Although figures for Spain are unclear, a study by defense consultancy The Teal Group last year estimated current global sales are around $5.2 billion a year, and expected to almost double to $11.6 billion over the next decade. Armed with built-in cameras and sensors, custom-built unmanned aerial vehicles, or UAVs, produced by Mas and other small Spanish companies can map the topography of mines and mountains, monitor crops and help fight fires in remote areas.

Boeing (NYSE: BA) and Spirit have been working for some time a new long-term agreement. The newly announced deal amends the current agreement, which was extended last year. Richard Aboulafia, an aviation analyst with Virgina-based Teal Group, says the agreement is good in that it removes short-term uncertainties. While a longer-term deal would be good, getting pricing set in the interim is a beneficial step, he says. “If you look at this like a war, a cease fire is always a good thing,” he says. As for the question of variant aircraft, Aboulafia says it may be more of a function of timing in terms of where those aircraft are in their development.

The Boeing 777, boasting two giant engines and a 19 year history is well sought after by airline companies because it has the capability of flying very long distances, clocking flight times of 16 hours. Though the 777 does have a great safety record, it has had some fatal incidents. In July 2013 an Asiana Airlines had a bad landing in San Francisco killing 2 passengers on board. Another incident occurred in 2008 when British Airways also had a harsh landing at London’s Heathrow Airport. Richard Aboulafia of Teal Group comments that the Boeing 777 has one of the safest flight records in jetliner history.

While it’s rare to find brokers who fly planes to move Long Island real estate, the use of drones is on the rise. Global sales of unmanned aircraft, including those used by the military, are expected to total $89 billion in the next 10 years, making it one of the fastest growing aviation industry segments, according to Fairfax, Virginia-based consultant Teal Group.

The US military’s budget request for fiscal year 2015 includes cuts to a number of aircraft programmes, but Sikorsky and analysts call one item unique – the proposed cancellation of orders for 29 MH-60R Seahawks under a multi-year contract. If approved by Congress, such a move would raise broad concerns about the surety of other contractors’ multi-year procurement deals, and affect orders for UH-60 Black Hawks from the US Army and some foreign partners under the same contract.

“An actual [multi-year procurement] cancellation would be unprecedented,” says Richard Aboulafia, vice president of Teal Group.  Aboulafia calls USN’s proposal a “game of chicken”, and “a plea to Congress to insert the cash.” But if Congress doesn’t blink, “the navy might well need to either re-instate the contract or pay high cancellation fees,” he says.