Aviation Week's Check 6 Podcast

Aviation Week editors covering commercial aviation and space convene to discuss how and why airlines are increasingly offering fast inflight Wi-Fi for free. Listen in to here Jens Flottau, Christine Boynton, Thierry Dubois and Robert Wall break it down.

Aviation Week's Joe Anselmo, Brian Everstine, Vivienne Machi and Steve Trimble delve into the winners and losers in the White House's $1.5 trillion defense spending plan. --- Today's aerospace and defense programs demand speed, precision, and resilience. A long-time trusted partner in the industry, Siemens empowers organizations to design, build, and sustain next-generation systems faster. Learn more at siemens.com today.

As NASA begins X-59 envelope expansion and Boom develops its first high speed engine, civil supersonic activity is at its highest since the retirement of Concorde in 2003. Aviation Week editors discuss the latest developments and the challenges that lie ahead.

The new administrator shakes up the space agency with plans for lunar base and sunsetting SLS. Aviation Week's Joe Anselmo and Irene Klotz speak with Redwire Space President Michael Gold about the developments.

Editors are joined by AeroDynamic Advisory Managing Director Richard Aboulafia to discuss the progress of airliner production by Airbus in Alabama and Boeing in South Carolina.

Aviation Week editors discuss the increase in projected Golden Dome costs and what the fiscal 2027 Pentagon budget request may tell us about the umbrella program.

Conflict and fuel prices have battered air transport, but U.S. carriers are surprisingly confident. Aviation Week's Joe Anselmo, Christine Boynton, Jens Flottau and Lori Ranson discuss how the Iran war is affecting airlines in different regions and look ahead to potential ripple effects.

Aviation Week editors Robert Wall and Steve Trimble discuss the evolution of laser weapons that are now getting their first battlefield kills and are destined for new applications.

Aviation Week's Guy Norris and Tony Osborne are joined in Atlanta by vertical flight veteran Mike Hirschberg of H2 Advisors to discuss the highlights of this year's Verticon rotorcraft expo.

Some 14 years after exiting the single-aisle engine market, Rolls-Royce is trying to get back into it, unveiling a new engine concept called the UltraFan 30—but can it break the CFM-Pratt duopoly? Editors are joined by guest columnist Scott Mikus, director of Melius Research covering aerospace, to discuss the dynamics in next-generation single-aisle propulsion.

Aviation Week's Robert Wall, Jens Flottau and Steve Trimble discuss the military operation in Iran, how it has disrupted commercial air travel and consider the ramifications for aviation.

Listen in as Aviation Week's Robert Wall, Brian Everstine, Vivienne Machi and Guy Norris reflect on program updates and other highlights from the AFA Warfare Symposium. Thank you to our sponsor L3Harris. L3Harris' Red Wolf and Green Wolf deliver an unfair fight by combining speed, extended range and lethality through kinetic and non-kinetic effects: https://www.l3harris.com/all-capabilities/l3harris-pack-launched-effects

Aviation Week's Joe Anselmo, Michael Bruno and Jens Flottau are joined by consultant Kevin Michaels to break down President Trump's latest tariffs and where the pain will be felt in the aerospace supply chain.

Editors preview AFA Warfare Symposium, setting the scene for key topics that will be on the agenda in Colorado. They touch on new leadership and shifting priorities, modernization efforts, and key programs like on-orbit refueling and tanker development.

Editors are joined by Richard Aboulafia to discuss airliner production after Airbus shared its delivery targets for this year and Boeing updated its suppliers.

Editors are joined by Agency Partners' analyst Sash Tusa to discuss the fallout of the Munich Security Conference and Saudi Arabia's World Defense Show. Key Topics: Overview of Recent Defense Events The Future of FCAS and European Defense Cooperation Germany's Nuclear Ambitions and European Security Insights from the World Defense Show in Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia's Defense Industrialization Efforts Find out more about Aviation Week's Defense Conference here

NASA is under new leadership with Jared Isaacman. Listen in as he answers questions from Aviation Week's Irene Klotz after eight weeks on the job in this special episode presented by Editor-in-Chief Joe Anselmo. --- Nominations are now open for the Space Tech Challenge Awards—could your solution be a winner? Find out more and apply here https://spacetechchallenge.aviationweek.com/ The Space Tech Challenge Awards connect execution-ready innovations with the government agencies, prime contractors, and commercial operators actively seeking them. From lunar operations to Mars missions, the space industry faces nearly 200 validated capability gaps. The Aviation Week Space Tech Challenge Awards recognize solutions already in development — prototypes tested and advancing toward deployment. Presented at Space Tech Expo USA, this program connects working technologies with government agencies, prime contractors, and commercial operators ready to integrate them.

Aviation Week's Robert Wall, Chen Chuanren and Brian Everstine report from the Singapore Airshow, sharing what they've been hearing about different military programs in the evolving geopolitical environment.

Listen in as Aviation Week's Guy Norris, Jens Flottau and Adrian Schofield sit down at the end of Day Two of the 2026 Singapore Airshow to break down what has—and hasn't—happened in commercial aviation at the event.

Listen in as Aviation Week's Robert Wall, Brian Everstine and Steve Trimble break down the Pentagon's new National Defense Strategy and what it means for the budget.

The Trump administration has started the clock on a near-total ban of foreign UAS and parts in the U.S. The surprise blanket ban has the potential to dramatically effect American customers and contractors alike—and not necessarily in a good way. Listen to Aviation Week's Michael Bruno and Bill Carey who are joined by The Drone Girl, Sally French, to explain what is happening and what it means.

Listen in as Aviation Week's Guy Norris and Graham Warwick report back from their annual pilgrimage to AIAA SciTech, sharing news of future aerospace technologies they learned about at the aerospace research forum. They also hear from Clay Mowry, the head of AIAA.

Aviation Week's Robert Wall and Garrett Reim are joined by Russ Matijevich, space industry veteran and a judge in the Space Tech Challenge Awards. Nominations are now open for the awards—could your solution be a winner? Find out more and apply here: https://spacetechchallenge.aviationweek.com/ The Space Tech Challenge Awards connect execution-ready innovations with the government agencies, prime contractors, and commercial operators actively seeking them. From lunar operations to Mars missions, the space industry faces nearly 200 validated capability gaps. The Aviation Week Space Tech Challenge Awards recognize solutions already in development — prototypes tested and advancing toward deployment. Presented at Space Tech Expo USA, this program connects working technologies with government agencies, prime contractors, and commercial operators ready to integrate them.

Airframers' 2025 delivery totals are in. Aviation Week's team grades Airbus, Boeing and the smaller OEMs on their production performance last year.

Analyst Byron Callan joins Aviation Week editors to discuss U.S. President Donald Trump's attack on contractor profits and his plan to boost defense spending by 50%. Find out more about Aviation Week's Defense Conference here

Watch as Richard Aboulafia joins the podcast to discuss how 2026 is shaping up to be a pivotal year for two next-generation fighter programs conceived in Europe: FCAS and GCAP. Subscribers can read Richard's column on the Global Combat Air Program here Find out more about Aviation Week's Defense Conference here

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