A 3D-Printed Metal Part Is Not Finished When the Printer Stops
Printing creates the near-net shape. Aerospace buyers still need to plan machining, surface finishing, cleaning, inspection, and process ownership around the finished requirement.
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Defense Supply Chain Mapping Is Coming: What Lower-Tier Suppliers Should Prepare Now
A July 2026 executive order directs deeper mapping of selected defense supply chains. Lower-tier manufacturers can prepare now by tightening material, process, and supplier traceability.
CMMC Phase 1 Is Here: What Defense Manufacturing Buyers Should Put in Every RFQ
CMMC Phase 1 is underway. Here is a practical RFQ checklist for defense buyers aligning cybersecurity requirements with machining, metal finishing, assembly, and quality needs.
NADCAP Accreditation Is the Floor. Capacity Is the Ceiling.
Aerospace procurement teams have spent years drilling one rule into their sourcing process: require NADCAP accreditation for all special processes. A supplier without NADCAP on chemical processing, anodizing, or coating has no business touching flight-critical hardware. But in 2026, that…
Why Drone Components Now Have to Be Made in the U.S.
In December 2025, the federal government quietly rewrote the sourcing rules for an entire category of hardware. The FCC added all foreign-produced drones and their critical components to its Covered List, blocking new equipment authorizations for motors, batteries, navigation systems,…
1,750 Aircraft in 2026: What the Production Ramp-Up Means for Aerospace Suppliers
Boeing plans to deliver approximately 500 737s in 2026, up from roughly 440 the year before. Airbus is targeting 900 total aircraft deliveries, pushing toward a rate of 75 A320-family jets per month by 2027. Combined, industry analysts at AirInsight…
The $1 Trillion Defense Budget Has a Supply Chain Problem
The Pentagon’s FY2026 budget request totals $961.6 billion—a 13.4% increase over the previous year. Combined with reconciliation funding, total national defense spending now exceeds $1 trillion for the first time, reaching 3.3% of GDP. But there’s a problem: the defense…
Why Aerospace OEMs Are Cutting Their Supplier Lists in Half
According to Roland Berger’s 2025 Aerospace Supply Chain Report, 64% of aerospace companies are still experiencing supply chain disruptions. The primary culprits? Increased lead times and limited raw material availability. For procurement managers juggling dozens of vendor relationships, the message…