Aerospace & Defense

  • August 27, 2026

    Apollo, KKR Partner With Atlantic Aviation At $10B Valuation

    Private equity giants KKR, advised by Kirkland & Ellis LLP, and Apollo, led by Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison LLP, on Thursday unveiled a strategic partnership to support the growth of private aviation infrastructure platform Atlantic Aviation in a deal that values the company at close to $10 billion.

  • August 27, 2026

    Engineer Hits RTX With Age, Disability Bias Suit Over Ouster

    A former senior engineer for defense contractor RTX Corp. in Massachusetts says he was sidelined and then set up for termination after he disclosed he suffered from attention deficit disorder and later requested time off for surgery for another medical condition.

  • August 26, 2026

    ISIS-K Scout Loses Bid To Evade Verdict In Afghan Airport Bombing

    A Virginia federal judge has ruled that the government did not have to prove that an Afghan national convicted of conspiring with ISIS-K caused a bombing at Kabul's airport as American forces were evacuating in 2021, just that he could have foreseen that the conspiracy would result in death.

  • August 26, 2026

    9th Circ. Panel Won't Revisit Boeing's $72M Trade Secret Loss

    A Ninth Circuit panel has rejected Boeing's bid for a panel rehearing of its August 2025 decision reinstating a $72 million jury verdict for electric jet startup Zunum Aero Inc. in a trade secret dispute, spurning the aerospace giant's fresh argument that the case belongs in the Federal Circuit because of the patent counterclaims involved.

  • August 26, 2026

    Trump Admin Unveils Smaller War Plants Commission

    The U.S. Department of Defense and the U.S. Small Business Administration have established a new commission aimed at boosting the defense industrial base by expanding production capacity, eliminating regulations and providing targeted capital to small businesses.

  • August 26, 2026

    Lawmakers Press Commerce To Curb Exports To Adversaries

    A bipartisan group of lawmakers is urging the U.S. Department of Commerce to block U.S. citizens and businesses from working for foreign civilian intelligence and security agencies in Russia, China and other "countries of concern."

  • August 26, 2026

    Boeing Beats Bid For More Depos In Moon Mission IP Suit

    A Colorado aerospace company cannot conduct additional depositions in its lawsuit accusing The Boeing Co. of stealing patented technology for a NASA moon exploration program, a Washington federal magistrate judge ruled.

  • August 26, 2026

    NTIA Has Given Final OK To All 56 State, Territory BEAD Plans

    Nearly five years after the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act created the BEAD program, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration says it has approved all 56 final proposals from the states and territories.

  • August 26, 2026

    FCC Seeking More Spectrum For Space Launches, Reentry

    The Federal Communications Commission is on the hunt for more spectrum that could support space launches and reentry, and is asking stakeholders to weigh in with their own ideas on how to free up the airwaves.

  • August 26, 2026

    Italian Man Gets 18 Months For Ammo Export Scheme

    A New York federal judge sentenced a wholesale distributor to 18 months in prison for allegedly helping funnel $540,000 worth of American made, military-grade ammunition to Russia during its war against Ukraine in violation of his company's license.

  • August 25, 2026

    Legal Watchdog Lodges Bar Complaint Against Jeanine Pirro

    The Legal Accountability Center said Tuesday that it filed a bar complaint against U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro, claiming that she abused her position to unjustifiably target Democratic lawmakers after they released a video reminding members of the military and intelligence community that it's their duty to refuse unlawful orders.

  • August 25, 2026

    Carl Sagan's Widow Sues Over Luma AI Ad's Use of His Voice

    Carl Sagan's widow sued Luma AI on Tuesday in California federal court for allegedly using audio ‌of the renowned astronomer's voice in an ad without permission, saying the law must stop those who would exploit her husband's reputation and intellectual integrity "for their own crass, self-serving commercial purposes."

  • August 25, 2026

    Boeing Nabs $131B Air Force F-15 Fighter Jet Contract

    The U.S. Department of Defense announced it has awarded Boeing Co. a $131.23 billion U.S. Air Force contract to manage future production and modernization of the global F-15 fighter aircraft fleet as part of the F-15 Eagle Crest program.

