Samwise Aeronautical Mechanics
Sunday, July 5, 2026
FAA Adopts Airworthiness Directive for Boeing 747-8F Stringer Splice Cracking, Effective August 6
The FAA published a final-rule airworthiness directive on July 2 covering certain Boeing 747-8F freighters, prompted by reports of cracking in stringers and splice fittings at stringer splices at multiple body stations. AD 2026-13-03, effective August 6, requires an inspection of each free flange of the stringers at the stringer splice for radius fillers at certain fastener locations, a detailed inspection for cracking, and on-condition actions including replacement of cracked splice channels. The agency warns the cracking could leave a structural element unable to sustain limit load. The FAA estimates the AD affects 11 U.S.-registered airplanes, with cracking inspections costing up to $20,740 per airplane.
Sources: Federal Register (FAA) Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
JetZero Starts Jet1 Fuselage Assembly as FAA Moves BWB Program into Part 25 Certification Office
JetZero has entered fuselage assembly on its Jet1 blended wing body demonstrator at Scaled Composites’ facility in Mojave, California, a construction milestone for the first full-scale BWB aircraft. The demonstrator uses low-temperature cure composites, and wingskin fabrication is underway; because the 185-foot wingspan exceeds existing cure ovens, a large-scale oven will be constructed around the wing structure. The FAA has also transferred JetZero into its Integrated Certificate Management Office, AIR-500, which handles Part 25 certification of large transport aircraft, after four years in the emerging technologies division. JetZero plans to file for type certification later this year and targets entry into service in the early 2030s.
Sources: CompositesWorld Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
GCAP Nations Award Edgewing £4.6 Billion Contract to Complete Fighter Concept and Assessment Phase
The trinational Global Combat Air Programme has entered its next phase with an 18-month contract funding completion of its advanced concept and assessment phase. Announced July 3, two days after signature, the £4.6 billion ($6.1 billion) allocation supports work from the start of July until December 31, 2027, including further joint detailed design and development. The GCAP Agency awarded the contract to prime contractor Edgewing, the joint venture of Leonardo, Japan Aircraft Industrial Enhancement, and BAE Systems. Launched in 2022, the project is to deliver an operational sixth-generation stealth fighter for service from 2035; the UK’s Defence Investment Plan allocates £8.6 billion to GCAP through the end of the decade.
Sources: FlightGlobal Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Xarion Laser-Excited Acoustics Delivers Contact-Free Ultrasonic Inspection of Composite Structures
Xarion Laser Acoustics of Vienna is showing laser excited acoustics, an ultrasonic inspection technology pairing laser-generated ultrasound with a patented optical microphone, at CAMX 2026. The system inspects composite components fully automatically without physical contact, couplant, or immersion tanks, removing the gel or water coupling that complicates automation in conventional ultrasonic testing. Its air-coupled, single-sided pulse-echo approach detects delaminations, disbonds, cracks, and porosity, and localizes defects by depth to support repair decisions. Large robotic installations can inspect helicopter tailbooms in a single uninterrupted scan pass, while compact cobot cells handle smaller parts such as inlet ducts and engine cowls. Sensor heads are available in one to 16 channels.
Sources: CompositesWorld Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Touchstone Advanced Composites Supplies Cfoam Tooling for Northrop Grumman YFQ-48A Talon Blue
Touchstone Advanced Composites of Triadelphia, West Virginia, part of Core Natural Resources’ Innovations business unit, is fabricating complex structural tooling for Northrop Grumman’s YFQ-48A Talon Blue collaborative combat aircraft. The company played a part in Talon Blue’s successful autonomous taxi test in Mojave, California, in May 2026, and is providing its Cfoam carbon foam tooling material while fabricating certain parts for the aircraft. Made from domestically sourced bituminous coal, Cfoam provides high-precision, thermally stable tools that can be modified as the design evolves and transitioned from development to initial production, supporting Northrop Grumman’s goal of a modular, cost-effective, rapidly deployable autonomous wingman.
Sources: CompositesWorld Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Joby Aviation and Toyota Establish Joint Venture to Begin Initial Phase of Manufacturing Alliance
Joby Aviation and Toyota Motor Corp. announced the initial phase of their strategic manufacturing alliance through a joint venture combining Joby’s electric aviation work with Toyota’s expertise in production systems. The alliance will initially focus on establishing groundwork for commercial production and advancing manufacturing excellence, with emphasis on improving productivity, quality, and cost. It will also support expansion of Joby’s production capacity to support aircraft certification and meet anticipated demand for its electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft. Joby founder and CEO JoeBen Bevirt said Toyota has been by Joby’s side for nearly a decade, and the announcement reflects the partners’ shared confidence in the opportunity ahead.
Sources: CompositesWorld Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
CCIC and Nottingham Ningbo Unveil Continuous Recycled Carbon Fiber Platform Validated on Aerospace RTM Parts
Researchers from the Yangtze River Delta Carbon Fiber and Composite Material Innovation Center and the University of Nottingham Ningbo unveiled a closed-loop recycled carbon fiber manufacturing platform at the SAMPE China 2026 conference. The patented ContRGF process converts fragmented recycled carbon fiber into continuous, industry-standard rovings in 12K to 48K tows, reaching 2.0 to 3.5 gigapascals tensile strength and 200 to 350 gigapascals modulus at roughly $5 to $6 per kilogram. Combined with bio-based epoxy resins, the resulting composites can be processed by prepreg, autoclave, compression molding, liquid molding, and RTM. Prototypes of aerospace RTM components and automotive lightweight structures have validated real-world manufacturability.
Sources: CompositesWorld Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
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Curated by JD · samwise.agency
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