Samwise Aeronautical Mechanics
Thursday, May 28, 2026
NTSB Urges FAA to Revamp Wet-Runway Braking Standards After Overrun Analysis
The National Transportation Safety Board on May 26 called on the FAA to overhaul its wet-runway braking standards after finding that the current Runway Condition Assessment Matrix significantly underestimates actual stopping distances. The NTSB developed a method to calculate actual wheel braking friction following a 2008 runway overrun in Owatonna, Minnesota, then applied it to 10 additional incidents involving business jets and Boeing 737s. In all but one case, achieved braking friction fell substantially below RCAM values. The agency recommended the FAA adopt rainfall-intensity descriptors such as “heavy +” and “heavy ++” to better classify conditions that degrade braking performance.
Sources: Aviation International News
Boeing CEO Ortberg Declares 737 MAX 7 and 10 Certification in Final Stretch
Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg told investors at the Bernstein strategic decisions conference that certification of the 737 MAX 7 and MAX 10 has entered its final phase, with more than 80 percent of required flight testing now complete. Ortberg said he was “pretty confident” both variants would clear remaining hurdles without further delays. FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford expects the shorter MAX 7 to gain approval by summer and the MAX 10 before year’s end. Boeing continues to address a lingering engine-inlet anti-ice concern that has dogged the programme since 2024. First MAX 10 deliveries are not expected until 2027.
Sources: Aviation Week
Boeing Expects to Convert 200-Aircraft China Commitment Into Firm Order This Year
Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg said at the Bernstein investor conference on May 26 that the 200-aircraft commitment from Chinese carriers will convert to a firm order later this year, with further negotiations potentially raising the total to 750 jets. China’s commerce ministry confirmed the deal on May 20 following a Trump–Xi summit where the U.S. president announced the agreement. The order marks China’s first major Boeing purchase in nearly a decade, after years of strained trade relations and the prolonged 737 MAX grounding. Ortberg described the agreement as a first tranche in what could become a broader commercial relationship.
Sources: FlightGlobal
Hermeus Quarterhorse Mk 2.1 Reaches Mach 1.21 in U.S. Industry First
Hermeus logged the first supersonic flight by a privately funded, uncrewed aircraft in the United States when its Quarterhorse Mk 2.1 reached Mach 1.21 during its third sortie from Spaceport America in New Mexico. The vehicle is powered by a Pratt & Whitney F100 turbofan fighter engine and serves as a stepping stone toward Mach 5 capability. Hermeus plans two further Mk 2 variants—the Mk 2.2 and Mk 2.3—that will push progressively higher into the supersonic and hypersonic regime using the company’s Chimera turbine-based combined-cycle propulsion system, which pairs the F100 with an integrated ramjet.
Sources: Aviation Week
Airbus Explores A320 Successor Priorities as Neo Programme Matures
Airbus is accelerating behind-the-scenes work on its next-generation single-aisle programme, which will eventually replace the A320neo family, according to a Leeham News analysis published today. The manufacturer aims to stabilize A320neo production at 75 aircraft per month—targeted for 2027—before formally launching the successor. Technologies under evaluation include CFM International’s RISE open-rotor engine, folding wingtips enabling 45-metre spans, and active load-alleviation systems from the eXtra Performance Wing project. Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury has said he expects a programme launch by end of the decade, with entry into service in the latter half of the 2030s.
Sources: Leeham News
South Korea Launches 4,500-lb Thrust Turbofan Programme for Collaborative Combat Aircraft
Hanwha Aerospace and the Korea AeroSpace Administration will jointly develop a 4,500-lb.-thrust-class high-bypass turbofan intended for collaborative combat aircraft and small business jets. The engine, targeted for completion by 2029, will be the first developed in South Korea to integrate a starter-generator on the engine shaft, producing up to 100 kW of electrical power. The programme supports the country’s broader push into indigenous aerospace propulsion, which includes a separate $3.4 billion effort to build a fighter engine for the KF-21 Boramae. Korean Air’s LOWUS collaborative combat aircraft, powered by a Ukrainian turbojet, is set for its maiden flight this year.
Sources: Aviation Week
Airbus Delivery Decline Deepens as Pratt & Whitney Engine Shortage Persists
Airbus delivered just 136 A320neo-family aircraft in the first four months of 2026—an average of 34 per month—down sharply from a 50-per-month pace in 2025. CEO Guillaume Faury attributed the decline to persistent Pratt & Whitney PW1100G shortages, delayed CFM Leap-1A supply, and forward fuselage panel quality issues. Faury said Airbus has “initiated a process” regarding contractual disputes with Pratt & Whitney, whose engines power roughly 40 percent of the global A320neo fleet. Nearly 40 engineless A320neo-family jets now sit at Airbus facilities awaiting powerplants, creating what the manufacturer calls severe final-assembly bottlenecks.
Sources: Aviation Week
Boeing Surpasses Airbus in Quarterly Deliveries for First Time Since MAX Crisis
Boeing handed over 143 commercial aircraft in the first quarter of 2026, surpassing Airbus’s 114 deliveries and marking a quarterly delivery win for the first time since the 737 MAX crisis began in 2018. Of Boeing’s total, 114 were 737s—its best first-quarter narrowbody performance since 2018. For Airbus, Q1 deliveries declined 16 percent year over year, making it the manufacturer’s weakest first quarter in more than two decades. The reversal reflects diverging engine-supply fortunes: Boeing’s 737s use CFM Leap-1B engines, which face fewer constraints than the Pratt & Whitney geared turbofans that power a large share of A320neo deliveries.
Sources: Simple Flying
Curated by JD · samwise.agency
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