Aerospace & Defense

GE Aerospace is leaning on its Commercial Engines & Services segment as its key growth driver, with second-quarter 2026 segment revenues up 27% and orders up 18% year over year as engine deliveries rose 26%. In the first half of 2026, the company booked GEnx orders from United Airlines and Delta Air Lines for Boeing 787 Dreamliners, LEAP orders from American Airlines and Copa Airlines, an order from Copa Airlines for up to 120 LEAP-1B engines for its Boeing 737 MAX fleet, and a long-term materials agreement supporting Ryanair's fleet of approximately 2,000 CFM56 and LEAP engines. During 2025, GE Aerospace secured more than 500 engine wins at the Dubai Airshow, including flydubai GEnx deals and Riyadh Air LEAP-1A orders, plus a Cathay Pacific order for GE9X engines on its Boeing 777 9 aircraft and a Qatar Airways deal for more than 400 GE9X and GEnx engines that stands as the largest widebody engine deal in the company's history. The company is also advancing its FLIGHT DECK lean model, with supplier improvements supporting revenue growth. Among peers, RTX reported 16% organic sales growth in the second quarter, while Howmet Aerospace's commercial aerospace revenues rose 28% year over year in the second quarter of 2026, constituting 53% of its business.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions announced on Monday that it won multiple contracts worth more than $100 million to develop space intelligence and cyber capabilities for joint military operations. The work will support RF signal collection, intelligence gathering, electronic warfare, and offensive cyber operations. The contracts will leverage the company's KnownSpace network of more than 190 RF sensors across more than 20 locations, along with its software and analytics capabilities. Following the announcement, KTOS stock traded about 1.58% higher at roughly $43.75 in pre-market trading.

Schneider Electric agreed to acquire engineering software developer PTC for $22.6B in an all-cash deal at $205 per share, sending PTC shares up 34%. The transaction implies an enterprise value of $23.7B, or 21x 2027E EV/adjusted EBITA and 13x including full run-rate synergies, represents a 42.3% premium to PTC's last closing price, and is expected to close by Q3 2027. Qualcomm shares rose 3% after the company and Huawei agreed to a multi-year patent licensing deal covering 5G, computing, AI, and networking technologies, including cross-licenses to their respective patent portfolios, with Qualcomm also set to acquire certain Huawei U.S. patents subject to regulatory approvals. Huawei said its intellectual property licensing business has generated positive revenue since 2021, with more than 165,000 active granted patents as of the end of 2025; the companies previously settled a patent dispute in 2020, when Huawei agreed to pay Qualcomm $1.8B in back licensing fees. Redwire shares rose 2% after it was awarded a follow-on contract by Axiom Space to develop and deliver two Roll-Out Solar Array wings for the second module of Axiom Station, building on its work on ROSA wings for the station's first module, which is expected to launch in 2028.

Redwire has been awarded a follow-on contract by Axiom Space to develop and deliver two Roll-Out Solar Array wings for Axiom Station's second space station module. The company is also developing the ROSA wings for Axiom Space's first space station module, which is undergoing final assembly at Thales Alenia Space in Turin, Italy. That first module will then be transferred to Houston for integration and testing before launch from Kennedy Space Center in Florida, with the launch planned for 2028. The second module is preparing for final assembly at Thales Alenia Space and is expected to launch less than a year after the first module, and once in orbit it can remain there until it is ready to dock with the first module. Together, the two modules are expected to form a four-crew-capable, operational free-flying space station.

Redwire Corporation has been awarded a follow-on contract by Axiom Space to develop and deliver two Roll-Out Solar Array wings for Axiom Station's second space station module. The award follows Redwire's previously announced work building the ROSA wings for Axiom Space's first space station module. Mike Gold, President of Redwire Space, said ROSA's track record supporting the International Space Station in low-Earth orbit makes it the ideal system to power Axiom Station, citing its 100-percent success rate across environments from LEO to GEO and beyond. Axiom Space CEO and President Dr. Jonathan Cirtain said Redwire's Roll-Out Solar Array hardware is a crucial component for building a sustainable commercial presence in LEO. Axiom Station's first module is undergoing final assembly at Thales Alenia Space in Turin, Italy, before transfer to Houston for integration and testing and then to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, with launch planned for 2028; the second module is preparing for final assembly at Thales Alenia Space and is planned to launch less than a year after the first, with the two modules together forming a four crew-capable, operational free-flying space station.

