Bombardier received an order for three Global 6500s that will be used in maritime surveillance missions for the Australian Border Force. National security service provider Metrea will operate the aircraft on behalf of the Australian law enforcement agency.

The order announced today marks the introduction of the Global platform in Australia in a special mission configuration, the Montreal-based aircraft manufacturer noted. Bombardier Challengers and Learjets are already operated for search-and-rescue and medical missions in the region.

In addition, the contract builds on Bombardier’s reach in Australia, where more than 75 Globals, Challengers, and Learjets are based. In recent years, the company has expanded its footprint there, opening its Melbourne Service Center in 2022 at Essendon Fields Airport in Melbourne and adding a line maintenance station in Perth in March 2025.

While new in special missions configuration in Australia, the Global 6500 is in use or has been selected in several such roles, ranging from high-altitude ISR to humanitarian assistance and Airborne Early Warning and Control.

Pointing to the aircraft’s capabilities, including a 6,600-nm range and Mach 0.90 Mmo, Bombardier v-p of worldwide sales for defense Michael Anckner said, “The Global 6500 brings a new level of capability for maritime surveillance, with exceptional range, speed, endurance, and reliability.”

A Dassault Falcon 900LX carrying UK defense secretary John Healey had its GPS and communications systems jammed during a flight from Estonia on May 21. The incident, which was confirmed by the Ministry of Defence, resulted in Royal Air Force (RAF) pilots having to use alternative means of navigation after the jamming occurred when flying close to the border with Russia.

The jammed flight is one of several recently reported incidents in which Russian military forces appear to have deliberately confronted UK aircraft. On May 20, the Ministry of Defence acknowledged that in an April incident, Russian fighters had “repeatedly and dangerously” intercepted an RAF surveillance aircraft over the Black Sea.

The Falcon 900LX, which has an EASy II flight deck co-developed by Dassault and Honeywell, is one of the two of these trijets operated by the RAF’s 32 Squadron for royal and government transportation under the designation Envoy IV CC1s. The squadron also operates a multirole Airbus A330 Voyager widebody and a pair of BAe 146C3s that have been modified for medical support flights.

On Aug. 31, 2025, a chartered Falcon 900LX operated by Luxaviation had its GPS signals jammed on a flight to Plovdiv in Bulgaria. It was carrying European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on an official visit.

Hermeus has pushed its Quarterhorse Mk 2.1 past the sound barrier, reaching Mach 1.21 during its third test flight at Spaceport America in New Mexico. The Atlanta-based company announced the milestone yesterday, describing it as the first supersonic flight by a privately developed uncrewed aircraft. The flight was conducted over New Mexico’s White Sands Missile Range airspace less than three months after Mk 2.1’s first flight in early March and 364 days after the inaugural flight of the original Mk 1 prototype.

“This flight demonstrates a pace of execution that is extremely rare in modern aviation,” said AJ Piplica, co-founder and outgoing CEO of Hermeus. “Our country’s ability to deliver new asymmetric military capability at scale depends on teams that can solve hard technical challenges quickly.”

The delta-winged, F-16-scale Mk 2.1 flies on a modified afterburning Pratt & Whitney F100 engine. Hermeus is already building the Mk 2.2, which is intended to fly on the company’s Chimera II turbine-based combined cycle propulsion system, with the Mk 2.3 “soon to follow,” the company said. 

Hermeus is developing Quarterhorse in collaboration with the Department of Defense as a precursor to its Darkhorse hypersonic military aircraft and, ultimately, the 20-passenger Halcyon civil hypersonic jet. While supersonic flight exceeds Mach 1, hypersonic flight—Hermeus’ ultimate goal—begins at Mach 5, enabling intercontinental travel in a fraction of current flight times.

Gama Aviation has opened its new FBO at the UAE’s Sharjah International Airport (OMSJ). The $60 million facility, designed and built to set a new benchmark for business aviation handling in the region, features a 32,300-sq-ft, two-story terminal.

Amenities include onsite immigration and customs services; main lounge; private lounges with dedicated entertainment systems, business facilities, and staff attendants; and a relaxation area with recliners and ambient lighting. Upstairs, an observation bar overlooking the ramp provides gourmet dining and refreshments. For crews, it offers a lounge facing the ramp for preflight briefings and planning, sleep rooms, showers, 24-hour on-demand catering and refreshments, and priority parking.

The complex’s 130,000-sq-ft hangar greatly increases the region’s aircraft shelter space and accommodates Gama’s line maintenance operations. It allows direct taxi-in/taxi-out capability, minimizing the need for towing and allowing faster aircraft turnaround. Rounding out the development is a nine-acre ramp and a dedicated helipad.

