Author: FlyMarshall Newsroom

The B-52H received the AN/APQ-188 AESA radar at Boeing’s San Antonio facility and has now arrived at Edwards AFB for the ground and flight testing planned throughout 2026. The U.S. Air Force has announced that the B-52H Stratofortress modified with the new AN/APQ-188 Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar has been ferried to Edwards Air Force Base, California, on Dec. 8, 2025. The bomber received the new system at Boeing’s San Antonio, Texas, facility as part of the B-52 Radar Modernization Program (RMP). “This milestone marks a significant step forward in the aircraft’s ongoing modernization efforts to ensure it remains…

An Airbus trial in collaboration with Delta, Air France and Virgin Atlantic has opened the door to geese-inspired transatlantic flights after describing the experiment as “successful”. On December 11, 2025, Airbus announced that the company had completed a new phase of trials for Airbus’ fello’fly project, which was established in 2019, to use migrating geese as a source of inspiration for flight innovation. Between September and October 2025, eight flights over the North Atlantic Ocean were trialed where aircraft were paired in a formation to reduce fuel consumption. “With this flying technique, the first aircraft creates an uplift that drives…

By Charlotte Bailey Dec. 11, 2025, © Leeham News, Hamburg: “Aerospace is entering into a defining new era. Demand is rising, sustainability is non-negotiable, and resilience has become as crucial as performance.” Benoit Schultz. Credit: Airbus. Speaking on the opening day of the 2025 Hamburg Aviation Forum in Hamburg, Germany, newly appointed Airbus chief procurement officer Benoit Schultz reflected on the aerospace industry’s ongoing work to mitigate an evolving landscape of challenges. Crucially, endeavours to strengthen a global supply chain come at a time when new threats challenge the resilience of a sector that has, over the last five years,…

In recent times, I’ve been writing a series about some of the world’s luxury hotel groups, both big and small. This includes everything from Airelles to Four Seasons.In this post, I’d like to talk broadly about Ritz-Carlton Hotels and Resorts. Okay, just about everyone knows what Ritz-Carlton is, as it’s one of the world’s most well known luxury hotel brands. That being said, is it really all it’s cracked up to be, and how will it evolve over time? Let’s start with a bit of background, and then I’ll share my take… Basics & background of the Ritz-Carlton brandNowadays Ritz-Carlton…

KLM is the third-largest foreign carrier to serve the UK. With up to 71 daily flights involving 18 UK airports, it plays a critical role in linking the nation to the ever-popular Amsterdam—a hugely popular business and tourist city—and the wider world. This analysis comes soon after KLM’s big sibling, Air France, added London Gatwick to its network. KLM is a much more significant regional force than British Airways is. Indeed, the frames of BA’s various units fly to 13 airports, which will include the British Crown Dependency of Guernsey next year. However, while Cirium Diio data shows that virtually…

The Chair of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), Jennifer Homendy, has described proposed legislation that would reduce safety in the skies of Washington DC as “shameful”. On December 10, 2025, Homendy held a combatant press conference and wrote to the Senate and House Armed Services Committees to vehemently oppose sections of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that would allow military aircraft to operate without ADS-B. ADS-B is an advanced surveillance technology that provides an aircraft’s location to air traffic control and other aircraft pilots. In Homendy’s letter she wrote that provisions in the NDAA would “roll back broadcast…

Japan’s Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) carried out joint military drills with the United States over the Sea of Japan on December 11, 2025, deploying US B-52 strategic bombers alongside Japanese fighter aircraft, Tokyo’s Ministry of Defense said.  According to the ministry, the exercise took place over the Sea of Japan and involved two US B-52 strategic bombers escorted by three JASDF F-35A stealth fighters and three F-15J fighters from the 6th Air Wing for the joint flight. The drills were conducted as Japan faces what officials describe as an increasingly severe security environment, a point underscored by the Joint Staff in…

A couple of days ago, I wrote about how Etihad crowned the winner of its “Extraordinary Challenge,” a competition that was launched earlier this year, encouraging Etihad Guest members to travel on the carrier’s 15 newest routes. The prizes were big, with the first place winner earning five million miles. While this was no doubt a creative competition that had the potential to be lucrative, a lot of members are finding themselves to be quite frustrated by a major rule change that was made well into the competition, so I’d like to talk about that a bit in this post,…

When an airliner lines up on the runway, many passengers assume the pilots will apply maximum power. The engines produce a loud noise, acceleration is noticeable, and the aircraft lifts into the air quickly. It is understandable to believe that the crew uses all the engine power every time. In practice, however, most departures use less than the maximum certified thrust available. This guide explains why full power is actually the exception. It looks at how takeoff performance is calculated, what “reduced” and “derated” thrust really mean, when crews do use maximum thrust, and how all of this appears from…

When Qatar Airways launched its Qsuite business class in 2017, it redefined the commercial business class market. Rather than open seats, like first-class recliners found on most domestic flights in the United States or Qatar’s older generation business class, Qsuite introduced mini-rooms, suites, for its passengers. Eight years later, Qsuite remains a major selling point in positioning Qatar as a leader in premium commercial aviation. While competitors have responded and introduced suites of their own, Qsuite continues to be recognized as the world’s best business class. That raises a natural question: What does Qsuite do so well, and what benefits…