  • August 25, 2026

    9th Circ. Says Congress Kept NSA Report Outside FOIA

    A Ninth Circuit panel has affirmed the National Security Agency's decision to not grant a Freedom of Information Act request to release a nearly six-decade-old report on the sinking of the USS Liberty.

  • August 25, 2026

    4 Firms Build Ursa Major's $2.3B SPAC Merger

    Aerospace and defense company Ursa Major Technologies Inc. on Tuesday unveiled plans to go public by merging with special purpose acquisition company Bleichroeder Acquisition Corp. III in a deal that boasts a post-transaction equity value of roughly $2.3 billion and was built by four law firms.

  • August 25, 2026

    State Department Approves $2.8B In Military Sales To 3 Allies

    The U.S. Department of State has approved the sale of $2.3 billion worth of Black Hawk helicopters and other military equipment to Norway, which it called an ally that will support political stability and economic progress in Europe.

  • August 25, 2026

    Canada To Hit US With Retaliatory Tariffs, 'Dollar For Dollar'

    The Canadian government struck back on Tuesday at the latest round of U.S. tariffs, announcing tariffs of its own of up to 50% on more than 800 categories of products worth CA$27.6 billion ($20 billion) that will come into force on Sept. 8.

  • August 25, 2026

    Latham-Led Melrose Sets Up $100M Compensation Fund

    Aircraft manufacturer Melrose said Tuesday it has launched a compensation program worth up to $100 million in California following a toxic chemical scare that halved a plant's output and forced the evacuation of residents and businesses.

  • August 24, 2026

    DOJ Seeks To Beat UC Researchers' Challenge Of Grant Axings

    The U.S. Department of Justice argued on Friday that the Trump administration should prevail over University of California researchers' challenges of the termination of their grants, telling a California federal judge that the First Amendment doesn't apply to competitively awarded grants.

  • August 24, 2026

    DOD Invests $750M To Buy Rare-Earth Elements From Brazil

    The U.S. Department of Defense said on Monday that it's investing $750 million in a special purpose vehicle meant to facilitate the U.S. government's purchase of mixed rare-earth carbonates processed by a company in Brazil.

  • August 24, 2026

    Fla. Judge Wants Discovery Cap In Navy Base Shooting Suit

    A Florida federal judge on Monday indicated that she'll unpause a lawsuit accusing the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia of gross negligence over a Navy base mass shooting perpetrated by one of its Royal Air Force Officers, saying a magistrate judge first must define the scope of discovery in the case.

  • August 24, 2026

    Calif. Takes Trump Admin Pipeline Fight To 9th Circ.

    California has asked the Ninth Circuit to review a district court's rejection of its bid to block the Trump administration's reopening of a controversial coastal oil pipeline, which a judge said was a valid use of federal emergency authority under the Defense Production Act.

  • August 24, 2026

    Aviation Cos. Urge FCC To Pull Ligado Network Order

    The FCC ought to revoke its controversial 2020 order giving Ligado Networks permission to build a mobile satellite network because the company won't be able to build it in a way that meets the "stringent conditions" the agency gave it, a coalition of groups and companies tells the agency.

  • August 24, 2026

    Drone Co. Investor Says Early Lock-Up Waiver Tanked Stock

    Drone-maker Aevex Corp. has been accused in a shareholder's proposed class action of abruptly ending share restrictions after its April initial public offering, allowing a major stakeholder to profit while the company lost $900 million in market share due to a resulting decline in share price.

  • August 24, 2026

    CFTC Weighs In On Criminal Case Over Soldier's Maduro Bet

    A Manhattan federal judge gave leave Monday for the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to oppose a bid by a U.S. Army sergeant to sink criminal charges over his alleged Polymarket bets on the capture of deposed Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

Expert Analysis

  • Series

    Taekwondo Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Taekwondo has taught me to recognize when to fight for a position and when to focus on finding a solution, and that the best outcomes are often achieved by solving problems — all of which has improved my work as a bankruptcy lawyer, mediator and Subchapter V trustee, says Amy Denton Mayer at Berger Singerman.

  • Bid Protest Spotlight: Evaluation Criteria, Omissions, Conflicts

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    In this month's bid protest roundup, James Tucker at MoFo offers takeaways from recent decisions examining a soliciting agency’s latitude to deviate from its own evaluation criteria, a missing small-business certification's materiality and an agency's mid-litigation waiver resolving meritorious conflict of interest allegations.

