Aviation Week's Check 6 Podcast

Check 6 revisits how a misconception of the MiG-25 transformed U.S. air power, until a Soviet pilot's defection revealed the truth.

Aviation Week & Space Technology subscribers can explore our archive here and read key Aviation Week articles related to this episode here:

• New Interceptors Can Exceed Mach 2.5 (July 17, 1967)
• MiG Case May Spur Japan Arms Buy (Sept. 13, 1976)
• MiG-25 Pilot Lands Fighter At Hakodate (Sept. 20, 1976)

Listen in as PwC's aerospace team zeroes in on the supply chain and where it is most fragile in this special sponsored episode.

Read PwC's State of the Ramp report here

Analyst Scott Mikus joins Aviation Week editors to discuss third-quarter earnings and why an oversupply of narrowbodies may be looming.

Read Scott's column here

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Thank you to our sponsor, DXC Technology, helping airports and travel operators connect the systems that keep passengers moving. When one delay impacts multiple systems, DXC connects airport platforms so the whole operation can respond as one, for smoother journeys.

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Aviation Week editors discuss the evolving European fighter landscape, introducing France's approach to its next-generation fighter it calls ACF, and the thinking around what will happen with Germany, Spain and the implication for the GCAP program, too.

CFM established an industry benchmark for reliability with its CFM56; roughly 24,000 are still in operation today, setting up big expectations for in-service durability. But CFM's Leap program has been working through some issues since its entry into service.

On this episode sponsored by CFM, Aviation Week editors hear about CFM's durability roadmap from President Gaël Méheust, and how the company intends to apply lessons learned to its future Rise technology program Open Fan engine.

Listen to a past Check 6 Revisits episode exploring 40 years of CFM here

Editors discuss what the long-awaited certification of the Boeing 737-10 means for the industry and what's happening with the 777X. They also reflect on the Airbus A340-600 after its last major operator, Lufthansa, retired the quadjet.

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As developments in Ukraine highlight new issues for army aviation, editors share what they heard from leaders at AUSA 2026 and discuss how the service is looking to evolve.

Thank you to our sponsor, GE Aerospace. GE Aerospace is uniquely positioned to support its defense customers, providing reliable, high performance military engines and systems for air and sea. Building on more than a century of innovation, GE Aerospace continues to mobilize a new era of growth, balancing the current needs of the industry with the advanced capabilities needed for the future.

For more information, visit https://geaerospace.com/

How will the fatal Houthi attacks that closed Riyadh Airport affect commercial aviation in the region? Aviation Week's team survey the immediate impact on Saudi Arabia and how it could alter grander plans for the industry.

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Will Project Agincourt spur the new U.S. Autonomy Command to great things? Editors discuss the implications of the Pentagon's military autonomy efforts and the broader context of uncrewed systems in modern warfare.

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Editors assess the progress of JetZero's blended wing body aircraft and explore its efforts to find the right powerplant that would suit both civil and military customers.

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Ahead of AUSA, editors discuss the MV-75 and the U.S. Army's modernization plans, including long-range fires, air defense, space capabilities and the budget challenges shaping its next steps.

Editors discuss the next-generation freighter market after first flight of the Airbus A350F and with Boeing's 777-8F in line to take off soon.

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Editors react to Boeing being announced as the winner of the U.S. Navy's F/A-XX contest ahead of Northrop Grumman and share their impressions of the next-generation tactical combat aircraft's design after a new rendering was released.

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Aviation Week Military Space Editor Vivienne Machi reflects on what we learned at AFA on space and the Iran war, as well as launch concerns for the Space Force and how that resonates with what Executive Editor for Defense and Space Robert Wall heard at World Space Business Week.

Emergency podcast: A special Lockheed SR-71A has gone missing after being displayed in front of a NASA facility for more than 26 years. Meanwhile, the NASA administrator is dropping hints that a new X-plane is in the works that happens to look a lot like a Blackbird. What's going on here? Editors Robert Wall, Graham Warwick and Steve Trimble explain what's going on—as far as they know today.

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Long-running tensions between Boeing and GE Aerospace over engines surfaced again, with 777X the cause du jour. Editors explain the dynamics at play and also discuss the 737 MAX ramp-up and what might happen if SPEEA technicians and professionals strike in the Seattle area come October.

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Editors discuss the news from last week's AFA gathering, addressing the Air Force secretary's bombshell weapons-in-space disclosure, new aircraft weapons concepts on show and so much more.

Thank you to our sponsor, GE Aerospace. GE Aerospace is uniquely positioned to support its defense customers, providing reliable, high performance military engines and systems for air and sea. Building on more than a century of innovation, GE Aerospace continues to mobilize a new era of growth, balancing the current needs of the industry with the advanced capabilities needed for the future.

For more information, visit geaerospace.com

Aviation Week's resident 747 experts Guy Norris and Jens Flottau discuss why Boeing's "jumbo jet" still matters and has outlasted predictions made decades ago.

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Editors gather on the eve of the AFA's Air, Space & Cyber Conference to discuss what the key themes will be at this year's event.

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GE Aerospace's $12 billion acquisition of CPP has huge implications for the castings and aircraft engine sectors—Aerodynamic Advisory's Kevin Michaels joins Aviation Week editors to explain why.

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