High-Energy Laser Weapons Reach New Heights

Aviation Week editors Robert Wall and Steve Trimble discuss the evolution of laser weapons that are now getting their first battlefield kills and are destined for new applications. 

Aviation Week's Guy Norris and Tony Osborne are joined in Atlanta by vertical flight veteran Mike Hirschberg of H2 Advisors to discuss the highlights of this year's Verticon rotorcraft expo.

Some 14 years after exiting the single-aisle engine market, Rolls-Royce is trying to get back into it, unveiling a new engine concept called the UltraFan 30—but can it break the CFM-Pratt duopoly? Editors are joined by guest columnist Scott Mikus, director of Melius Research covering aerospace, to discuss the dynamics in next-generation single-aisle propulsion.

Aviation Week's Robert Wall, Jens Flottau and Steve Trimble discuss the military operation in Iran, how it has disrupted commercial air travel and consider the ramifications for aviation.  

Listen in as Aviation Week's Robert Wall, Brian Everstine, Vivienne Machi and Guy Norris reflect on program updates and other highlights from the AFA Warfare Symposium. Thank you to our sponsor L3Harris. L3Harris' Red Wolf and Green Wolf deliver an unfair fight by combining speed, extended range and lethality through kinetic and non-kinetic effects: https://www.l3harris.com/all-capabilities/l3harris-pack-launched-effects

Aviation Week's Joe Anselmo, Michael Bruno and Jens Flottau are joined by consultant Kevin Michaels to break down President Trump's latest tariffs and where the pain will be felt in the aerospace supply chain.

Editors preview AFA Warfare Symposium, setting the scene for key topics that will be on the agenda in Colorado. They touch on new leadership and shifting priorities, modernization efforts, and key programs like on-orbit refueling and tanker development.

Editors are joined by Richard Aboulafia to discuss airliner production after Airbus shared its delivery targets for this year and Boeing updated its suppliers.

Editors are joined by Agency Partners' analyst Sash Tusa to discuss the fallout of the Munich Security Conference and Saudi Arabia's World Defense Show.  Key Topics: Overview of Recent Defense Events The Future of FCAS and European Defense Cooperation Germany's Nuclear Ambitions and European Security Insights from the World Defense Show in Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia's Defense Industrialization Efforts Find out more about Aviation Week's Defense Conference here

NASA is under new leadership with Jared Isaacman. Listen in as he answers questions from Aviation Week's Irene Klotz after eight weeks on the job in this special episode presented by Editor-in-Chief Joe Anselmo. --- Nominations are now open for the Space Tech Challenge Awards—could your solution be a winner? Find out more and apply here https://spacetechchallenge.aviationweek.com/ The Space Tech Challenge Awards connect execution-ready innovations with the government agencies, prime contractors, and commercial operators actively seeking them. From lunar operations to Mars missions, the space industry faces nearly 200 validated capability gaps. The Aviation Week Space Tech Challenge Awards recognize solutions already in development — prototypes tested and advancing toward deployment. Presented at Space Tech Expo USA, this program connects working technologies with government agencies, prime contractors, and commercial operators ready to integrate them.