Redwire announced new collaborations with Sophia Space on orbital computing infrastructure and with American Honda Motor on integrated robotics for future commercial space stations, while also being named one of 15 vendors on Space Systems Command's more than US$980 million NITE-STAR IDIQ contract, which carries no guaranteed revenue. The agreements, disclosed in late September and early October 2026, extend Redwire's push into space-based infrastructure, automation and US national security programs and could broaden its revenue mix across commercial, research and defense customers. The company's investment narrative projects $714.6 million in revenue and $66.1 million in earnings by 2029, requiring 24.4% yearly revenue growth and a $410.0 million earnings increase from -$343.9 million today. Before the news, the most optimistic analysts assumed revenue could reach about US$782.1 million by 2029 with earnings of roughly US$72.8 million, a view that sits in tension with concerns about heavy equity issuance and integration risk. Redwire's biggest risks remain exposure to complex contracts, cost overruns on fixed price work, uneven profitability and reliance on external funding to support its growth plans.

BWX Technologies held an investor day on September 29 where management laid out bullish long-term targets, after the stock fell 27% over the past three months. The company, which holds a virtual monopoly on naval nuclear reactors and fuel components for the U.S. Navy, said its total backlog has doubled to $8.4 billion, roughly nine quarters of contracted run rate, and projected 2026 revenue of $3.8 billion, about 98% of it from core nuclear activities. BWXT is selling a majority stake in its non-core medical isotope unit for up to $800 million while retaining a 20% interest, and is reallocating proceeds into nuclear manufacturing assets, including a 500,000-square-foot footprint expansion through the Precision Components Group acquisition. Its updated 2030 roadmap targets annual revenue of $5.5 billion to $6 billion on low double-digit compound organic growth, with adjusted EBITDA margins expanding from 17.5% to approximately 20% and cumulative free cash flow exceeding $2 billion through the end of the decade. The stock, which peaked above $241 and has traded down into the $130-$140 range, still carries a roughly 36x trailing and 27x forward price-to-earnings multiple, while hedge fund holders rose to 65 in the second quarter from 61 in the prior quarter and short interest sits at 4.42% of the public float.

Jim Cramer said on the September 28 episode of Mad Money that Space Exploration Technologies Corp. is developing into a broader technology and infrastructure company, with Starlink, AI computing, and Starship as multiple potential growth engines. Cramer pointed to SpaceX's GPU infrastructure business, saying Elon Musk is renting GPUs bought from NVIDIA to Google at an $11 billion a year run rate and has a similar deal with Anthropic at a $15 billion run rate starting in October, roughly $2.17 billion a month in compute rentals. The company's second-quarter results showed AI revenue of $2.56 billion, up 247% year over year, alongside $14.1 billion in contracted Cloud Services Agreements, though that AI revenue came with a $1.26 billion operating loss. Cramer also highlighted the September 28 Starship flight, which reached orbit and deployed 26 Starlink V3 satellites, but a Raptor Vacuum upper-stage engine shut down prematurely, cutting the planned 10-hour mission to about three hours. SpaceX generated $7.81 billion of second-quarter revenue while spending $18.37 billion on capital expenditures, $15.83 billion of it on AI, and Cramer separately warned that a large amount of restricted stock will become eligible to enter the market over the next year. Insider Monkey reported that 119 hedge fund portfolios held SpaceX at the end of the second quarter of 2026, and the stock trades at a price-to-sales multiple of 85.5x.

The FY2026 defense appropriations agreement includes more than $6.3 billion for 13 critical munitions and grants conditional multiyear procurement authority for eight of those programs, a tailwind for RTX Corp. as it scales production of AMRAAM air-to-air missiles, Standard Missiles and Tomahawk cruise missiles. RTX's order backlog reached a record $289 billion by the end of second quarter fiscal 2026. The company will spend $25 million to expand its Niepołomice site in Poland, which delivers tubular assemblies for commercial and military engines, following a $100 million capital outlay announced in April for its Rzeszów facility. RTX closed at $185.01 on October 1 with a market capitalization of about $249.3 billion, trading at a trailing P/E of 33.62x and a forward P/E of 24.57. Hedge fund ownership slipped from 95 funds in Q1 2026 to 92 funds in the following quarter, while BlackRock remains the largest institutional stakeholder with 110.53 million shares, or 8.20% ownership.

