Divisions over U.S. tariffs have been in plain sight at the Paris Air Show, with political leaders from multiple aerospace nations trying to find a way through or around the problem. Canada this week signaled its intent to decouple from its immediate neighbor and forge closer ties with Europe, while U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy hinted that the Trump Administration may consider removing aviation from its standoff with what it views as trade adversaries.

Speaking during a fireside chat yesterday with Aerospace Industries Association president and CEO Eric Fanning, Duffy insisted that the U.S. is legitimately using tariffs to rebalance trade deficits. However, he acknowledged that free trade has benefited aviation. “It’s been remarkable,” he said. “The White House understands that. If you go there and see the new parts of what they are doing, it’s a lot.”

U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy stressed the urgency of getting additional funding to support the FAA’s ambitions to overhaul the nation’s air traffic control system. Both the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate have proposed $12.5 billion in such funding, a figure that some in the industry are hoping will end up closer to $20 billion.

“I want the full amount,” Duffy noted while speaking during a Tuesday afternoon fireside chat with Aerospace Industries Association president and CEO Eric Fanning at the Paris Air Show. “But I don’t need the full amount. I think this is the best way to do it.” He added that he hopes to have enough funding to take care of telecommunications and radar improvements and start the process of upgrading the other systems.

Vietjet delivered the airliner deal of the second day at the Paris Air Show when it signed a memorandum of understanding with Airbus covering orders for 100 A321neo narrowbodies, with options for another 50 of the airliners. The Vietnamese carrier’s CEO, Dinh Viet Phuong, was at Le Bourget to sign the agreement with Benoît de Saint-Exupéry, Airbus’s executive v-p for commercial aircraft sales.

The airline, which already has a fleet of more than 100 Airbus jets, recently placed an additional order for A330neo widebodies. “Together, the A321neo and A330neo will be perfect partners for Vietjet to continue to spread its wings, efficiently matching capacity more closely to demand across its network,” de Saint-Exupéry said.

Honeywell and Near Earth Autonomy successfully completed the first autonomous flight of a Leonardo AW139 helicopter last month, the partners announced Tuesday.

Conducted in Phoenix, the flight was undertaken in support of the U.S. Marine Corps’ Aerial Logistics Connector (ALC) program, proving the feasibility of deploying autonomous uncrewed aircraft to deliver supplies in contested environments.

Another step in the development of a more compact engine core for the future of flight.

General Atomics’ YFQ-42A and Anduril’s YFQ-44A collaborative combat aircraft (CCA) are on display in full-scale form for the first time at the 2025 Paris Air Show as the two companies are vying to win a U.S. Air Force (USAF) contract. In April, the USAF downselected the companies to design, manufacture, and test production-representative uncrewed aircraft for Increment 1 of its CCA program.

Large numbers of CCAs—also referred to as loyal wingmen, adjuncts, or remote carriers—are envisioned by the USAF to support crewed fighters, including fifth-generation warplanes such as the F-35 and F-22 and the forthcoming sixth-generation F-47 Next Generation Air Dominance aircraft that Boeing is developing.

Leonardo and Bombardier Defense are launching a collaboration to explore opportunities for maritime multi-mission aircraft, the companies said on Tuesday at the Paris Air Show.

Under the non-exclusive memorandum of understanding, they will evaluate the possibility of integrating Leonardo systems into the Bombardier Global 6500 business jet.

Republic Airways has agreed to buy at least one example of Beta Technologies’ Alia CX300 electric airplane and will use it to train its pilots and conduct route planning. Under a memorandum of understanding announced on Monday at the Paris Air Show, the carrier is set to take delivery of the first aircraft—under special airworthiness certificate rules—in the fourth quarter, with options to add more examples as its plans for commercial services are firmed up.

The CX300 operates in conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL) mode, with Beta also working on the Alia 250, an eVTOL version. The company, which has already opened its manufacturing facility in Burlington, Vermont, is taking this approach with a view to getting the CX300 certified in 2026.

A purchase agreement covering 12 Subaru Bell 412EPXs has been signed on behalf of the Tunisian Air Force, which is expanding a rotary-wing fleet that already includes 39 Bell helicopters. The sale to Tunisia is the first for the 412EPX in Africa. Meanwhile, the Tunisian National Guard has recently begun operating the Bell 429.

Subaru (formerly Fuji) built earlier Bell helicopters under license for the Japan Self-Defence Forces, and it co-developed the 412EPX version of the 412EPI to answer the Japanese army’s requirement for a new utility transport. The helicopter will be delivered to the Japan Ground Self-Defence Force with the local designation UH-2.

The digital flip-through issue of AIN’s award-winning Paris Airshow News is now available online. It’s a great way to quickly scan the news from Paris Air Show 2025, whether you’re at Le Bourget attending the show or watching from afar.