AeroTime - Aviation News, Insights, and Analysis

The US Air Force has awarded Aevex an $18.5 million contract for autonomous aircraft designed for one-way attack missions, adding another small-drone system to the service’s growing portfolio of low-cost weapons.
Aevex announced the production contract on May 13, 2026. The deal covers delivery of autonomous aircraft as well as support from the company’s engineering and field services teams....

Google is moving ahead with plans to test AI data centers in orbit, with SpaceX emerging as a potential launch partner for the company’s recently announced Project Suncatcher program.
The project would place Google’s Tensor Processing Units, or TPUs, on solar-powered satellites linked by optical communications, creating what the company describes as a path toward machine-learning compute in space....

Eleven people were rescued after a Beechcraft King Air crashed into the Atlantic Ocean on May 12, 2026, during a flight between two airports in the Bahamas.
The aircraft departed Marsh Harbour Airport and was flying to Grand Bahama International Airport in Freeport when the pilot declared an emergency, according to the Aircraft Accident Investigation Authority in the Bahamas. Communication with the aircraft...

Two US Air Force pilots ejected safely before a T-38 training jet crashed in rural Alabama on May 12, 2026, during a flight from Columbus Air Force Base in Mississippi.
The aircraft was involved in what the Air Force described as a “mishap” at about noon local time, according to Columbus AFB. The base said the cause of the crash remains unknown and will be investigated by a Safety Investigation Board....