L3Harris Technologies has secured an undefinitized contract from Lockheed Martin worth more than US$6b over seven years to expand propulsion output for the THAAD missile defense system. The arrangement follows a prior framework with the Department of War to quadruple THAAD propulsion production and includes both a new Solid Rocket Boost Motor facility and added Liquid Divert and Attitude Control capacity. The contract lands as L3Harris shares have fallen about 9% over the past month and 22% year to date on a share price basis, though the 3 year total shareholder return is up roughly 53%. The company closed at $236.60, while the most followed narrative estimates fair value at about $342 per share using an 8.4% discount rate, framing the win as one more contract feeding into a broader backlog and earnings story. The story could break if U.S. budget pressure trims space spending or if prime contractor delays slow conversion of the reported US$42b backlog.

The Federal Aviation Administration has determined that a newly identified software glitch in the Boeing 737 MAX does not present a flight-safety concern, according to The Wall Street Journal. The agency convened its Corrective Action Review Board on Friday to assess whether the issue constituted an unsafe condition requiring immediate action. The FAA said the board reached its determination because pilots retain full control of the aircraft and the indications to the flight crew are clear and unambiguous, adding that it will consider appropriate action if new information emerges. The software problem had raised concerns among some aviation industry officials about potential safety implications when 737 MAX aircraft are landing under certain circumstances. Boeing shares traded 1.5% higher following the report.

SpaceX shares have stabilized after notching an all-time low of $104.83 in early August, with the company citing fresh catalysts that could drive the stock higher into year-end and into 2027. Starship, SpaceX's two-stage rocket and the largest human-made flying object, recently reached orbit for the first time, and the recent flight deployed the first 26 next-generation Starlink V3 satellites. Anthropic expanded its computing agreements with SpaceX, committing up to $84.5 billion through May 2029 for NVIDIA-based AI infrastructure, while Zacks Consensus Estimates suggest SpaceX will grow revenue by 147% in 2027. The odds of a SpaceX and Tesla merger by the end of next year have spiked to 63% on Polymarket. The company also pointed to Planet Labs and Google's launch of the first AI satellite as proof of concept for its ambitions in space-based AI data centers.

Northrop Grumman has introduced FORTITUDE, a patented single-chip technology that processes vast portions of the electromagnetic spectrum on a grain-of-rice-sized gallium nitride chip. The company said the technology delivers three times more power and 20 times better signal quality, supporting satellites, radar, GPS, electronic warfare and future 6G systems. Previously known as the Super Lattice Castellated Field Effect Transistor, FORTITUDE builds on the company's focused research and development and substantial investment in microelectronics. It replaces dozens of components, cutting weight and slashing power consumption while delivering greater value for the end system. Built in the U.S. for both commercial and defense markets, the chip is designed to simplify system architectures and open new opportunities for faster, more dependable communications across next generation platforms.

Prime Minister and Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul held talks with Wouter van Wersch, Executive Vice President for International Affairs at Airbus, and Bert Porteman, a representative of Airbus Thailand, on ways to upgrade and expand cooperation between Thailand and Airbus in the aviation industry, space technology, human resource development, and clean energy. The Prime Minister affirmed the policy of promoting the aviation industry and future industries, and asked Airbus to consider broadening cooperation to cover more areas by building on the cooperation models the company has with other countries and extending them to Thailand. On clean energy, the Prime Minister proposed that Airbus promote the use of sustainable aviation fuel, or SAF, produced in Thailand, using Thai raw materials and agricultural output as part of the production chain. In addition, Airbus plans to establish a Center of Excellence in Thailand as a hub for developing knowledge, technology, and personnel, linking Airbus's global network to Thailand. The Prime Minister also proposed expanding cooperation in space technology and security, building on existing cooperation with the Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency, or GISTDA, and Thaicom Public Company Limited, as well as discussing cooperation with Thai Airways International Public Company Limited to support the goal of pushing Thailand to become the region's aviation hub.

