Aviation Week's Check 6 Podcast

In the annual Flubs & Forecasts edition of Check 6, editors reflect on what they got right and wrong in 2025 and make their predictions for 2026. Listen in as Aviation Week & Space Technology Editor-In-Chief Joe Anselmo hears from Christine Boynton, Michael Bruno, Brian Everstine, Guy Norris, Garrett Reim, Lee Ann Shay, Robert Wall and Graham Warwick. Check 6 will be back in 2026. Thank you to our sponsor GE Aerospace. Learn more about how GE Aerospace and its partners are defining flight for today, tomorrow, and the future here

In this special anniversary episode of Check 6 Revisits, Pratt & Whitney President Shane Eddy and Aviation Week editors Guy Norris and Christine Boynton delve into the engine-maker's achievements over its first century. This episode explores how Pratt & Whitney's propulsion innovations have made it a global powerhouse, navigating highs and lows throughout the decades—and all dating back to a revolutionary little engine developed in a former Connecticut tobacco warehouse space. Visit Pratt & Whitney's website to learn more about a century of innovation. Check 6 Revisits delves into Aviation Week's more than 100-year archive. Subscribers can explore our archive here and read key Aviation Week articles relating to this podcast here:  New Radial Engine Ready Soon (Jan. 11, 1926) The Pratt and Whitney Wasp Engine (Feb. 15, 1926) AF Permits First Look at P&WA J57 (Nov. 16, 1953) Pratt & Whitney Evolves Turbofan From J57 Program (Jan. 26, 1959) P&W Comes Back—Strong (March 13, 1950) Power Pioneer: Pratt & Whitney's First Century (July 22, 2025)

The F-47, low-cost missiles, space superiority and more—listen in as Aviation Week's Robert Wall, Steve Trimble, Tony Osborne and Brian Everstine break down the key developments of 2025 in the defense world.

Airbus will again miss its delivery target due to supplier quality problems as Boeing's turnaround takes another step forward. Aviation Week's Joe Anselmo, Jens Flottau, Sean Broderick and Michael Bruno break it all down.

Listen is as Aviation Week's Steve Trimble, Tony Osborne and Robert Wall discuss what the defense industry was talking about at Dubai Airshow: from Saudi F-35s to Fursan to the Red Arrows.

Boeing and Airbus are both now looking at the feasibility of upsizing their largest twin-aisles at the behest of Emirates, which led the way for orders at Dubai Airshow. Listen in as Christine Boynton, Jens Flottau, Guy Norris and Graham Dunn discuss that and other commercial highlights in this special episode recorded at the event. Thank you to our sponsor GE Aerospace. Learn more about how GE Aerospace and its partners are defining flight for today, tomorrow, and the future here

Aviation Week editors are joined by guest columnist Richard Aboulafia of Aerodynamic Advisory to explore why Airbus and Boeing are dragging their feet on the next twin-aisle, leaving the Comac C929 as the only passenger widebody program formally in development.

From executive orders to oversight reforms, government contracting is shifting fast. In this sponsored podcast PwC experts join Aviation Week to break down the biggest regulatory changes, funding priorities and cost-control pressures shaping the aerospace and defense industry. Learn more: America In Motion—How businesses can own their next move

Aviation Week's Robert Wall, Brian Everstine, Vivienne Machi and Steve Trimble discuss the impact of policy changes at the Pentagon before they break down the latest developments with the B-21 and multiple CCA projects.

Aviation Week's Joe Anselmo, Michael Bruno and Jens Flottau are joined by contributing columnist Kevin Michaels to record a podcast discussing whether the aerospace industry is making the most of the commercial upcycle.

After a busy week of news, Aviation Week defense editors break down the latest developments in the fighter, trainer and uncrewed aircraft programs in an action-packed episode.  Steve Trimble shares a special dispatch from South Korea on the KF-21 program's production progress and KAI's leadership challenges, while Tony Osborne discusses Ukraine's potential 150-aircraft Gripen deal and Germany's new Eurofighter Tranche 5 order. The team explores the UK's search for Hawk T2 replacements, with contenders including the M-346, T-7 and T-50. Plus, Shield AI's ambitious X-BAT uncrewed concept and the UK's Vanquish carrier-based drone project. 

