Aviation Week's Check 6 Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Invisible No More—Stealthy F-117 On Display Nov 10, 2026

Show notes

As the F-117 Nighthawk goes on display at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center for the first time, Aviation Week editors are joined by Air & Space Museum Director Chris Browne to reflect on the stealth aircraft and its place in history.

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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://www.geaerospace.com/

What Do The Midterm Results Mean For Pentagon Spending? Nov 06, 2026

Show notes

Aviation Week editors are joined by Maj. Gen. (ret) Lee Levy to try and answer the trillion dollar-plus question of what the outcome of the midterm elections really means for the U.S. defense budget.

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Check 6 Revisits: Belenko's Betrayal And The Saga Of The Foxbat Nov 03, 2026

Show notes

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)

The Outlook With PwC: Demand is Surging—Can Aerospace Keep Up? Oct 31, 2026

Show notes

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

Is Boeing's Recovery Still Gaining Altitude? Oct 30, 2026

Show notes

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.

Learn more here

Beyond Rafale—Meet France's ACF And What It Means For GCAP Oct 27, 2026

Show notes

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 Durability Deep Dive With President Gaël Méheust | Sponsored By CFM International Oct 26, 2026

Show notes

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. Today it continues producing spare engines, military engines and spare parts for the variant. 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

Hello MAX 10, Auf Wiedersehen A346 Oct 23, 2026

Show notes

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.

Sign up to receive Aviation Week newsletters here: https://aviationweek.com/signup

Army Aviation Takes Center Stage: Budgets, Balloons & The Bible Oct 20, 2026

Show notes

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.

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

Assessing Aviation In The Middle East Oct 16, 2026

Show notes

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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