The National Aeronautic Association Collier Trophy Committee is a great place to see present-day glimpses of our industry's future, and this year I was privileged to serve on it for a third time. There were two finalists, Northrop Grumman's X-47B (the winner) and Pratt & Whitney's PurePower Geared Turbofan (GTF) engine, which superbly illustrated two radically different aspects of our future.

US Court of Federal Claims Judge Susan Braden's injunction on Wednesday prohibiting United Launch Alliance (ULA) of Denver, Colorado, from procuring more RD-180 liquid-fuel engines from NPO Energomash (through the US-Russian joint venture RD AMROSS) could have much broader implications for the United States than first meets the eye. 

At last month's Singapore Airshow, Boeing executives discussed the 200-280-seat segment as a potential market for the company's next new jet. Airbus also has examined a new jet in this class. There are valid reasons to believe this will be the next new jetliner that one or both companies pursue, and that it will open a pivotal battleground.

Ariane 5ME (Midlife Evolution) is a proposed European solid- and liquid-fueled, heavy-lift expendable launch vehicle. It was originally known as the Ariane 5ECB (Evolution Cryotechnique type B). The vehicle is being designed as an upgrade to the Ariane 5ECA rocket and intended as a bridge to the next-generation Ariane 6, which is scheduled to enter service in 2021. Plans call for the first qualification flight of the Ariane 5ME in mid-2018. The designated launch site is the Guiana Space Center in Kourou, French Guiana.