Author: FlyMarshall Newsroom

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The Joint Simulation Environment is playing a key role in developing tactics and operational concepts for integrating Collaborative Combat Aircraft with the F-35. Advancing the effort towards integrating F-35A Lightning II fighters with Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA), the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) recently integrated F-35s with the uncrewed systems in its Joint Simulation Environment (JSE) training system. The Jan. 5, 2025 announcement outlined the “tactical demonstration” in the JSE, which created realistic and real-world scenarios to put in place protocols and procedures before fifth-generation F-35s begin operating unmanned combat systems. The CCA effort globally appears to be…

Often when describing airline experiences, I refer to both “hard” and “soft” products. I realize that I often use terms like these without stepping back and defining them, so in this post, I’d like to take the opportunity to do that. Airline hard product vs. soft product When I describe the hard and soft product of premium cabin airline experiences, what am I referring to? As a general rule of thumb, here’s how I define this: A first & business class hard product is anything physically attached or bolted to the plane, which doesn’t differ from flight to flight; this could include…

Federal prosecutors say the suspect took images of sensitive military infrastructure at Whiteman AFB, home to the B-2 stealth bomber. A Chinese national has been charged in the United States with unlawfully photographing sensitive military infrastructure at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri, home to the U.S. Air Force’s B-2 Spirit stealth bomber fleet. The charges were announced by the U.S. Department of Justice and outlined in a criminal complaint unsealed this week. According to the Department of Justice, the suspect, 35-year-old Qilin Wu, a Chinese national, was arrested and charged with “unlawfully photographing vital military installations and equipment.” Federal…

Emirates has one of the world’s largest global network of lounges, as the airline is hyper-focused on offering a consistent experience throughout its network. What many people don’t realize is that the airline also sells access to its lounges, so in this post, I’d like to take a closer look at that — how much does it cost to buy Emirates lounge access, and is it worth it? Cost to buy Emirates lounge access Lounge access is a standard feature for Emirates first class and Emirates business class passengers. However, even Emirates economy passengers can buy access to lounges (and for that matter, business…

El Al Israel Airlines plans its largest-ever summer schedule in 2026, with a sharp expansion of long-haul flying led by record service to North America, as the airline moves to lock in demand on key international routes.  Under its newly announced summer timetable, El Al will operate 55 weekly flights to North America, the highest level in its history. The increase is driven primarily by New York, where service from JFK and Newark will rise to as many as seven daily flights combined. The airline will also add one additional weekly frequency to Miami, reflecting sustained demand on US-Israel routes.  The North America expansion underscores…

Northrop Grumman will integrate its uncrewed and autonomous technologies onto Kratos’ Valkyrie for the USMC’s MUX TACAIR Collaborative Combat Aircraft program. Northrop Grumman and Kratos announced that they will work together on the U.S. Marine Corps’ Marine Air-Ground Task Force Uncrewed Expeditionary Tactical Aircraft (MUX TACAIR) Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program. The two have been competitively awarded to integrate Northrop Grumman’s uncrewed and autonomous technologies with Kratos’ Valkyrie Uncrewed Aerial System (UAS) to work alongside crewed fighters to provide air dominance in high-threat environments. Notably, the selection follows multiple tests by the Marines with the XQ-58 Valkyrie and the F-35…

In April 2025, it was revealed that low cost carrier Avelo Airlines would start operating deportation flights, as part of an agreement with the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) division of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). From Avelo’s perspective, this was a way to get a steady income stream, in an otherwise challenging market for primarily domestic airlines. As you’d expect, though, this move was controversial, and Avelo faced pushback in many markets. So there’s an interesting update on that front. Avelo is shrinking its fleet, but planes are going to ICEThis week, Avelo Airlines announced plans to simplify…

Northrop Grumman and Kratos Defense and Security Solutions are teaming up to build autonomous drone wingmen for the U.S. Marine Corps, the companies announced Thursday.The two firms will work together on Kratos’ autonomous Valkyrie drone, to rapidly prepare it to fly alongside some of the Marine Corps’ crewed fighters and operate in high-threat environments, Northrop and Kratos said in a statement. The program is called the Marine Air-Ground Task Force Uncrewed Expeditionary Tactical Aircraft, or MUX TACAIR, collaborative combat aircraft.Krys Moen, Northrop’s vice president for advanced mission capabilities, said in a statement to Defense News that the contract is an…

Following a 2025 that saw Vandenberg Space Force Base complete a record 77 space launch, missile test and aeronautical operations, Space Launch Delta 30 is exploring further expansion at the California base.On Dec. 29, 2025, SLD 30 issued a Request for Information to gauge interest from U.S. commercial launch providers in leasing and developing Space Launch Complex-14 at Vandenberg.The RFI seeks to establish infrastructure for heavy and super-heavy vertical launch vehicles to address critical gaps in launch capabilities at Vandenberg. Current pads support medium and heavy vehicles, but the base lacks dedicated infrastructure for true heavy (20,000–50,000 kg. to low…