Author: FlyMarshall Newsroom

For nearly three decades, the McDonnell Douglas MD-11 has been a distinctive sight in FedEx’s global operations. Its tri-jet silhouette represents a bygone era of commercial aviation. Yet, while most passenger airlines phased out the MD-11 years ago, FedEx continues to rely on it as a key part of its cargo fleet. In an industry driven by efficiency, modernization, and sustainability, lots of people wonder why the logistics giant hasn’t yet sent its MD-11s into retirement. The answer lies in a combination of economics, reliability, and operational strategy. Far from being outdated relics, FedEx’s MD-11s continue to deliver strong performance…

Boeing and Leonardo will pursue together the U.S. Army’s Flight School Next contractor-owned, contractor-operated (COCO) contract. Boeing and Leonardo announced a new partnership to jointly pursue the U.S. Army’s Flight School Next contract, a major program that will define the future of the Army’s rotary-wing pilot training. The collaboration, announced on Oct. 13, 2025, during the Association of the U.S. Army (AUSA) Annual Meeting in Washington, brings together Boeing’s deep experience in Army aviation services with Leonardo’s field-proven AW119T training helicopter. According to both companies’ press releases, the partnership will offer a contractor-owned, contractor-operated (COCO) solution designed to deliver an…

President Donald Trump said Tuesday that the U.S. military struck another small boat off the coast of Venezuela, killing six people.“Under my Standing Authorities as Commander-in-Chief, this morning, the Secretary of War, ordered a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel affiliated with a Designated Terrorist Organization (DTO) conducting narcotrafficking,” Trump posted on Truth Social.Trump said intelligence confirmed that the vessel was trafficking narcotics and was associated with illicit narcoterrorist networks.RELATEDThe strike marks the fifth deadly strike on an alleged drug-carrying vessel in the region. At least 27 people have been killed in the five strikes, according to the Trump administration.The…

Since the North Korean People’s Army (KPA) invaded South Korea on June 25, 1950, it enjoyed a succession of victories and advances by maintaining the initiative against the Republic of Korea (ROK) Army and the United Nations forces that were trickling in to its aid. By the end of August, the UN and ROK forces were holding on to the port of Pusan and its defenses. Typical of the desperate fighting going on at that time was the Battle of Ka-san — called the ”Walled City” by the Koreans, even though there was no such place, it referred to the…

A Bombardier CRJ-900 operated by American Eagle has been grounded after suffering significant damage yesterday while on the apron at Omaha Eppley Airfield in Nebraska. The aircraft had just arrived as Flight 5103 from Philadelphia International Airport, and was hit at the gate by a lavatory service truck, which punched a hole in the fuselage just aft of the cockpit. The aircraft, registration N617NN, is owned and operated by PSA Airlines, a wholly-owned subsidiary of American Airlines. PSA currently has a fleet of 148 CRJs, including both the -900 and -700 variants. The CRJ-900 has had a particularly rough 2025,…

The Army’s Next Generation Squad Weapon continues to field to units and see upgrades, including a carbine version that’s currently under development.The M7 and M250, both of which fire a new 6.8mm-caliber round, are the Army’s replacements for the M4 and M249 Squad Automatic Weapon, respectively, among the close combat force.Col. Jason Bohannon, program manager for soldier lethality at Program Executive Office Soldier, told Army Times in a recent interview that in addition to ongoing fielding of the weapons systems, some are already having upgrades applied.The platforms will soon field a new suppressor, for example, that comes equipped with a…

To those who enjoy review trips and travel content, I want to provide a quick update, and it’s good news (and it’s intended to be on a happy note)… My past many years of travel have been boring(ish) As I’ve already written about, I recently lost my mom to ovarian cancer, after a battle of over six years, which has been quite the emotional roller coaster. As I explained, my mom had been diagnosed with cancer in 2019, and she outlived any expectation we had for how long she’d be around (which means we constantly lived as if her passing…

Soldiers with the Army’s 1st Cavalry Division recently tested the Switchblade 600 Loitering Munition System during an exercise at Fort Hood’s eastern training area, marking the first time the system has been live-fired on the Texas installation. Soldiers from 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team in September conducted the trial in support of the Army’s Transformation in Contact initiative aimed at modernizing armored formations for future conflicts. Part of that ongoing effort includes familiarization with the Aerovironment-produced system, which has already been put to the test by a handful of Army units, according to a service release. The 2nd Armored Brigade…

The Boeing 777-300ER has long been one of aviation’s most successful widebody aircraft. Introduced in the early 2000s, the aircraft became the backbone of fleets operated by Emirates, Cathay Pacific, Air France, and others. Its mix of capacity, efficiency, and range made it the natural successor to the 747 and the A340 in an era increasingly defined by twin-engine economics. However, in 2024, Boeing quietly ended passenger 777-300ER production. This decision came at an awkward moment, as Boeing’s next-generation 777X, the intended replacement for the 777-300ER, remains years behind schedule. Certification delays, engineering challenges, and shifting airline priorities have pushed…

U.S. officials Tuesday announced a program to locate small nuclear power generation reactors on U.S. Army bases around the world.Army Secretary Dan Driscoll and Energy Secretary Chris Wright announced the Janus Program, aimed at developing microreactors to generate power without relying on diesel fuel, at the Association of the U.S. Army conference in Washington. “Ultimately, and not in the too far future, you’ll be able to place a reactor at a forward-deployed base, produce multiple megawatts of power, so meaningful power, and it’ll run for years, potentially decades, without any refueling or any reservicing,” Wright told the AUSA Warriors Corner…