This week Check 6 is hosting an episode from Aviation Week's MRO Podcast—European fleet growth, supply chain bottlenecks, AI, Gen Z, supplier contracts and geopolitics were all up for discussion as Aviation Week's team convened to record a special episode of the MRO Podcast live at MRO Europe in London. Find out more about Aviation Week Intelligence Network's 2026 Fleet & MRO Forecast here

Today's satellites are cheaper, but hardly cheap. Brad King, the CEO of a propulsion supplier Orbion Space Technology, joins us to explain why.

Rumors are flying about how aircraft OEMs are working on technology for the next generation of large commercial aircraft. But a recent survey of the commercial aviation industry by McKinsey and Aviation Week shows surprising results when it comes to what industry players really think is happening. And the truth has significant consequences for how the air transport industry will operate in coming years.  Listen in to this podcast sponsored by McKinsey as McKinsey experts Frank Coleman III and John Moore talk with Aviation Week's Michael Bruno about the survey results and what companies need to do now for the next generation of aircraft. Read more

Labor contracts prohibit many U.S. airlines from refreshing their regional jets with the latest technology. Does this open the door for a novel hybrid-electric venture—and perhaps even a turboprop comeback?

Aviation Week's Steve Trimble travelled to Ukraine where he participated in a military drone event and gained insights into how Russia's UAV operations are evolving. Steve discusses his observations and other aspects of the conflict with Tony Osborne and Robert Wall, as they unpack what it means about the changing battlefield dynamics. Read Steve's dispatch from Ukraine here

After Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg warned that certification of the 777-9 will take longer still, editors break down how the certification process has changed and why it is taking so long. Thank you to our sponsor GE Aerospace. Learn how the company and its partners are defining flight for today and the future here  

The DSEI arms expo provided the backdrop for companies to unveil new weapons and for government buyers to drive home a sense of urgency to develop systems at pace. Aviation Week editors discuss what they observed and covered in their reporting. Aviation Week analyst Sonny Butterworth also joins to share his observations on the land domain. Thank you to our sponsor Siemens. Siemens Xcelerator provides the technology to accelerate transformation in aerospace and defense. Learn more    

In the decades since two modified B-29s dropped atomic bombs over Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, bringing World War II to a close, there have been many ideas about how the power of the atom might be harnessed for other uses, including space exploration and aircraft propulsion.  On this episode, Aviation Week editors comb through our archives to discuss the legacy of the atomic bomb missions and the evolution of nuclear power in aerospace through to the present day—and beyond. “We hold in trust a power that is capable of unraveling the very fabric of our civilian…We have proved the destructive use, while the constructive applications are still in the realm of speculation.”-AW&ST, Sept. 1945 Check 6 Revisits delves into Aviation Week's more than 100-year archive. Subscribers can explore our archive here and read key Aviation Week articles related to this episode here: ‘Atomic' Aircraft Development Seen Far Off By Industry Heads (Aug. 13, 1945) Army-Navy Post-War Plane Needs Seen Large Despite Atomic Bomb (Aug. 20, 1945) The Atom | New Source of Energy; A Tide In The Affairs Of Men (September 1945) Atomic Transports 15-20 Years Away (Feb. 6, 1956) Nuclear Reactor Tests Include B-36 Flights (Jan. 16, 1956) The Soviet Nuclear-Powered Bomber (Dec. 1, 1958) Skunk Works Reveals Compact Fusion Reactor Details (Oct. 15, 2014) Debrief: Signs Of Life For Russia's Nuclear-Powered Cruise Missile (Aug. 18, 2025)

Is free trade over in commercial aviation, or it is all just smoke and mirrors? Aerodynamic Advisory's Richard Aboulafia joins Aviation Week's Joe Anselmo, Jens Flottau and Dan Williams to discuss.

