Aerospace & Defense

Waltham – October 14, 2026 -- Beacon Interactive Systems CEO and Co-founder ML Mackey has been named to the newly formed Massachusetts Small Business Development Center (MSBDC) Statewide Advisory Council, the company announced.

Council forms under MSBDC's five-year strategic plan

The council brings together business, government, economic development and community leaders. It will advise MSBDC leadership on the emerging needs of small businesses, opportunities for collaboration and programs that support industry growth. Its work will guide the MSBDC's support for entrepreneurs and growing businesses across the Commonwealth.

Mackey said turning a promising idea into a sustainable business takes more than ingenuity, citing the need for guidance, connections and opportunities at each stage of growth. She pointed to the stage when new technologies move beyond the prototype into real-world use.

Delray Beach – October 14, 2026 -- The global drone detection market is estimated at USD 1.14 billion in 2026 and is projected to reach USD 3.34 billion by 2031, a CAGR of 24.0%, according to MarketsandMarkets. The forecast implies the market nearly triples over five years as operators seek to track small and low-flying drones around sensitive sites.

Multi-sensor architectures are the fastest-growing system type

Multi-sensor systems are the fastest-growing segment by architecture. Operators combine radar, RF, EO/IR and acoustic inputs to detect different drone signatures and offset the limits of any single sensor. Adoption spans military, airport and critical infrastructure applications.

Dallas – October 14, 2026 -- XTI Aerospace (Nasdaq: XTIA) has appointed Dr. Allan Evans, CEO of rival-sector drone firm Unusual Machines (NYSE American: UMAC), as director and Chairman of its Board, returning the board to five members.

Jonathan Ornstein has been designated Vice Chairman in connection with the appointment. XTI is the parent company of Drone Nerds, LLC, a drone solutions platform serving commercial, enterprise and government customers.

Evans brings drone supply chain and executive experience from three companies

Evans, 43, has served as CEO and director of Unusual Machines since December 2023. From 2021 to 2023 he was Chief Operating Officer of Red Cat Holdings. He previously led Fat Shark as CEO from 2017 until Red Cat acquired it in 2020. He holds a PhD in Electrical Engineering from the University of Michigan.

Olathe, Kan. – October 14, 2026 -- More than 2,500 aircraft are now equipped with Garmin Autoland, just over six years after the system's first certification, Garmin (NYSE: GRMN) announced. The technology is available on more than 15 aircraft models, spanning piston-powered aircraft and twin-engine jets.

Garmin describes Autoland as the world's first certified autonomous system that activates in an emergency to control and land an aircraft without human intervention. It has won the Robert J. Collier Trophy.

Four 2026 certifications extend Autoland into twin-engine jets

Autoland was first certified in May 2020 on the Piper M600 SLS. In 2026 alone, it gained certification on four more models: the HondaJet Elite II, Embraer Phenom 300EV, Pilatus PC-12 PRO and Epic E1000 AX.

Golden, Colorado – October 14, 2026 -- PlanetiQ's GNOMES-10 satellite launched October 1 at 11:32 a.m. PDT aboard SpaceX's Transporter-18 mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base, expanding the company's commercial GNSS radio occultation (GNSS-RO) constellation. Partner ground stations established first contact soon after launch, and spacecraft commissioning began immediately.

GNOMES-10 carries fourth-generation Pyxis receiver built in Golden

The satellite carries PlanetiQ's fourth-generation Pyxis GNSS-RO receiver, built and tested at the company's Golden facility. Pyxis combines a high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), high-rate signal sampling, precise timing and an advanced antenna design to retrieve detailed atmospheric profiles from each radio occultation event.

Fort Lauderdale – October 13, 2026 -- GA Telesis, LLC has acquired three additional Airbus A320neo (LEAP-1A) airframes and expects two more before the end of 2026, which would expand its portfolio by five aircraft this year.

GA Telesis targets early-lifecycle A320neo material ahead of the retirement cycle

The company is building aftermarket supply for the A320neo years ahead of the conventional retirement cycle. It says the strategy responds to airlines facing persistent supply chain constraints, extended maintenance turnaround times and a growing global A320neo fleet. GA Telesis describes its used serviceable material (USM) inventory footprint as outpacing the emerging aftermarket for the platform.

Olathe, Kansas – October 13, 2026 -- Avcon Industries, a subsidiary of Butler National Corporation (OTCQX: BUKS), has received FAA Supplemental Type Certificate No. ST12439CH to replace Honeywell Aerospace Mark V EGPWS computers with the MKV-A unit across nine Learjet and Bombardier models.

STC covers Learjet 40/45 and 60 and seven Bombardier variants

The Approved Models List STC applies to the Learjet Models 40/45 and 60. It also covers the Bombardier CL-600-1A11 (600), CL-600-2A12 (601), three CL-600-2B16 variants (601-3A, 601-3R and 604), BD-700-1A10 and BD-700-1A11.

The installation uses existing avionics racks and is designed to minimize installation effort. Honeywell is phasing out the Mark V, and the MKV-A is offered as a drop-in replacement with options to upgrade capabilities later.

Dallas – October 13, 2026 -- ATI (NYSE: ATI) will publish its third quarter 2026 results at 6:30 a.m. CT (7:30 a.m. ET) on Thursday, October 29, 2026, one hour before its live earnings conference call.

ATI schedules the Q3 earnings call for 7:30 a.m. CT on October 29

The webcast starts at 7:30 a.m. CT (8:30 a.m. ET). Investors will have the full results in hand for one hour before management addresses them on the call.

ATI will broadcast the call with accompanying slides on its website

The company will carry the conference call as a live broadcast on its corporate website, where presentation slides will also be available. Listeners can reach the stream through the site's "Conference Call" section. A replay of the call will be posted there after the event.

Ottawa – October 13, 2026 -- Dominion Dynamics and Ukraine's TENCORE signed a memorandum of understanding to manufacture TENCORE's TerMIT uncrewed ground vehicle (UGV) in Canada, with initial production targeted for 2027.

The Ottawa-based defence technology company will also integrate AuraNet, its autonomy stack for pan-domain command and control, as the onboard intelligence layer for TerMIT. The partnership will support deployment and continued development of AuraNet on Ukraine's front lines.

TENCORE has delivered more than 5,000 UGVs to Ukrainian units since 2024

A TENCORE team will lead the initial technology transfer and train technicians in Canada to build the vehicle. Dominion plans to produce TerMIT in Canadian facilities. The companies said the arrangement will create high-skilled jobs in Canada and strengthen the country's sovereign defence technology base.

Newington, N.H. – October 13, 2026 -- SIG SAUER has introduced the XRAY9-CUAS, a counter-unmanned aircraft systems (CUAS) electro-optic that tracks and engages drones at up to 300 yards, at the Association of the United States Army (AUSA) trade show.

The optic mounts to a counter-UAS weapon system and uses electro-optical technologies similar to the targeting system in SIG SAUER's remote-controlled weapon station. A soldier can point and shoot while the optic compensates for a range of factors, according to the company.

XRAY9-CUAS calculates drone distance, speed and vector with a proprietary SWIR laser rangefinder

The system pairs the SWIR laser rangefinder with onboard slew-rate sensors. Together they compute a drone's distance, speed and vector, then generate a custom disturbed reticle with dynamic targeting solutions.