Author: FlyMarshall Newsroom

PARIS — French President Emmanuel Macron fired a warning shot to the country’s defense industry, saying France’s armed forces could turn to European suppliers if those can deliver equipment faster or more efficiently, as the country seeks to bolster its military.With global threats increasing, France needs to speed up its rearmament, the president told gathered military personnel in a New Year’s speech at Istres Air Base in southern France.“To remain free, one must be feared. To be feared, one must be powerful,” Macron said. “And to be powerful in such brutal world, one must act faster and strike harder.”Macron said…

Daher on January 15, 2026, formally introduced the TBM 980 during a ceremony at its production site in Tarbes, France, marking the latest step in the evolution of the TBM 900 series with a strong focus on cockpit technology and pilot workflow.  The TBM 980 becomes the first production TBM to feature Garmin G3000 Prime, Garmin’s newest integrated flight deck designed for Part 23 turbine aircraft. Daher said the aircraft was developed around real-world operational flow, with the goal of making the TBM easier to fly while reducing pilot workload and improving situational awareness.  Central to that effort is a fully touchscreen-based cockpit. G3000 Prime…

MILAN— Saildrone will equip its unmanned surface vessels with strike missiles made by Lockheed Martin, the drone company announced this week.The collaboration comes in response to a call by global navies for more armed naval drones, according to Saildrone.The 20-meter Saildrone Surveyor vessel will boast the Joint Air-to-Ground Missile (JAGM) launcher manufactured by the U.S. defense giant.“We expect this work to attract interest from customers who already depend upon Saildrone and are now thinking about layered maritime defense – for some navies, awareness alone is no longer sufficient, and they’re asking how unmanned systems can also contribute to deterrence and…

A Turkish Airlines aircraft was forced to make an emergency landing in Barcelona after a potential bomb threat was detected by the crew.  The aircraft, an Airbus A321 (registration TC-JRR) was operating flight TK1853 between Istanbul (IST) and Barcelona-El Prat (BCN) and landed safely at around 11:00 local time. The aircraft taxied to a remote area of the airport where all 148 passengers and seven crew members were evacuated.  The alert was triggered during the last stage of the flight, when the aircraft was over the Western Mediterranean near the island of Sardinia. A member of the crew noticed a passenger had created an internet access profile on the aircraft’s inflight connectivity system with a username that could be interpreted as having contained a bomb threat.  Upon declaring emergency, two fighter jets, one French and one Spanish, were scrambled and…

The U.S. Navy is moving swiftly to integrate and deploy unmanned surface vessels, with three USV divisions slated to be created next week and two medium USVs to be operating under fleet control this year. Capt. Garrett Miller, the commodore of Surface Development Group One, made the announcements Wednesday at the Surface Navy Association’s 38th National Symposium. “My command is really focused on operationalizing USVs for the fleet. We’re driving that really hard,” Miller said. He added that working with fully autonomous vessels requires a “completely different mindset.”Miller confirmed to Defense News that three early command USV divisions will be…

GE Aerospace and Lockheed Martin have completed a series of ground tests of a liquid-fueled rotating detonation ramjet (RDRJ) intended for next-generation hypersonic missile applications.   The campaign, conducted at GE Aerospace’s Research Center in Niskayuna, New York, represents the first project completed under a wider technology development agreement between the two companies.  The tests validated ignition and steady-state operation of the RDRJ under conditions representative of high-speed missile flight. Engineers used direct-connect testing methods, injecting high-velocity air into the inlet and combustor to simulate a range of operating points from supersonic to hypersonic regimes.   According to the companies, the results exceeded expectations and confirmed…

Japan’s SkyDrive has reached a general understanding with Dubai-based helicopter operator, AeroGulf Services for the sale of up to 20 electric vehicle takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. On January 15, 2026, SkyDrive confirmed the framework of the agreement with AeroGulf Services including pricing structure and delivery timelines, for 10 purchased units in 2028 and a further 10 units in 2029. According to SkyDrive, the agreement represents the eVTOL developers “first detailed exploration of commercial parameters with a customer outside Japan”. Following successful demonstration flights at the Expo 2025 in Osaka, SkyDrive is progressing towards achieving full-scale commercialization by 2028. The…

Multi-Static Active Coherent sonobuoys allow the MQ-9B to better detect submarines over large areas with fewer buoys than DIFAR and DICASS. General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) announced on Jan. 13, 2026, a demonstration of the new expanded Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) capability of its MQ-9B SeaGuardian Unmanned Aerial System (UAS). The test was conducted on Dec. 17, 2025, but the company did not specify the location. Sponsored by the U.S. Navy, the flight tests were supported by the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division’s (NAWCAD) AIRWorks department. Specifically, the tests were aimed at certifying the Sonobuoy Dispensing System (SDS). GA-ASI…

WARSAW, Poland — Latvia’s government has approved the planned purchase of Archer 155 mm self-propelled howitzers for the country’s armed forces. As part of the procurement, which are made by BAE Systems, Latvia aims to strengthen its cooperation with Sweden, the first customer to buy the Archer.Latvia and Sweden are advancing efforts to engage in long-term cooperation which will include joint training and the deployment of Sweden’s Archers in Latvia starting in 2026. The two countries will establish a joint Archer unit, enabling their militaries to conduct joint exercises, the Latvian Ministry of Defence said in a statement.“The purchase of…

Airbus Helicopters has secured a contract from the Ministry of Defense of Ghana for four helicopters, comprising two H175M multi-mission platforms and two Airbus Corporate Helicopters models, one ACH175 and one ACH160.  Multi-mission role for H175M  According to Airbus Helicopters, the H175Ms will be employed across transport, search and rescue, emergency medical services, and disaster relief tasks. The ACH175 and ACH160 will be operated for government transport.  “The commitment from Ghana marks the return of Airbus Helicopters to the country with a defined focus on customer support and partnership,” said Arnaud Montalvo, Head of Africa and Middle East Region for Airbus Helicopters. The H175M is the militarized derivative of…