Author: FlyMarshall Newsroom

MILAN — Armed with a fresh defense-cooperation agreement, Denmark and Canada stand to exploit their shared use of MQ-9B drones as a practical touchpoint for Arctic surveillance, according to issue experts.The Danish Air Force officially established Squadron 729 on Feb. 16, which will operate the four MQ-9B long-range unmanned aircraft out of Aalborg Air Base, located in northern Denmark, starting from 2028.Earlier this month, Canada, which has acquired 11 of the same General Atomics-made drones that it will receive around the same time, signed a defense cooperation agreement with Denmark at the Munich Security Conference. The systems are planned to…

Ukraine’s Defense Forces said they struck Russian aviation assets overnight on February 21, 2026, damaging two Beriev Be-12 amphibious aircraft at a military repair facility in occupied Crimea, in what appears to be another targeted effort to erode Russia’s shrinking maritime aviation fleet.  According to a Ukrainian military statement, the aircraft were hit at the Yevpatoria Aviation Repair Plant in the Crimean city of Yevpatoria. The facility is used to maintain and overhaul Russian naval aviation platforms operating over the Black Sea. Ukrainian officials said the extent of the damage is still being assessed.    The Be-12 is a Cold War-era amphibious aircraft originally designed for maritime patrol and anti-submarine warfare. Although its…

Passengers on several outbound flights were forced to spend the night onboard aircraft at Munich Airport (MUC) on February 22, 2026, because the airport had closed and bus drivers had already gone home when their departures were cancelled.   Initial reports focused on flight LH2446 bound for Copenhagen-Kastrup (CPH). The flight, operated by an A320neo with 123 passengers onboard, had been scheduled to depart at 21:30 local time. However, the departure was delayed multiple times due to snowfall in Munich.  Passengers remained on the plane in the expectation that it would be possible to take off before the start of the…

Airbus Helicopters has unveiled its proposed rotorcraft designs for a new class of military helicopters slated for operational entry in the 2035–40 timeframe to meet NATO’s medium-lift requirements under the Next Generation Rotorcraft Capability (NGRC) initiative. Two concepts, one common architecture Airbus’ submission to the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) comprises two distinct concepts developed in collaboration with RTX’s Collins Aerospace and Raytheon businesses, and MBDA: a high-performance conventional helicopter and a high-speed compound rotorcraft. The approach emphasizes modular design, operational efficiency, and long-term affordability, with commonality in maintenance, training, weapons integration, and systems architecture across both platforms. “Europe…

France’s Navy has taken delivery of the 18th and final Dassault-Breguet Atlantique 2 (ATL2) maritime patrol aircraft upgraded to the Standard 6 configuration, completing a modernization effort designed to keep the fleet operational into the next decade.  The handover took place on February 17, 2026, when France’s defense procurement agency, the DGA, delivered the aircraft to the Marine nationale. The upgraded ATL2s are based at Lann-Bihoué naval air base in Brittany.  The Standard 6 modernization of the ATL2 combat system traces back to a DGA contract award on October 4, 2013. Under the program, 18 aircraft were slated for upgrade, with seven modernized and delivered by Dassault Aviation…

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) announced on February 22, 2026, that its PreCheck program would continue operating, hours after the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said the expedited security service would be suspended during the partial government shutdown. “At this time, TSA PreCheck remains operational with no change for the traveling public,” TSA officials said in a statement. “As staffing constraints arise, TSA will evaluate on a case by case basis and adjust operations accordingly.” Travel industry leaders said they received little warning of the initial changes to PreCheck, a program serving 20 million pre-screened members who can pass through…

The United States’ ambassador in Lisbon, John Arrigo, has urged Portugal to buy Lockheed Martin’s F-35, pushing the fifth-generation fighter as the preferred successor to the Portuguese Air Force’s aging F-16 fleet. Arrigo made the remarks in an interview with CNN Portugal, framing the aircraft choice around NATO interoperability and arguing that joining the large and growing European F-35 user community would place Portugal among the continent’s “top tier” air forces. Portugal has not launched a formal selection process for a new fighter. Defense Minister Nuno Melo said in November 2025 that the replacement program had not yet begun, and…

Chaos erupted at Puerto Vallarta International Airport (PVR) and Guadalajara International Airport (GDL) due to violence across the Mexican state of Jalisco sparked by the death of a prominent drug cartel leader.  In video footage posted online passengers can be seen running in panic through the terminals and outdoor areas of Guadalajara International Airport as clashes between cartel gunmen and security forces were reported to have taken place near the airport.   Similarly, footage from Puerto Vallarta International Airport shows columns of thick smoke rising in the vicinity of the airport after the resort city became engulfed by cartel violence.  Several…

BERLIN — Bulgaria’s Sofia International Airport briefly suspended civilian air operations twice over the weekend while a fleet of American military aircraft staged at the facility, fueling speculation that Washington is positioning forces ahead of a potential strike on Iran.A Notice to Airmen (NOTAM), verified by the Bulgarian investigative outlet Obektivno.BG, showed the airport restricted non-military operations on Feb. 23 from 01:15 to 02:50 local time and again on Feb. 24 from 01:05 to 03:35. Commercial flights are not ordinarily scheduled during this time frame.Airport authorities attributed the brief closures to routine runway repairs and explicitly denied any link to…

Qantas has taken delivery of its fourth Airbus A321XLR, with the aircraft arriving in Brisbane on the weekend of February 21-22, 2026 following its journey from the Airbus factory in Hamburg via Bangkok. The aircraft, registered VH-OGD and named “Bibbulmun Track” after a walking trail in Western Australia, will enter commercial service in the week of February 23-27, 2026 after completing final preparations by engineers in Brisbane. Fleet expansion continues The delivery is another step in Qantas’s fleet renewal program, which includes a total order for 48 A321XLR aircraft.  The Australian flag carrier became the first in the Asia-Pacific region…