Author: FlyMarshall Newsroom

Aero Linx: Airborne Public Safety Association (APSA) The Airborne Public Safety Association (APSA) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, educational, individual membership organization, founded in 1968 to support, promote and advance the safe and effective utilization of manned and unmanned aircraft by governmental agencies in support of public safety operations through training, networking, advocacy and educational programs.

SkyWest’s plan to convert United Express CRJ200 aircraft into a new CRJ450 configuration is putting renewed attention on MHIRJ, the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries company that supports the global CRJ fleet.   SkyWest recently announced it expects to convert single-class CRJ200 aircraft operating for United Airlines into a 41-seat, dual-class CRJ450 configuration by 2028. The first redesigned CRJ450 should enter service in the fall of 2026.  The aircraft will include a United First cabin, a large luggage closet instead of overhead bins, larger main cabin overhead bins designed to fit rollaboard bags, and Starlink Wi-Fi service, SkyWest said.  United’s CRJ450 cabin The plan gives United and SkyWest a way to keep smaller…

Designed by Northrop Grumman and subsidiary Scaled Composites, the unmanned XRQ-73 features an ultra-quiet propulsion system powered by electricity from a gas turbine.  Taking off from Edwards Air Force Base in April 2026, the XRQ-73’s first flight was hailed by DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) as a “step forward in demonstrating the military utility of hybrid-electric propulsion”. The aircraft is the result of the agency’s Series Hybrid Electric Propulsion AiRcraft Demonstration (SHEPARD) program, building on the secretive XRQ-72 Great Horned Owl project.  Data embedded in the released images suggest the aircraft’s first flight took place on Apr. 14, 2026. …

A US Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet disabled an Iranian-flagged oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman on May 6, 2026, after the vessel attempted to violate a US blockade against ships entering or departing Iranian ports, US Central Command said.  CENTCOM said US forces observed the unladen oil tanker M/T Hasna transiting international waters toward an Iranian port. The command said American forces issued multiple warnings and told the vessel it was violating the blockade.  After the crew of the tanker failed to comply, a Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet launched from the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) disabled the tanker’s rudder by firing several rounds from the 20mm cannon, CENTCOM said.   The command…

By Scott Hamilton May 6, 2026, © Leeham News: AirAsia and Airbus announced today that the low cost carrier placed an order for 150 A220-300s. This record-breaking order for the type previously capped out at 90 orders. (Delta Air Lines has placed orders for 145 A220s, but in several transactions.) More than 1,000 A220s have now been ordered. This is key order for Airbus, which wants to increase production of the A220 to 14/mo. Before now, the backlog was far from supporting this production rate. A high-density version of the airplane, which can seat 160 passengers, is under development. AirAsia…

AirAsia has placed a firm order for 150 Airbus A220-300 aircraft, giving the Canadian-built jet its largest single order to date and pushing the program past 1,000 total firm orders.  Airbus announced the deal at a signing ceremony on May 6, 2026, at its A220 assembly site in Mirabel, Quebec, which was attended by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney alongside executives from Airbus and AirAsia.   The aircraft will be assembled at the facility north of Montreal, where the A220 program traces its roots to Bombardier’s former C Series.  The order, valued at about $19 billion at list pricdes, gives Airbus a major new customer…

Malaysian ultra low cost carrier AirAsia has just placed an order for the Airbus A220. Not only does it represent a major departure from the carrier’s historical approach to fleet planning, but it’s also the biggest-ever single order for this aircraft. AirAsia will add 160-seat Airbus A220-300 to fleet AirAsia has placed a firm order for 150 Airbus A220-300 aircraft, with deliveries expected to begin in 2028. The purchase agreement is the largest single firm order placed for the A220, and propels the program beyond the 1,000 firm order milestone, which is major. It’s also worth noting that AirAsia is…

Raytheon has received its largest order to date for its SharpSight surveillance radar, with distribution partner Blue Raven signing a contract for 120 systems as the companies look to broaden access to the sensor for international and domestic customers.  RTX said on May 6, 2026, that Raytheon, one of its three main business units, will produce the radars under the agreement. Blue Raven, formerly Crestwood Technology Group, will handle global resale and distribution.  The companies did not disclose the value of the contract.  SharpSight is a platform-agnostic, multi-domain surveillance radar designed for manned and unmanned aircraft. Raytheon said operators can use the system on manned and…

France on Wednesday deployed its carrier strike group to the Red Sea as part of planning for a potential mission to secure the Strait of Hormuz, urging Washington and Tehran to consider the proposal given the global economic impact of their competing blockades.Fresh exchanges of fire on Monday underscored the stakes as the U.S. and Iran struggle for control of the narrow waterway, a vital artery for global energy and trade, shaking a fragile four-week-old truce and reinforcing rival maritime blockades.“The reason why we must make a renewed effort today is simply that the blockade of Hormuz continues, the damage…

By Scott Hamilton May 6, 2026, © Leeham News: AirAsia and Airbus announced today that the low cost carrier placed an order for 150 A220-300s. This record-breaking order for the type previously capped out at 90 orders. (Delta Air Lines has placed orders for 145 A220s, but in several transactions.) More than 1,000 A220s have now been ordered. This is key order for Airbus, which wants to increase production of the A220 to 14/mo. Before now, the backlog was far from supporting this production rate. A high-density version of the airplane, which can seat 160 passengers, is under development. AirAsia…