What’s in the Record-Setting Defense Budget?
The Golden Dome missile defense system, more shipbuilding, more Tomahawk missiles, and troop pay raises are among the requests in the recently proposed fiscal 2027 $1.15 trillion defense budget.
US Attacks Venezuela, Captures Maduro
The US launched an assault over the weekend on the Venezuelan capital of Caracas that took leader Nicolas Maduro and his wife into American custody and has set the stage for the US to run the South American nation. The military operation, dubbed Absolute Resolve, involved more than 150 aircraft — bombers, fighters, intelligence, reconnaissance, surveillance, and rotary wing.
Report: Military Failed to Address Issues with V-22 Osprey
A US Navy report says that the military failed for years to address a growing series of issues with the V-22 Osprey aircraft.
DoD Report Shows Spike in Military Aircraft Accidents
A Pentagon report reveals a spike in US military aircraft accidents. The number of major accidents involving military aircraft spiked in 2024 and a series of aviation mishaps with deaths and the loss of aircraft in 2025 suggest the trend might be continuing.
St. Mary’s: ‘Hotbed’ of Aviation Development
Aerospace companies that want to get their operations off the ground should consider Maryland, which is home to more than 9,000 such companies. A recent investment profile points out that St. Mary’s County is “a hotbed of military and civil aviation development” with NAVAIR at Pax River and other facilities in the region.
White House: ‘Higher Priority’ Is F-47, Not Navy’s F/A-XX
The White House supports reevaluating the Navy’s F/A-XX program due to concerns of two sixth generation programs occurring simultaneously. Awarding the contract would likely delay the “higher-priority F-47,” the administration said.
Pentagon Unveils $961.6B Defense Budget
The Defense Department released its fiscal 2026 budget, making official a $961.6 billion request. The breakdown among the services: $197.4B for the Army, $292.2B for the Navy, $301.1B for the Air Force and Space Force, and $170.9B for defense-wide activities.
Trump Proposes New Fighter Jet, the F-55
President Donald Trump wants the US military to have a new twin-engine F-35. He wants to call it the F-55. It will have two engines and a super upgrade on the F-35. Some analysts say it will be a highly challenging engineering endeavor.
SoMD 2030 Supports AI & STEM Summer Camps
The A. James Clark School of Engineering of the University of Maryland at College Park will hold two free summer camp programs at the University System of Maryland at Southern MD. The camps are made possible with financial support from The Patuxent Partnership’s SoMD 2030 workforce initiative.
FAA Issues Final Rule for Powered-Lift eVTOLs
The Federal Aviation Administration has issued its final rule for powered-lift aircraft, which creates the operating and pilot training basis for eVTOLs. This development is critical to the success of the advanced air mobility industry, says the FAA.
