Electra Defense Will Focus On EL9 Ultra-STOL Aircraft For Remote Access

Electra announced the launch of a new business unit focusing on the needs of military defense missions, “Electra Defense,” that will develop the EL9 ultra-STOL, dual-use, nine-passenger, hybrid-electric aircraft for the U.S. military.

17,000 SF System Integration Facility Completed In Huntsville

Lockheed Martin announced the opening of a new 17,000-square-foot Hypersonics System Integration Lab at its Huntsville campus in Alabama. The $17.1 million capital investment was completed in just over a year and reinforces the company’s commitment to delivering rapid and reliable solutions to defense partners and maintaining U.S. strategic superiority in hypersonic technology.

Developing The Next Generation of Aviation Professionals

Daher Aircraft and the General Aviation Manufacturers Association joined together in renewing their unique international internship program for a third consecutive year. The initiative provides four students, two from North America and two from Europe, the opportunity to gain industry experience and exposure direct interactions through the eight-week exchange.

Also: USAF Reaper Accident, Baikonur Damage, Horizon eVTOL IFR/FIKI, New Glenn Update

Honda has outlined its clearest timeline yet for its entry into the world of electric vertical-lift, confirming that its first full-scale eVTOL prototype will be finished by the end of 2025. The inaugural flight is slated for March 2026, marking the company’s transition from years of under-the-radar development to a much more public testing phase. Arctus Aerospace announced it raised $2.6 million from Version One Ventures, South Park Commons, gradCapital, and several angel investors in a pre-seed round to accelerate the development of its large, unmanned aircraft intended to fly at 45,000 feet for up to 24 hours. Arctus said the funding will be deployed to establish one of the deepest full-stack unmanned aircraft manufacturing and engineering capabilities that will be built entirely in-house. Sam Bousfield, CEO of Samson Sky, has been granted his eigh

A Tornado Took Out the Manufacturer’s Main Production Facility in May

Just two months after an EF-4 tornado tore through its facilities, Kolb Aircraft was back on its feet and ready for new customers at EAA Oshkosh AirVenture. The company set up shop a few miles down the road with a renewed focus on its best-selling ultralight. The 170mph tornado tore through the London-Corbin Airport in Kentucky on May 20, 2025. The good news was that all of Kolb’s employees walked away unharmed. The bad news was that its hangar, along with several completed airframes, trailers, and shelves of components, did not. Kolb’s team salvaged everything they could and moved operations a few miles down the road to one of the co-owners’ properties. Setting up a new permanent home is a work in progress, but in the meantime, Kolb Aircraft has managed to get all three of its designs back in active production.

Dozens of Companies Unveiled Innovative Products Ahead of the 51st SnF Aerospace Expo

Kicking off the 51st SUN ‘n FUN Aerospace Expo, we hosted the second annual SnF Innovation Preview to give more than 20 companies just enough time in the spotlight to debut their new planes, products, engines, accessories, and more… In other words… it was a LOT of news, and it’s all still up for your viewing pleasure.

Third-Edition Resource Guide is Getting Ready… But It’s Waiting on You

The third edition of the SportPlane Resource Guide—soon to launch as the expanded, fully digital eSPRG—is almost ready for release. The layout is there, dozens of instructional chapters are written, and hundreds of aircraft write-ups are complete. This edition will be bigger, more detailed, and easier to update than the previous 1,100-page print version (probably settling in at more than 2000 pages!), with the potential to far exceed even our own anticipations with S-LSA, E-LSA, ultralights, avionics, and accessories. The only major thing slowing it down is one simple piece: more data from manufacturers.

With The eSPRG Only Weeks Away From Its Start Date, A-AF Will Help To Support Sport Flyers, Worldwide

With the all-new and all-digital SportPlane Resource Guide getting ready for publication early next year, the Aero-News Network is pleased to announce yet another addition to the Airborne video news programming roster… Airborne-Affordable Flyers. Dedicated to keeping people up-to-date on the most affordable aspects of sport and general aviation, Airborne-Affordable Flyers is one of our most exciting offerings yet. A-AF will delve into more than just the current LSA community, but look at all aspects of aviation to examine and evaluate the most enjoyable, and most affordable, solutions to flying, operating, and owning aircraft in the 21st century.

The Pilot Attempted Several Times To Restart The Engine And Diverted To Long Beach Airport/Daughtery Field 

On October 20, 2025, about 1603 Pacific daylight time, an experimental amateur-built Rutan Long-EZ, N8183K, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident in Long Beach, California. The pilot was seriously injured, and a pedestrian on the ground was seriously injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. According to the pilot, he had flown the airplane from the Compton/Woodley Airport (CPM), Compton, California, to French Valley Airport (F70), Murrieta/Temecula, California, as part of a flight of two airplanes.

We’re Hiring Editors, Developers, Video Journalists, Oh My!

Yes, despite the last few years being one of the most unpredictable stretches in aviation media we can remember, ANN is still standing… and somehow, still expanding. The pandemic didn’t exactly make life easy, but we’ve come through it with enough energy to tackle our next round of projects. Fortunately for you, they are already stacking up faster than we can keep up with. Moving forward, we’ll be ramping up efforts on an expanded “Airborne Unlimited,” launching the third version of the SportPlane Resource Guide in a digital format, rolling out coverage for all the greatest airshows, and diving into new Aero-Reality programming and book projects. We’ve got the plans; now we need the people.