an interview, said the efforts are not stopping there.

At the company’s maintenance, repair and overhaul site in San Antonio, BGS is pairing the drone technology with artificial intelligence software it calls the Automated Damage Detection System, Raymond said. The algorithm is training itself over multiple inspections to recognize defects.

“What's now starting to happen is the algorithm is able to compare and say, ‘you’ve got missing a rivet here and here, you’ve got corrosion here, here and here, and you're going to have to repaint here, here and here,’” Raymond said. “It's starting to reduce the flow time and improve the safety,” he said, in part by reducing the need for workers to climb all over the aircraft.

Another area the company is looking to streamline processes using new tools is in the supply chain, Raymond said. The company has large volumes of low-dollar transactional proposals. Emerging software tools could automate much of that, with procurement staff focusing their efforts on ensuring everything is correct.
“We’re trying to pick things that today frustrate our people because they have to touch so many legacy databases to do their job, or that would just be really good for customer responsiveness.”

“We’ll make mistakes,” he acknowledged. “The trick is not to do science projects. Pick projects that are really going to make a material difference to your business in the capacity sense or in a customer responsiveness sense.”






 


Air Force clears T-7A Red Hawk for low-rate production

By Michael Scanlon
 May 4, 2026, 06:42 PM

The inaugural flight of the U.S. Air Force's first T-7A Red Hawk in 2023. (Boeing)
The U.S. Air Force approved low-rate initial production of Boeing’s T-7A Red Hawk advanced trainer, setting the stage for the long-awaited replacement of the service’s 60-year-old T-38 Talon.

The April 23 decision authorizes a $219 million contract for the first 14 aircraft, along with spares, support equipment and training, the Air Force announced Monday. The service is targeting initial operational capability in 2027.

The approval means the aircraft cleared Milestone C, a point in the defense acquisition process that marks the transition from development to manufacturing.
“Reaching Milestone C is a testament to the dedicated government and industry teams who have worked diligently to overcome complex technical hurdles,” William Bailey, who’s performing the duties of the assistant secretary of the Air Force for acquisition, technology and logistics, said in a statement. “The T-7A is a pivotal program for the future of our combat air forces.”

For Air Education and Training Command, the urgency is generational.

“Our mission is to train the next generation of combat aviators, and the T-7A Red Hawk is the tool we need to do it,” said Brig. Gen. Matthew Leard, AETC director of plans, programs, requirements and international affairs. “Replacing our 60-plus-year-old T-38s is a top priority. The T-7A’s advanced systems will give our students a far more realistic training environment, ensuring they are prepared for the cockpits of the future.”

For Boeing, the production green light comes after years of schedule delays and a fixed-price development contract plagued by ejection seat deficiencies, flight control software issues and supply chain problems. Flight Global reported last year that Boeing’s losses on the program had surpassed $1.8 billion.

“Boeing is honored to work with our U.S. Air Force partner in achieving this historic milestone in the T-7A Red Hawk’s journey,” Andy Adams, vice president and program manager for Boeing T-7 programs, said in a statement. “Getting this pathfinding digitally designed, built and tested advanced trainer into the hands of Air Force instructors and students remains our focus, and Milestone C positions us to start low-rate initial production this year.”

Despite the production approval, the Air Force is proceeding cautiously. Each of the first three low-rate production lots will be green-lighted separately, allowing officials to apply lessons from ongoing testing before committing to subsequent batches.

The full program calls for 351 T-7A aircraft and 46 ground-based training simulators across five AETC bases. Boeing secured the original $9.2 billion contract in September 2018 in partnership with Sweden’s Saab, which builds the aircraft’s aft fuselage.

The aircraft, named in honor of the red-tailed fighters flown by the Tuskegee Airmen in World War II, first arrived at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph on Dec. 5, 2025. It is being integrated into the 99th Flying Training Squadron, which traces its lineage directly to the original Tuskegee unit.