The US Navy has placed a multi-year contract with Raytheon, a unit of US defense giant RTX, to produce the Standard Missile 6 (SM-6) interceptor. The contract is worth up to $24.4 billion. It covers five years with an option to extend for another two, aiming to ensure a stable and reliable supply of the SM-6, which can carry out both strike and missile defense missions. The deal is part of a series of large weapons contracts pursued this year as the US Department of Defense seeks to replenish ammunition stockpiles depleted by conflicts in the Middle East and push defense companies to accelerate production. In late September, it signed a $20.7 billion multi-year preliminary contract for Raytheon's AMRAAM air-to-air missile, and in July it awarded Lockheed Martin a $58.6 billion Patriot interceptor missile contract. Industry executives have warned that Congress has not yet approved the funding needed for these contracts, and that defense companies may be unable to make large-scale investments in components and equipment until Congress acts.

Lihang Technology announced on the evening of September 30 that its controlling shareholder and actual controller Liu Suiyang provided the company with a loan of 80 million yuan for a term of one year, at an interest rate below the loan prime rate published by the National Interbank Funding Center for the same period, and the company is not required to provide any guarantee. Liu Suiyang currently holds 49,355,164 shares of the company, accounting for 63.68% of the total share capital, and serves as the company's controlling shareholder, actual controller, and director. From January 1, 2026 to the disclosure date of the announcement, apart from this transaction, the company had borrowed a cumulative total of 20 million yuan from Liu Suiyang. The company stated that this loan is mainly used to supplement funding needs for production and operating activities, and can effectively reduce financing costs and financing time. Previously on September 14, the company disclosed that Liu Suiyang signed a share transfer agreement with Hongchuan Yuanshanyuan and Li Ben, planning to transfer 12.3345 million shares. After the transfer is completed, the two parties will become shareholders holding more than 5% of the company, and based on the 2026 half-year report data, will become the company's second and third largest shareholders. In the first half of 2026, Lihang Technology achieved revenue of 118 million yuan, up 117.9% year-on-year, while the net loss attributable to the parent company was 22.83 million yuan, narrowing from a loss of 44.57 million yuan in the same period last year.

RTX announced on Thursday that it won a 5-year contract with 2 option years, worth up to $24.4B, for Standard Missile-6 interceptors. The deal will support a more consistent supply of SM-6 missiles for the U.S. Navy as demand rises. The company said it has been expanding its workforce, production capacity, and automation to meet rising demand for the system. The SM-6 can support anti-air, anti-surface, and ballistic missile defense missions.

Boeing shares rose about 4% Thursday after the company's largest white-collar union approved a new four-year contract, removing the threat of a strike that could have disrupted production and certification work at the aircraft maker. The Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace, which represents roughly 17,000 Boeing engineers, scientists, technicians and other workers, said both of its bargaining units voted to ratify the improved offer. About 68% of members in the professional unit, representing roughly 13,000 engineers and scientists, backed the agreement, while more than 53% of the technical unit, which represents about 4,000 designers, analysts and technicians, also voted in favor. The new contract provides a 10% wage increase upon ratification, followed by annual raises of 4% and the potential for an additional 2% performance-based increase. The agreement removes the immediate prospect of a strike after Boeing workers had rejected the company's initial proposal, with the current contracts set to expire October 6 and a work stoppage potentially beginning as soon as October 7. A strike could have added another complication for Boeing as it works to advance certification of its long-delayed 737 MAX 10 and 777X aircraft while increasing production and accelerating deliveries.

SpaceX launched four astronauts to the International Space Station on Thursday aboard a Crew Dragon capsule, marking the company's 13th crew rotation mission for NASA. The crew, consisting of two Americans, one Canadian, and one Russian cosmonaut, lifted off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral, Florida, on a Falcon 9 rocket. According to Bloomberg space correspondent Lauren Grush, the mission comes amid speculation that SpaceX may retire the Crew Dragon once the ISS program ends, with only four more crew rotation missions currently scheduled. The crew will spend roughly a week aboard the station before the previous Crew 12 team returns to Earth following a handover. Three of the four astronauts on this flight are first-time flyers.

