DSEI Dissected—Drones, Directed Energy And Defense Tech

The DSEI arms expo provided the backdrop for companies to unveil new weapons and for government buyers to drive home a sense of urgency to develop systems at pace. Aviation Week editors discuss what they observed and covered in their reporting. Aviation Week analyst Sonny Butterworth also joins to share his observations on the land domain. Thank you to our sponsor Siemens. Siemens Xcelerator provides the technology to accelerate transformation in aerospace and defense. Learn more    

In the decades since two modified B-29s dropped atomic bombs over Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, bringing World War II to a close, there have been many ideas about how the power of the atom might be harnessed for other uses, including space exploration and aircraft propulsion.  On this episode, Aviation Week editors comb through our archives to discuss the legacy of the atomic bomb missions and the evolution of nuclear power in aerospace through to the present day—and beyond. “We hold in trust a power that is capable of unraveling the very fabric of our civilian…We have proved the destructive use, while the constructive applications are still in the realm of speculation.”-AW&ST, Sept. 1945 Check 6 Revisits delves into Aviation Week's more than 100-year archive. Subscribers can explore our archive here and read key Aviation Week articles related to this episode here: ‘Atomic’ Aircraft Development Seen Far Off By Industry Heads (Aug. 13, 1945) Army-Navy Post-War Plane Needs Seen Large Despite Atomic Bomb (Aug. 20, 1945) The Atom | New Source of Energy; A Tide In The Affairs Of Men (September 1945) Atomic Transports 15-20 Years Away (Feb. 6, 1956) Nuclear Reactor Tests Include B-36 Flights (Jan. 16, 1956) The Soviet Nuclear-Powered Bomber (Dec. 1, 1958) Skunk Works Reveals Compact Fusion Reactor Details (Oct. 15, 2014) Debrief: Signs Of Life For Russia’s Nuclear-Powered Cruise Missile (Aug. 18, 2025)

Is free trade over in commercial aviation, or it is all just smoke and mirrors? Aerodynamic Advisory's Richard Aboulafia joins Aviation Week’s Joe Anselmo, Jens Flottau and Dan Williams to discuss.

Aviation Week's Brian Everstine, Robert Wall and Steve Trimble discuss U.S. naval aviation ahead of the annual Tailhook gathering and the surprise announcement that U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Allvin will be retiring. 

Aviation Week’s Vivienne Machi and Brian Everstine are back from their trip to the annual Space and Missile Defense conference. Here’s what was new or surprising, from counter-UAS to in-space mobility. 

The Starlink satellite venture’s stunning success has brightened Elon Musk’s bumpy year, but has awakened China. Listen in as Aviation Week's Joe Anselmo, Garrett Reim, Irene Klotz and Matt Fulco discuss what has become SpaceX's cash cow. -- Since its inception in 1957, Aviation Week Network's Laureate Awards have honored extraordinary achievements in aerospace. Innovators that represent the values and vision of the global aerospace community have changed the way people work and move through the world. Nominations for Aviation Week Network's 2026 Laureate Awards are now open! Submit your nominations by October 16, 2025. Nominate here 

As competition between the United States and adversary nations intensifies, cybersecurity risks for aerospace and defense are rising. Listen in to this sponsored podcast as Josh Lospinoso,  CEO and Co-Founder of Shift5, and David Forbes, who leads Cyber Physical Defense at Booz Allen Hamilton, explain the nature of the cyber security threat, the stakes involved and how to mitigate it. Learn more here

Boeing’s new CEO has been on the job for a year. Analyst Scott Mikus joins Aviation Week's Joe Anselmo, Sean Broderick and Michael Bruno to discuss how he’s doing so far. Thank you to our sponsor GE Aerospace. Learn more about how GE Aerospace and its partners are defining flight for today, tomorrow, and the future here

NASA’s normally vibrant presence at the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics’ showcase Aviation and Ascend events was cut to the bone this year as the agency faces crippling budget cuts. Aviation Week’s Graham Warwick, Guy Norris and Garrett Reim were in Las Vegas for the events. They share their impressions from there and concerns about what the NASA cuts could mean for U.S. competitiveness in commercial aviation and space.

Join the National Air and Space Museum’s director Chris Browne and Aviation Week’s Joe Anselmo for a private tour of the revamped museum in Washington. Watch the video version on Youtube here. Thank you to our sponsor GE Aerospace. Learn more about how GE Aerospace and its partners are defining flight for today, tomorrow, and the future here