Samwise Aeronautical Mechanics
Wednesday, June 17, 2026
B-52H Kills Eight at Edwards AFB During Radar Upgrade Test Sortie
A US Air Force B-52H Stratofortress crashed moments after takeoff from Edwards Air Force Base, California, on June 15, killing all eight aboard—including two active-duty test pilots from the 419th Flight Test Squadron, government civilian workers, and two Boeing contractors. The aircraft was supporting the Radar Modernization Program on a local test sortie when it went down at approximately 11:20 a.m. local time. Air Force officials released the names of the deceased crew on June 17. The 412th Test Wing has opened a formal investigation, with analysts expected to focus on aircraft performance during the initial climb phase. No cause has been determined.
Sources: FlightGlobal, Aviation Week
India Completes Maiden Flight of First Privately Built Military Transport Aircraft
The first military transport aircraft built in India by a private-sector company completed its maiden flight on June 10 at Tata Advanced Systems’ facility in Vadodara, Gujarat. The C295 twin-turboprop, carrying Indian Air Force registration CA 7117, flew without its final livery coat, though national markings were already applied. The aircraft is the first of 40 C295s to be manufactured domestically under a 2021 agreement covering 56 aircraft for the Indian Air Force. Airbus, which supplied the manufacturing technology, confirmed the milestone and described it as a landmark for India’s indigenous defence manufacturing programme.
Sources: FlightGlobal, Aviation Week
HAECO, JAL, Toyota Tsusho and Sun Group Form $360M Vietnam MRO Joint Venture
A four-partner consortium—HAECO, Japan Airlines, Toyota Tsusho, and Vietnam’s Sun Group—has agreed to establish a major MRO facility at Van Don International Airport in northern Vietnam, targeting a 2028 operations start. The $360 million project will span approximately 170,000 square metres, positioning it to become one of Vietnam’s largest aviation maintenance facilities. The facility will centre on a four-bay widebody hangar with additional mid-bay capacity for narrowbody maintenance. The venture is projected to create around 1,000 jobs and is designed to serve the rapidly expanding airline sector across Southeast Asia.
Sources: Aviation Week, FlightGlobal
All 12 Aboard Pacific Aerospace P-750XL Die in Missouri Skydiving Crash
All 12 occupants of a Pacific Aerospace P-750XL perished on June 14 when the single-engine turboprop crashed at Butler Memorial Airport in Butler, Missouri, during a skydiving operation. The US FAA’s preliminary statement described the aircraft as having “crashed while departing” the airport at approximately 11:30 a.m. local time. There were no survivors. The National Transportation Safety Board has opened a formal investigation to determine the cause. No additional information on the sequence of events leading to the accident has been disclosed by the FAA or NTSB as of June 17.
Sources: FlightGlobal
Collins Aerospace Invests $63M to Quadruple Malaysia Component MRO Capacity
Collins Aerospace is expanding its component MRO footprint in Malaysia fourfold, constructing a new facility at Subang Aerotech Park in Kuala Lumpur with a $63 million investment. The new site will grow from 46,000 to 164,000 square feet and incorporate autonomous mobile robots and real-time location systems to improve component turnaround times. The facility will service air cycle machines, heat exchangers, valves, and new-generation starters across a variety of aircraft types. Collins stated the Asia-Pacific region is a key growth market and plans to double regional skilled employment to keep pace with demand. The facility is expected to be ready by end of 2026.
Sources: FlightGlobal
Boeing Activates Fourth 737 Production Line in Everett to Hit 500-Delivery Target
Boeing will activate a fourth 737 production line—the “North Line”—at its Everett, Washington, facility on July 6, the first dedicated narrowbody production capacity outside its existing Renton complex. Three current Renton lines are ramping from 42 to 47 aircraft per month this summer. The expansion supports Boeing’s target of 500 737 deliveries in 2026, a 12 percent increase over the 447 narrowbodies delivered in 2025. Boeing is simultaneously targeting an increase in 787 Dreamliner output from eight to 10 jets monthly, with a second 787 assembly site in North Charleston scheduled to open in 2028.
Sources: Boeing Newsroom, FlightGlobal
GE Aerospace and Avio Aero Achieve First Hydrogen Engine Relight in German Test Campaign
GE Aerospace and its Italian subsidiary Avio Aero have completed two test campaigns in Germany advancing hydrogen combustion and hybrid-electric propulsion technologies for next-generation commercial aircraft engines. The hydrogen work, conducted under the EU-funded HYDEA project led by Avio Aero, produced the company’s first successful engine relight using hydrogen, employing a custom combustor test rig incorporating a synthetic air generator that replicated low-humidity atmospheric conditions at altitude. A separate fuel cell campaign was conducted in support of the CFM International RISE technology demonstration programme. Engineers will use the data to design a full annular hydrogen combustor test rig.
Sources: Aerospace Testing International
Curated by JD · samwise.agency
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