Julien Mercier

The T406 engine reached a solid 500-hour record on one Osprey in mid-August last year. It happened during normal line ops, not a test flight. The count feels modest next to jetliner totals, yet inside tiltrotor work it signals tough stamina. Dust storms, salty deck spray, rough landings—each hop chews parts quicker than manuals predict.

Russia says its new Avangard hypersonic glide vehicle slices through air at Mach 27—about 33 000 km/h. Officers call it a “shift point” for global power, though they spoke carefuly. Analysts in Moscow add that the craft twists faster than most shields can track.

Singapore just raised its air-watch bar one more notch. The Republic of Singapore Air Force states its G550 Airborne Early Warning squadron has hit full ops after a tough decade of tweaks, test hops and long simulator nights. The slim jets shove aside the old E-2C Hawkeyes, giving crews fresh eyes across both island airspace and wider straits. Analysts mark the move as a key stone in the city-state’s layered defence, saying it shrinks the gap between first alarm and scramble.

The contract keeps Raytheon busy well into 2028. The firm will push out more Silent Knight units, spares, an updated software pack, plus support gear. U.S. Special Operations Command wants these radars so aircrews can hug the rough ground at night and still dodge threats. First sets already left the factory months ahead of plan, hinting the line will stay hot.