  • Del. Boeing Ruling Shows How Compliance Defeats Caremark

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    The Delaware Chancery Court's recent dismissal of shareholder litigation against Boeing's board in the wake of the Alaska Airlines door-plug blowout incident carries significant lessons for shareholders pursuing Caremark claims, and for corporate counsel advising boards on oversight obligations, says Brian Rostocki at Reed Smith.

  • 4th Circ. Class Cert. Ruling Offers Tips For Damages Experts

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    The Fourth Circuit's recent decision reversing class certification in litigation against Boeing raises the cost of a bare-bones damages model proposal for plaintiffs, but it also clarifies what a defensible proposal should contain, say Alok Khare and Erica Rose at FTI Consulting.

  • What To Know As Legal Duty To Consider AI Takes Shape

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    While the U.K. Jurisdiction Taskforce’s recent statement on liability for artificial intelligence harms is nonbinding for both U.K. and U.S. lawyers, it highlights the importance of being able to distinguish between the availability of a tool and a professional obligation to use it, say Jonny Frank and Michael Costa at StoneTurn.

  • How FCC Covered List Blitz Is Sidelining Commerce Dept.

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    The swath of recent Federal Communications Commission rulemakings raises serious questions about the purpose and future of Commerce's Office of Information and Communications Technology and Services, and how the U.S. government will go forward in imposing national security regulation on domestic applications of adversary-linked technologies, says Peter Jeydel at Troutman.

  • Monitor Exposure, Stay Flexible Amid Tariff Uncertainty

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    To navigate an unstable trade environment, businesses must evaluate their exposure to new tariffs invoked under a patchwork of statutory authorities and be prepared to adapt to further changes that may be on the horizon, says Bhargav Prajapati at Capital Trade.

  • Series

    Being In A Band Made Me A Better Lawyer

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    Playing shows in storied New York City venues and rehearsing with my bandmates in poorly ventilated rooms helped develop the professional qualities I rely on as a litigator, including an ability to collaborate with strong-minded equals and the determination to treat each client with singular focus, says Eliad Shapiro at Herrick Feinstein.

  • Rethinking Corporate Travel Rules After Device Search Cases

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    A recent New York federal court decision approving a warrantless seizure and search of company laptops and a pending Georgia federal court criminal case over a phone's data deletion underscore how little protection corporate personnel have at the border, necessitating a review of corporate travel programs, say attorneys at Gibson Dunn.

  • 6 Key Takeaways From CFIUS Annual Report

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    Attorneys at Simpson Thacher review highlights from the annual report of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S., released to Congress this month, including the launch of the American First Investment Policy and the Known Investor Pilot Program, and the agency's continued focus on enforcement despite its resource constraints.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Surviving A Long Trial

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    Most of law school trial advocacy is geared toward the sprint of trying a short case, but beyond managing a cross-examination or closing argument, effectively handling the marathon of a lengthy trial requires the ability to maintain composure, organization and credibility with the jury, says Mihir Elchuri at Hirschler.

  • Other Transaction Authority May Change Military Construction

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    Early use of the Pentagon’s expanded authority to use other transaction agreements for defense construction projects suggests it may become a consequential change that draws new entrants into the marketplace, so participants should be cognizant of how it differs from the familiar Federal Acquisition Regulation model, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.

  • Series

    Going To Hardcore Shows Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    While government contracts law and the hardcore scene may seem entirely unrelated, in my experience, both are about community, focus, being prepared for the unexpected and managing chaos, says Isaac Natter at Fluet.

  • How New Counter-Drone Rule Will Reshape Event Security

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    A new interim final rule on counter-unmanned aircraft systems creates one of the most structured regulatory frameworks yet adopted for mitigating unauthorized drone activity, with implications for law enforcement, airport and stadium operators, drone companies, and public event organizers, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • 3 Rulings Show High Court's Transnational Litigation Stance

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's most recent term closed with three consequential decisions for transnational litigation that illustrate the court's readiness to enforce a Congress-created cause of action for overseas conduct and unwillingness to create this liability itself, say attorneys at WilmerHale.

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