 


How the 2027 Budget Will Change the Air Force Tanker Fleet

April 28, 2026
By Matthew Cox

The Air Force is planning to retire more tankers than it buys in its fiscal 2027 budget, but an increase in deliveries of new KC-46s next year will cover the gap to ensure the service satisfies a congressional mandate to build up the overall refueling fleet, an Air Force spokesperson said.

Air Force Vice Chief of Staff Gen. John D. Lamontagne told House Armed Service Committee members on April 15 that the service intends to “fully comply” with a requirement in the fiscal 2026 National Defense Authorization Act raising the minimum inventory for the tanker fleet from 466 to 502 by Oct. 1, 2028, with intermediate milestones along the way.

A service spokesperson confirmed the current fleet meets the 466-aircraft requirement. Budget documents released earlier this month indicate USAF has roughly 370 KC-135 Stratotankers and 105 KC-46 Pegasus refuelers, though those figures do not address aircraft lost during Operation Epic Fury, Air Force officials said. The Air Force lost at least one tanker when a KC-135 crashed on March 12 in Western Iraq, killing its six crew members.

Under the congressional mandate, the Air Force must have 478 tankers in fiscal 2027 and 490 in fiscal 2028, leading up to the 502 figure by the start of fiscal 2029.
Lamontagne told lawmakers that the Air Force was “previously retiring a KC-135 every time a KC-46 came off the line. We’re no longer doing that so that we can grow our tanker capacity from 466 to 502.”

But during the fiscal 2027 budget rollout this month, USAF officials said the service plans to retire 20 KC-135s, and a service spokesperson said the service is receiving 20 KC-46s in the upcoming year as well.

That would represent a new high for the program. Boeing officials said during a January earnings call that they delivered 14 aircraft in 2025 and plan to deliver 19 in 2026.

The number of aircraft delivered in 2027 would exceed the number purchased—the Air Force is seeking $3.9 billion to buy 15 KC-46s next year, though those aircraft wouldn’t start being delivered until October 2029.

The 2027 buy would represent the final lot of the Air Force’s original program of record for the KC-46, with a total of 184 production and four test aircraft. Still more are in the works, however, after the Air Force decided last July that it would skip a “bridge tanker” competition and buy an extra 75 KC-46s while it continues to explore plans for a Next-Generation Air Refueling System. The additional Pegasus aircraft are intended to serve as a short-term measure to keep production on a modern tanker going while the Air Force considers a long-term plan to replace its aging fleet of KC-135s.

The Air Force plans to increase KC-46 procurement to 18 aircraft per year from fiscal 2028 to fiscal 2031, according to budget justification documents.

Challenges still remain, however, since Lamontagne told lawmakers in March that the Air Force would not sign the new contract extension for 75 additional Pegasus aircraft until Boeing fixes several deficiencies with the newer refueler such as solving the “visibility issues” with the Remote Vision System for boom operators and the redesign of the boom telescoping actuator, which was found to cause the boom to become “stiff” and prevent it from refueling certain aircraft, such as the A-10 Thunderbolt II, that cannot produce enough thrust to keep the boom in place during refueling.

Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg said recently that the company has now lost more than $7 billion on the fixed-price contract for the KC-46, describing the original deal has been a “bad contract for the last decade.” Boeing officials are hoping to underwrite the new contract for the additional 75 KC-46s “to ensure it’s a fair contract and we can make money on that,” Ortberg said.

Any delays to the KC-46 production extension program would have ripple effects. During his tenure as Air Mobility Command boss, Lamontagne said in 2025 that the service may need to consider a service-life extension for the Eisenhower-era KC-135.

To address future needs, U.S. Transportation Command’s “Mobility Capability Requirements Study (MCRS) will provide a risk analysis on aerial refueling force structures to help the Air Force and Congress determine the best long-term path forward,” the Air Force spokesperson said.



Curt Lewis