Sogeclair has completed the sale of its Airbus-dedicated engineering activities to Akkodis, a global leader in digital engineering and technology consulting. The transaction covers 366 employees located across France, Spain, Germany, Canada, India and the United Kingdom, while the transfer of the business in the United States and Tunisia will be completed following receipt of the required approvals. The divested business represents approximately 20% of the Group's revenue. Sogeclair said the completion marks a new milestone in its development strategy, enabling the Group to strengthen its position in high value-added engineering and manufacturing activities across the entire product lifecycle while continuing its diversification into high-potential markets such as business aviation and defence.

Lockheed Martin's Rotary and Mission Systems business received a $94.2 million contract modification from the U.S. Navy to support continued development and integration of the AEGIS Combat System for the Royal Canadian Navy. The award funds system engineering, computer program baseline development and integration testing of AEGIS Weapon System elements and interfaces, with work performed primarily in Moorestown, New Jersey, and expected completion by December 2027. The contract is funded through the Foreign Military Sales program, underscoring Canada's continued investment in advanced naval capabilities. AEGIS integrates sensors, weapons and command-and-control capabilities so ships can detect, track and respond to airborne and surface threats. The award adds to Lockheed Martin's long-term AEGIS-related work and supports its position in the naval defense market.

GE Aerospace holds a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), with consensus earnings estimates for the current quarter, fiscal year, and next fiscal year all revised higher over the past 30 days. The company is expected to post earnings of $2.01 per share for the current quarter, a year-over-year change of +21.1%, while the Zacks Consensus Estimate has moved +0.7% over the last 30 days. For the current fiscal year, the consensus estimate of $7.91 points to a +24.2% change from the prior year and has risen +0.6% over the past month, and for the next fiscal year the $9.04 estimate indicates a +14.3% change and has increased +0.5%. Revenue forecasts call for $12.66 billion in the current quarter, up +12% year over year, with current and next fiscal year estimates of $50.56 billion and $55.85 billion, indicating +19.5% and +10.5% changes respectively. In its last reported quarter, GE posted revenues of $12.63 billion, up +24.5% year over year and a +6.52% surprise versus the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $11.86 billion, with EPS of $2.02 versus $1.66 a year ago and an EPS surprise of +8.6%.

BofA Securities upgraded Dassault Aviation to buy from neutral and raised its price target to €360 from €345, citing the French fighter maker's long order book and potential new Rafale contracts. The target implies about 27% upside from the €284 share price cited in the report, and BofA noted the stock has fallen about 20% from its year-to-date high, creating a more attractive entry point. Dassault's Rafale backlog provides about 7.5 years of production visibility at current delivery rates, with further upside possible from India and Ukraine. India's proposed order for 114 Rafales could become a key catalyst in the fourth quarter and would be the largest export order in the aircraft's history, while Ukraine has expressed interest in acquiring up to 100 Rafales, initially ordering 16 aircraft under a July 2026 agreement with France with deliveries due to begin in 2028-29. Neither opportunity has yet become a firm contract, but BofA said that if both orders are secured, Dassault's backlog could exceed 400 aircraft, potentially extending production visibility to about 15 years at 2026 production rates. BofA also raised its 2026 earnings-per-share forecast to €16.40 from €16.30 and its 2028 forecast to €22.31 from €21.42, while cutting its 2027 estimate to €19.36 from €19.67.

Bank of America reshuffled its European defense coverage, upgrading Saab AB Class B to buy from neutral and Dassault Aviation to buy from neutral while downgrading Babcock International Group and RENK Group AG to neutral from buy. BofA raised its Saab price objective to SEK720 from SEK655, citing stronger-than-consensus growth expectations, particularly in its Surveillance business, and forecasts earnings per share 9%-16% above consensus in 2027-30, with its 2030 revenue estimate for Surveillance about 27% above consensus. For Dassault, the bank lifted its price objective to €360 from €345, highlighting a Rafale backlog that provides about 7.5 years of production visibility at current delivery rates, and said a proposed Indian order for 114 Rafales and Ukraine's ambition for up to 100 aircraft could, if secured, lift the backlog above 400 aircraft and roughly double production visibility. Babcock was cut to neutral with its price objective reduced to 1,060 pence from 1,608 pence, and RENK was cut to neutral with its target lowered to €42.50 from €62.50. BofA also initiated Fincantieri SpA at buy with a €17 price objective, expecting 34% EPS CAGR from 2026-30, and started CSG Nv Class A at underperform with a €13 target.

