Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company, has been selected to deliver the S-92A+, the newest variant of its S-92 helicopter, to the Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF) for the service’s Presidential Helicopter II program. Lockheed Martin announced the selection on November 6, 2026, without disclosing the number of aircraft, the contract value or a delivery schedule.

The selection keeps the S-92 family in a role it already fills in South Korea. The ROKAF took delivery of three S-92 helicopters in 2007 and has relied on them for nearly two decades of presidential transport, according to the Lockheed Martin press release. Korea Aviation Engineering & Maintenance Service (KAEMS), a subsidiary of Korea Aerospace Industries, will complete the mission equipment in South Korea.

What the contract covers

Beyond the helicopters themselves, the contract covers additional special mission equipment and sustainment support, including critical spare parts and field service representation, according to Lockheed Martin. The release does not say how many S-92A+ aircraft the ROKAF will receive.

Wonik Lee, South Korea country executive for Lockheed Martin, said: “We are deeply honored that the S-92A+ has been selected as the Republic of Korea’s presidential helicopter.” He said he was confident the aircraft would continue “supporting this critical mission with the highest standards of safety and reliability,” pointing to the platform’s shared presidential transport heritage in South Korea, the United States and other nations. Lee said the milestone reflects Lockheed Martin’s “longstanding commitment to the ROK-U.S. alliance.”

What the S-92A+ adds

The S-92A+ adds upgraded engines, a new Phase IV main gearbox and increased payload or fuel capacity, according to the release. Sikorsky gave more detail on the configuration in March 2026, when it said it was standardizing all production aircraft on the S-92A+, each with the Phase IV main gearbox and upgraded engines.

In that March release, Sikorsky said the Phase IV gearbox has a minimum operating lifecycle of more than 6,000 flight hours, with longer intervals between overhauls, and auxiliary lubrication that lets the helicopter complete a flight safely even if primary oil pressure is lost. At the time, the gearbox was in its final 200 hours of endurance testing. Increased shaft horsepower from the GE CT7-8A6 engines maintains power across a wider range of temperatures in hot and high-altitude conditions, and the added engine power and airframe strengthening raise maximum gross weight to 27,700 pounds, which Sikorsky said provides an additional 1,200 pounds of payload or fuel. AirPro News has previously reported on the Phase IV gearbox’s safety features.

The configuration began as an upgrade kit. In April 2020, Sikorsky signed Canada’s VIH Aviation Group as the first S-92A+ kit customer, for four kits. At that point, Sikorsky said full-scale testing had shown the gearbox could provide return-to-base capability over more than 400 nautical miles if primary lubrication oil pressure was lost. The S-92A+ capability remains available as a retrofit kit for any S-92A, with an option for upgraded engines, according to the March 2026 release.

Production in Stratford and Owego

Sikorsky is ramping up S-92A+ production in Stratford, Connecticut, and Owego, New York, with capacity to produce up to 12 aircraft a year, according to the November 6 release. In March 2026, when Sikorsky announced that it was preparing its first S-92A+ production batch, it said the aircraft were for a new head-of-state transport customer and anticipated orders from head-of-state and offshore-energy customers.

That March release said a 14th country had ordered two aircraft for head-of-state transport, and that Sikorsky would assemble those two plus three additional S-92A+ aircraft. Stratford will produce S-92 dynamic components, including the main gearbox, blades and drivetrains, while the Owego workforce has delivered 23 new U.S. presidential helicopters based on the S-92A platform. Sikorsky also delivered two S-92A aircraft to head-of-state customers in Asia and the Middle East in 2025, according to the same release.

The S-92 in South Korea and worldwide

Lockheed Martin and Sikorsky’s partnership with South Korea spans more than 70 years and includes the Black Hawk, Seahawk and S-92 programs, according to the company. Beyond presidential transport, S-92 helicopters have supported Korea Coast Guard search and rescue, as well as firefighting and lifesaving missions for the National 119 Rescue Headquarters, part of the National Fire Agency.

Worldwide, Lockheed Martin said the S-92 fleet has logged more than 2.6 million flight hours, with an average lifetime availability rate of more than 90%, and that more than 300 aircraft have been delivered across 28 countries. The type supports head-of-state and VIP transport, offshore energy and search and rescue missions, and is the foundation for the U.S. Marine Corps’ VH-92A Patriot presidential helicopter, which continues Sikorsky’s record of transporting every U.S. president since 1957.

An Indian Air Force (IAF) Ilyushin IL-76MD has landed at Nyoma airfield in eastern Ladakh at an altitude of 13,629 feet, which the IAF describes as the highest-altitude landing ever achieved by the aircraft anywhere in the world.

The IAF announced the landing in a post on its official X account, @IAF_MCC, on November 7, 2026. It described the landing as a milestone that reinforces India’s strategic airlift capability. The post did not give the date of the landing.

What the IAF said

The post opened with the line “13,629 FEET. A NEW HEIGHT IN AVIATION HISTORY.” It said the IL-76MD had “scripted history with a successful landing at Nyoma,” and credited the aircraft and the people who flew it:

“A remarkable demonstration of the aircraft’s enduring capability, backed by the exceptional skill, precision, and professionalism of its crew.”