Aviation Week's Brian Everstine, Robert Wall and Steve Trimble discuss U.S. naval aviation ahead of the annual Tailhook gathering and the surprise announcement that U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Allvin will be retiring. 

Aviation Week's Vivienne Machi and Brian Everstine are back from their trip to the annual Space and Missile Defense conference. Here's what was new or surprising, from counter-UAS to in-space mobility. 

The Starlink satellite venture's stunning success has brightened Elon Musk's bumpy year, but has awakened China. Listen in as Aviation Week's Joe Anselmo, Garrett Reim, Irene Klotz and Matt Fulco discuss what has become SpaceX's cash cow. -- Since its inception in 1957, Aviation Week Network's Laureate Awards have honored extraordinary achievements in aerospace. Innovators that represent the values and vision of the global aerospace community have changed the way people work and move through the world. Nominations for Aviation Week Network's 2026 Laureate Awards are now open! Submit your nominations by October 16, 2025. Nominate here 

As competition between the United States and adversary nations intensifies, cybersecurity risks for aerospace and defense are rising. Listen in to this sponsored podcast as Josh Lospinoso,  CEO and Co-Founder of Shift5, and David Forbes, who leads Cyber Physical Defense at Booz Allen Hamilton, explain the nature of the cyber security threat, the stakes involved and how to mitigate it. Learn more here

Boeing's new CEO has been on the job for a year. Analyst Scott Mikus joins Aviation Week's Joe Anselmo, Sean Broderick and Michael Bruno to discuss how he's doing so far. Thank you to our sponsor GE Aerospace. Learn more about how GE Aerospace and its partners are defining flight for today, tomorrow, and the future here

NASA's normally vibrant presence at the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics' showcase Aviation and Ascend events was cut to the bone this year as the agency faces crippling budget cuts. Aviation Week's Graham Warwick, Guy Norris and Garrett Reim were in Las Vegas for the events. They share their impressions from there and concerns about what the NASA cuts could mean for U.S. competitiveness in commercial aviation and space.

Join the National Air and Space Museum's director Chris Browne and Aviation Week's Joe Anselmo for a private tour of the revamped museum in Washington. Watch the video version on Youtube here. Thank you to our sponsor GE Aerospace. Learn more about how GE Aerospace and its partners are defining flight for today, tomorrow, and the future here

Aviation Week's Robert Wall, Brian Everstine and Tony Osborne gather after the Chief of the Air Staff's Global Air & Space Chiefs' Conference on the eve of the Royal International Air Tattoo to discuss the latest developments in air power as U.S. budget season impacts programs. Thank you to our sponsor Parker Aerospace. A partner of choice for OEMs and MROs, Parker helps solve complex challenges to achieve the extraordinary. Stay in the know with Parker Aerospace on Linkedin or at Parker.com/Aerospace

Listen in as Aviation Week's Guy Norris and Sean Broderick join Jens Flottau to share their thoughts on the preliminary report into the first crash of the Boeing 787.

Rare earths are essential for a wide variety of defense systems to function, but the U.S. is largely reliant on China for these strategic metals. Listen in as experts Mahnaz Khan, Cory Combs and Matt Sloustcher join Aviation Week's Matthew Fulco to discuss what can be done. Thank you to our sponsor GE Aerospace. Learn more about how GE Aerospace and its partners are defining flight for today, tomorrow, and the future here

An industry known for its cutting-edge products is also saddled with old factories and out-of-date software. Listen in as two experts discuss the challenge in this podcast sponsored by ACS. Find out more about ACS

With air traffic control (ATC) modernization in sharp focus, Aviation Week editors and former FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt dig back through our archives to June 1956. A midair collision above the Grand Canyon would spur the formation of FAA and spark much-needed change to an aging ATC system that could no longer keep up with the demands of the day. Check 6 Revisits delves into Aviation Week's more than 100-year archive. Subscribers can explore our archive here and read key Aviation Week articles related to this episode here: The Air Traffic Control Problem (Hotz editorial, August 1955) One Step Toward Better Air Traffic Control (Hotz editorial, December 1955) Toward Better Air Traffic Control (Hotz editorial, April 1958)

The U.S. followed Israel in striking Iranian nuclear infrastructure, launching the largest B-2 raid ever and dropping its biggest conventional bombs. Listen as Aviation Week's Robert Wall, Brian Everstine, Steve Trimble and Tony Osborne assess the operation and landscape in Iran after almost two weeks of fighting. 