ATI Inc. has raised its adjusted free cash flow guidance for 2026 to US$550–US$600 million, citing higher adjusted EBITDA and stronger operating performance. The company attributed the increase to robust aerospace and defense demand, pricing gains, and targeted investments. The higher outlook points to improved cash conversion, ongoing buybacks, and a more flexible balance sheet, while also raising the stakes on execution against higher EBITDA and operating performance targets. Five Simply Wall St community fair value estimates for ATI span roughly US$165.85 to US$275.

Thales announced Sentinel Envelope Plus, a new paid add-on to its Sentinel Envelope software protection solution that hardens compiled applications against AI-assisted reverse engineering, automated zero-day vulnerability discovery and automated exploit generation without requiring source code changes. In a controlled test, an AI agent identified 8 of 10 vulnerabilities in an unprotected application, but found none in the same application protected with Sentinel Envelope Plus, despite 970 times the token consumption, and ultimately recommended discontinuing the analysis after nearly seven hours. The add-on transforms and recompiles selected security-sensitive parts of an application, adding layers of protection against decompilation, tampering and runtime inspection, and can be combined with optional licensing controls. Damien Bullot, Vice President of Software Monetization at Thales, said the extra time AI-assisted attacks require gives vendors a larger window to identify issues, deploy fixes and protect customers. Thales, listed on Euronext Paris under HO, employs more than 85,000 people in 65 countries and reported sales of €22.1 billion in 2025.

Thales announced CipherTrust Data Security Posture Management, which the company describes as the first purpose-built DSPM offering that lets organizations protect sensitive data directly through encryption, masking or tokenization natively within the platform. The unified as-a-service platform combines sensitive-data discovery and classification with posture, access, activity and behavioral context to prioritize material risks, and it provides discovery and risk visibility for both structured and unstructured data across cloud, on-premises and hybrid sources. Todd Moore, Vice President of Data Security Products at Thales, said organizations need to understand which sensitive data is truly at risk and take direct action to reduce it, adding that CipherTrust DSPM connects risks to protections such as encryption and tokenization rather than relying on permissions alone. The approach builds on more than 30 years of Thales expertise in data discovery, protection, key management, access control and activity analysis. Hiroji Sugito, Principal Data Security Engineer at Tokyo Electron Device, said the platform's ease of deployment and the accuracy of its data classification enable customers to quickly understand where their sensitive data is, who or what can access it, and how to protect it without slowing AI adoption.

Huntington Ingalls Industries received a US$5.1b contract to refuel and overhaul the USS Harry S. Truman carrier, work that will be carried out at the company's Newport News Shipbuilding division in Virginia. The refueling and complex overhaul, or RCOH, lands squarely in the backlog and cash flow side of the company's business, which is built on a $56.9 billion backlog of multi-year, multi-program contracts. Separately, HII reached preliminary acceptance of the future USS John F. Kennedy aircraft carrier with the U.S. Navy ahead of formal delivery, a milestone that speaks to execution on complex Ford-class programs. Huntington Ingalls Industries is a US$10.2b aerospace and defense contractor focused on designing, building, overhauling and repairing military ships for the U.S. fleet, making large carrier projects like Truman and the future John F. Kennedy central to its operations. The carrier work keeps heavy yards fully loaded, though it also locks the business further into large manned platforms while management commits capital, partners and factory space to ROMULUS and REMUS unmanned systems.

L3Harris Technologies has won a $461.9M firm-fixed-price contract to provide commercial satellite communications connectivity for designated executive airlift aircraft. The contract supports authorized government personnel, with work expected to continue through October 2028. A total of $62.3M in FY2026 operations and maintenance funds is being obligated at award. The U.S. Space Force at Los Angeles Air Force Base is the contracting activity.