The record is the IAF’s own claim, made in the post. The IAF did not publish the previous highest landing altitude for the type.

The Nyoma airfield project

On September 12, 2023, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh virtually laid the foundation stone for the Nyoma airfield, according to a Press Information Bureau release from the ministry. The ministry put the cost at approximately Rs 200 crore and said the airfield would be one of the world’s highest.

The ministry said the airfield would boost air infrastructure in Ladakh and augment the IAF’s capability along the Northern border. The foundation stone was laid during an event at which Singh dedicated to the nation 90 Border Roads Organisation (BRO) infrastructure projects, built at a cost of over Rs 2,900 crore across 11 States and Union Territories.

By the end of that year, the ministry’s Year End Review 2023, released on December 22, 2023, reported: “The development works on the recently allotted Nyoma Airfield at Eastern Ladakh have commenced.”

Earlier high-altitude transport landings

AirPro News has covered earlier high-altitude transport operations by the IAF, including the IAF’s C-17 landing at Kargil: on March 6, 2025, an IAF C-17 Globemaster III transport aircraft landed at the high-altitude Kargil airstrip.

The IAF has not published further details of the Nyoma flight, such as the aircraft’s serial number, the crew or the load carried.

Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC) has started flying B-1B Lancer pilots in contractor-operated light business jets from Abilene, Texas, under a prototype the command expects to give each pilot approximately 100 additional flying hours a year without requiring additional B-1 aircraft or military maintenance personnel.

The Bomber Supplemental Trainer for Aircrew Readiness (BSTAR) initiative launched during the first week of November 2026, AFGSC said in an article published on November 5, 2026. A Dyess Air Force Base B-1 pilot completed the inaugural military training flight on November 2. Two days later, Gen. S.L. Davis, commander of AFGSC, and Maj. Gen. Ty Neuman, commander of Eighth Air Force and the Joint-Global Strike Operations Center, participated in observer flights to evaluate the new capability firsthand.

How the BSTAR model works

BSTAR runs on a contractor-owned, contractor-operated model. XSTAR Aviation provides the aircraft, instructor pilots, maintenance and scheduling, and the flights operate from Abilene Regional Airport (ABI). According to AFGSC, they do not require additional B-1 aircraft or military maintenance personnel. The command’s article does not name the business jet type, the number of aircraft or pilots involved, the value of the arrangement or the length of the prototype period.

The sorties focus on fundamental aviation skills: instrument procedures, mission planning, aircraft handling and crew resource management. AFGSC said that while flight simulators remain essential for practicing complex systems and mission scenarios, live flying gives pilots experience with changing weather conditions, air traffic and real-time decisions in the cockpit. The AirPro Atlas record for Abilene Regional lists runway 17R/35L at 7,208 feet and runway 17L/35R at 7,198 feet.

For one B-1 pilot, the inaugural flight was a chance to practice skills that carry over to the bomber. “Flying in different conditions, working through instrument procedures and making decisions in real time reinforces skills we rely on as pilots,” the pilot said, according to AFGSC.

A supplement to bomber sorties, not a replacement

AFGSC stressed that BSTAR complements existing B-1 training rather than replacing it. The flights do not substitute for B-1 sorties or reduce the requirement for bomber aircraft availability, and B-1 sorties remain essential for mission-specific tasks including aerial refueling, tactical employment and weapons delivery.

“Combat-ready aircrews are built on foundational airmanship, sound decision-making and time in the air,” Davis said. He added that the command expects BSTAR to provide additional flying opportunities that complement the specialized training pilots receive in the B-1 “at a much lower cost.” AFGSC did not give cost figures.

Neuman tied the extra flying to bomber flight hours:

“BSTAR increases airmanship, which translates to safer, more effective and lethal B-1 operators, while preserving B-1 flight hours for our specialized, mission-specific training.”

Col. Robert Sturgill, the 7th Bomb Wing and installation commander at Dyess, framed the value in terms of time in the air: “I want our pilots flying as much as possible,” he said, adding that BSTAR provides that opportunity without taking away from the training pilots need in the bomber. The initiative adds a training layer for a fleet that AirPro News has followed through the B-1B’s modular pylon upgrade and a Lancer’s return from depot regeneration.

Where the BSTAR contractor comes from

XSTAR Aviation says on its website that the company grew out of the BSTAR study, conducted under the leadership of AFGSC, which identified gaps in traditional aircrew training. XSTAR is a subsidiary of SBCC and manages contractor-owned, contractor-operated aircraft, providing turnkey training solutions to the Department of Defense.

Its listed leadership includes Chief Executive Officer Gerald Goodfellow, a retired US Air Force brigadier general, along with retired Lt. Gen. Carl Schaefer and retired Maj. Gen. Evan Dertien. The company describes its service as “a cost-effective alternative to traditional flight training methods” and lists “increased sustainment and absorption of aircrew into the bomber force” among its aims. Its website does not name the aircraft types it operates.

What AFGSC will measure

Throughout the prototype period, BSTAR sorties will be tracked and debriefed, and aircrew feedback will be used to refine flight profiles and evaluate training effectiveness, according to AFGSC. The findings will help the command determine whether supplemental flight training can play a broader role in developing combat-ready B-1 aircrews.