“This is a hugely proud moment for Gama Aviation and for everyone who has worked to bring the Sharjah Business Aviation Center to life,” said Tom Murphy, Gama’s managing director of FBO services. “From day one, our focus has been on delivering a fully functioning FBO that genuinely supports operators, owners, and crews. Seeing aircraft arrive, depart, and move seamlessly into the hangar is a powerful demonstration of that.”

• 30-minute response time to define a solution
• AOG turns within 24 hours
• Standard repairs often completed in days, not weeks
• When others say no, AQRD repairs it

EBAA has called on the European Commission (EC) to acknowledge the business aviation industry’s value and specific needs in the new aviation and aeronautics strategy for the European Union. On Friday, the trade group issued a summary of its response to an EC consultation process that concluded on May 21.

In the position paper, EBAA called on the EC’s new policy to protect the right for business aircraft to operate “as an integral part of Europe’s transport system.” The association pointed to airport slot allocation practices as an example of how the industry’s nonscheduled operations are at a disadvantage in terms of market access compared with airlines.

According to EBAA, while current slot policies are neutral in theory, the fact is that they favor historical precedence and utilization patterns—in which scheduled operators are clearly dominant in terms of traffic volumes—in allocating access to slot-controlled airports. “The result is that business aviation faces growing discriminatory barriers to airport access,” EBAA said.

The current EU aviation strategy was introduced in 2015, and the EC is now in the process of drafting its replacement. Specifically, the EC is conducting a review of the ETS under which free allocations of carbon allowances are set to be phased out this year.

Hera Flight expanded its fleet to 25 aircraft by adding four super-midsize Cessna Citation Xs and an ultra-long-range Gulfstream V to meet record client demand across charter, jet card, and aircraft management services.

“Adding these five aircraft is a direct response to our clients, existing members who fly more frequently and new travelers who have discovered that private aviation, done right, is unlike anything else,” said Jonathan Hollar, co-founder of Florida-based Hera Flight. “Growing our fleet to 25 aircraft means we can say yes more often, deliver more availability, and continue raising the bar on what private flying looks and feels like.”

The Citation X delivers coast-to-coast capability with a quiet cabin and long range, while the GV offers a spacious stand-up cabin with transatlantic range for larger traveling groups on long-haul flights.

All five aircraft are immediately available for on-demand charter, jet card redemption, and charter management programs. Hera Flight is co-headquartered in Clearwater and West Palm Beach, Florida.

Brazilian business aviation group Líder Aviação is highlighting its role in the emerging advanced air mobility sector with a focus on its partnership with electric aircraft developer Beta Technologies at the Catarina Aviation Show late last week. At the event in São Paulo, the company also exhibited an example of the HondaJet, for which it is a distributor in Latin America.

In August, Líder announced an agreement with U.S. start-up Beta to buy three of its aircraft, with options for another 50. Vermont-based Beta is developing the Alia 250 eVTOL, as well as the longer-range CX300 electric airplane that will operate from runways.

Under the partnership arrangement signed last year at LABACE, Líder will serve as distributor for Beta in Brazil and also provide maintenance support for the electric aircraft. Beta is aiming to certify the CX300 under Part 23 rules by early 2027, with the Alia 250 to follow around 12 months later.

According to Líder, cargo-carrying flights in the Beta aircraft will start before passenger services. "The whole world is looking at cargo and freight, and the CX300 will be the first to address this need," Anderson Markiewicz told AIN at the Catarina show. In his view, distribution companies like UPS could continue to use trucks for last-mile routes but switch to electric aircraft for middle-mile trips.

This year’s FlightSimExpo will be held June 12 to 14 at Minnesota’s Saint Paul RiverCentre, and more than 3,000 attendees and 70 exhibitors are expected, along with a virtual short takeoff and landing (STOL) competition.

FlightSimExpo serves flight simulation enthusiasts ranging from new entrants interested in flying real aircraft, experienced flight simmers, and aviation professionals. Event features include hands-on exhibits of simulation hardware, peripherals, motion platforms, virtual reality products, and home cockpit components. Attendees can also participate in how-to seminars, workshops, and tours of the exhibits.

Simulation experts will be on hand to show how home flight simulation can help with real aircraft flight training, and professional pilots will offer onsite career mentorship assistance.

Moza, which manufactures the Flight Series flight controls for civil and combat simulation, is supporting the electric STOL (eSTOL) competition, which allows attendees to compete against fellow eSTOL competitors and real-world pilots using simulators.

At the new FlightSimExpo Combat Arena and Competition Area, sim pilots can compete for prizes in head-to-head air combat competitions, team operations, and airshow-style performances.