The U.S. Navy has doubled its fleet capacity to operate the MQ-25A Stingray unmanned aircraft system over a five-month period by standing up a second operational MD-5C Ground Control Station powered by Lockheed Martin Skunk Works MDCX. USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) received the first operational MD-5C in March 2026, followed by USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) in August 2026. The MD-5C is a highly complex system-of-systems that includes the government Command, Control, Communications, Computers and Intelligence network, Lockheed Martin's MDCX software and hardware, and additional government-produced ancillary equipment. Within the Ground Control Station, MDCX is the mission planning and execution software that enables Navy operators to command and control the MQ-25A Stingray, extending carrier air wing reach and freeing manned aircraft for higher-priority missions. Capt. Daniel Fucito, PMA-268 program manager, said the two operational unmanned air warfare centers aboard CVN 71 and CVN 76 bring the Navy closer to integrating unmanned carrier aviation into the fleet, while MDCX Program Manager Ben Tongue said the team has doubled the number of U.S. Navy carriers ready to fly the MQ-25A Stingray in five months.

Boeing and Ethiopian Airlines announced that the African carrier has ordered eight 777-8 Freighters and two 777 Freighters, making Ethiopian Airlines the first African carrier to purchase the world's newest widebody freighter. The order is Ethiopian Airlines' second for the 777X airplane family, building on its earlier purchase of eight 777-9 passenger jets that established the carrier as Africa's first 777X customer, and it doubles the airline's 777X family order book. The 777-8 Freighter will be the world's largest and most capable twin-engine freighter, with a maximum structural payload of 118 tonnes, and will be paired with the 777 Freighter to expand the carrier's Boeing freighter fleet. Ethiopian Airlines Group CEO Mesfin Tasew said the aircraft will enhance payload capacity, operational flexibility, efficiency and sustainability as cargo demand grows, while Boeing senior vice president of Commercial Sales and Marketing Brad McMullen cited the strength of the partnership and growing worldwide air cargo demand. Ethiopian Airlines currently connects more than 70 cargo markets across Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East and North America with a fleet of 12 777 Freighters, two 767 Freighters and four 737-800SF airplanes.

Thales and Landis+Gyr announced a strategic collaboration to deliver secure, scalable cellular connectivity for smart meter deployments across North America. Under the deal, Thales will supply Landis+Gyr with eSIM technology and advanced IoT connectivity management to simplify and secure remote management of smart meter fleets throughout their lifecycle, combined with Simetric's single pane of glass platform for centralized monitoring and control. The solution uses Thales' latest eSIM technology, compliant with the GSMA's SGP.32 specification, allowing network profiles to be provisioned, changed or managed over the air and reducing reliance on physical SIM replacement. Landis+Gyr serves more than 2,000 utilities worldwide and has more than 180 million connected intelligent devices in the field, while North America's installed base of smart electricity meters is expected to grow from 152.4 million in 2024 to 180.9 million by 2030, according to Berg Insight. The capability will become part of Landis+Gyr's Revelo and Surent platforms, and Thales' eSIM subscription management solutions support more than 450 mobile network operators and more than 200 OEMs across consumer and IoT markets.

Elon Musk has outlined an ambitious new growth opportunity for SpaceX, revealing plans to eventually launch hundreds of gigawatts of artificial intelligence computing capacity into orbit annually, potentially reaching one terawatt over the longer term. Speaking alongside Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang at an America.Gov event on September 29, Musk said SpaceX and Tesla are aiming for approximately 200 gigawatts of annual solar production, and that SpaceX will launch at least a few hundred gigawatts a year of AI compute, noting that 200 gigawatts a year would be a 40% increase annually in United States total energy consumption. He argued that power generation could become one of the biggest constraints on America's ability to compete in artificial intelligence, noting that China's electricity production is roughly three times that of the United States. Musk said Starship would be central to executing the vision, predicting the rocket could eventually achieve a weekly or twice-weekly launch cadence next year following what he described as its first orbital flight. He cautioned that the terawatt ambition remains a long-term possibility rather than a confirmed production commitment, and the economics remain unproven at the proposed scale.