Author: FlyMarshall Newsroom

By Bjorn Fehrm and Henry Tam February 20, 2026, ©. Leeham News: We have, since August 2025, gone through an FAA CFR 14 Part 25 development project of an airliner in the 200-seat class. The aim was to identify the activities required for such a project and the regulatory actions needed to achieve Type Certification (TC) and Production Certification (OC) for the aircraft. The program followed the time plan in Figure 1, which indicated that it would take about seven years from the start of conceptual design to deliver the first aircraft and enter service (EIS). At each phase, we…

The Defense Department this week began testing for the initial phase of its Drone Dominance Program, an effort to expand the use of commercial drones across the military. Dubbed “the Gauntlet,” military operators will fly and evaluate uncrewed aerial systems, or UASs, at Fort Benning, Georgia, to determine which of the 25 competing vendors will advance to the next phase of the program.However, ahead of the testing, DOD curated a list of commercial drones that meet baseline performance and compliance standards. With the list, officials aim to streamline procurement and encourage military leaders to begin buying and fielding approved systems…

All the time, OMAAT readers will share with me the frustrating situations they encounter with airlines, and I try to share my take and provide tips, best I can. Well, I’ve just encountered a situation with a ticket I had booked on Scandinavian Airlines (SAS), which is leaving me very frustrated.I guess I should take responsibility here, though it really exposes how one-sided airline contracts of carriage are, and how unforgiving airlines are when it comes to applying logic to these kinds of situations. Let me explain… SAS canceled my flight, and rebooking wasn’t seamlessOn the trip I’m just wrapping…

The intercept was carried out as the Russian Tu-95MS bombers and their escorting fighters transited the Alaskan ADIZ (Air Defense Identification Zone). On Feb. 19, 2026, the U.S. Air Force launched two F-16s, two F-35s, one E-3, and four KC-135s tankers to “intercept, positively identify, and escort the aircraft until they departed the Alaskan ADIZ.”The intercept was carried out as the Russian Tu-95MS bombers and their escorting fighters transited the Alaskan ADIZ (Air Defense Identification Zone).A-50 Mainstay’s role According to NORAD (North American Aerospace Defense Command), the Russian aircraft were identified as being two Tu-95s, two Su-35s, and one A-50…

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) have awarded the Boeing 777-9 flight training simulator initial qualification. On February 20, 2026, Boeing announced that simulator qualification certificate meant the company was “one step closer to conducting regulator-approved pilot training”. “Securing these approvals is an important step as we prepare for the start of flight training,” said Capt. Gary Mandy, 777X Chief Technical Pilot. “Pilots will benefit from an immersive training experience that will help ensure our customers’ operational readiness for the 777-9.” The 777-9 training devices are located at the Boeing Training Campus in London-Gatwick…

Emirates is currently undergoing an aggressive retrofit project for the interiors of its aircraft, to introduce a new product standard, and also to roll out premium economy. Along those lines, the airline has revealed plans to reconfigure the highest capacity aircraft flown by any airline. With this, we’ll no longer see any commercial aircraft with over 600 seats. Emirates’ densest A380s go from 615 to 569 seatsEmirates has a fleet of well over 100 Airbus A380s. While a vast majority of those feature first class, there are also 15 of these planes without a first class cabin, intended primarily for…

Embraer and Northrop Grumman aim to offer advanced aerial refueling options amid a tanker capability gap in the U.S. and other Allied air forces. Brazilian aerospace major Embraer and Northrop Grumman announced on Feb. 19, 2026, a collaboration to further develop the KC-390 Millenium tanker-transport aircraft “to provide advanced tanking capabilities for the United States Air Force and allied nations.” The team-up will see a refueling boom being developed and installed on the centerline, adding to the two underwing hose-and-drogue refueling pods, as shown by the concept rendition released by Embraer. The two firms will combine their technical expertise to…

A German fast-track effort to give the Luftwaffe a reusable, jet-powered deep-strike drone by 2029 is showing signs of slowing. The procurement effort only surfaced publicly in August 2025, when German reporting described an accelerated timeline aimed at fielding an initial capability by 2029.  Hartpunkt now reports that the selection process has gained an extra review round, with a direct award currently off the table. Officials have introduced an additional review round involving three candidates for further evaluation.  Germany’s push for a “Jagdbomberdrohne” is part of the Luftwaffe’s Tornado transition, a broader effort to preserve deep-strike and electronic attack options as the aging fighter-bomber fleet heads toward retirement…

Embraer and Northrop Grumman say they are working together to evolve the KC-390 Millennium into a tanker variant aimed at the United States Air Force and allied operators, with a central focus on adding a boom refueling capability to the aircraft.   In a statement issued on February 19, 2026, the companies said the collaboration is intended to “rapidly advance” a next-generation air-refueling system and set the stage for a KC-390 “Multi-Mission Tanker” concept.   Planned enhancements cited by the partners include an “advanced autonomous” aerial refueling boom, upgraded communications, improved situational awareness, survivability options, and adaptable mission systems.   Tom Jones, Corporate Vice President and President of Northrop Grumman Aeronautics…

NAVAIR is looking for an advanced anti-radiation missile with a longer range than the ones in the Navy’s current inventory and which can also engage airborne targets. The Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) has published a new Sources Sought notice for Advanced Emission Suppression Missile (AESM) – Enhanced Capabilities of Feb. 18, 2026. While the U.S. Navy is already working on a new anti-radiation missile, set to enter service soon, the new weapon would have an interesting feature: the capability to engage both air and ground targets. It should be noted that this does not mean the service has already…