For commercial aviation the Paris Air Show opened in somber mood following the AI 171 crash but there was still plenty for our editors to discuss. Listen in as Joe Anselmo, Thierry Dubois Jens Flottau, Guy Norris and Mark Pilling share their highlights.

Listen in as Aviation Week's Robert Wall, Tony Osborne and Steve Trimble break down Israel's latest offensive and how that country's defense companies have been walled off here at the Paris Air Show.

The Paris Air Show is opening under a cloud following the tragic crash of an Air India Boeing 787 just days ago. Editors discuss what investigators will be focusing on and what the accident means for the industry.

Heading into the Paris Air Show, Accenture's John Schmidt and Joyce Kline delve into defense, supply chain and next-level manufacturing in this sponsored podcast.

As the White House pulls Jared Isaacman's nomination, it wants to cut the space agency's budget back to pre-Apollo levels. Aviation Week's Joe Anselmo, Irene Klotz and Graham Warwick discuss what it means.

Editors share their impressions of an in-depth conversation with Kelly Ortberg after the Boeing CEO spoke exclusively with Aviation Week. Read the full interview Thank you to our sponsor GE Aerospace. Learn how the company and its partners are defining flight for today and the future here

Aviation Week's Robert Wall, Brian Everstine and Steve Trimble discuss the pricey Golden Dome program and how the DOD is rebalancing its spending, cutting back in other areas like Army aviation modernization.

Aviation Week's Christine Boynton, Sean Broderick and Bill Carey break down the current state of the U.S. air traffic control system and analyze what it will take to push modernization forward.

Will JetZero's blended-wing body passenger jet become a reality? Aviation Week's Joe Anselmo, Guy Norris and Steve Trimble weigh in following their visit to the startup's facility in Long Beach, California.

United Launch Alliance CEO Tory Bruno discusses launch campaign details, the future of Vulcan and the National Security Space Launch program market.

The U.S. Navy appears poised to pick either Boeing or Northrop Grumman to develop its next-generation combat aircraft, the F/A-XX. Listen in as Aviation Week's Robert Wall, Brian Everstine and Steve Trimble discuss what's at stake. 

Aviation Week's Joe Anselmo, Michael Bruno and Jens Flottau are joined by Wall Street analyst Scott Mikus to break down how global trade turmoil affects OEMs.

Editors at the 40th Space Symposium discuss everything from threats to NASA's science missions to the Golden Dome air-defense concept.

AeroDynamic Advisory's Kevin Michaels joins Aviation Week editors to discuss the worrisome implications for the industry.

Aviation Week's Joe Anselmo, Thierry Dubois, Jens Flottau and Graham Warwick discuss why an Airbus next-generation single-aisle program launch is not imminent despite technological progress.

What does Boeing's contract win for the U.S. Air Force's next-generation combat aircraft, the F-47, mean for the struggling aerospace company? Join Aviation Week's Robert Wall, Steve Trimble and Matt Jouppi as they dissect the announcement.   

Aviation Week's Guy Norris and Tony Osborne at Verticon run the rule over new programs launched by Airbus and Robinson and discuss other highlights from the event, formerly known as Heli-Expo. 

What's the latest on plans for next-generation U.S. Air Force platforms in the age of DOGE? Brian Everstine and Steve Trimble join Robert Wall to share what they've been hearing. Register to watch the webinar The Future of U.S. Air Mobility here Register for Aviation Week's Defense Conference here