All articles by Ryan Finnerty
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NewsRestored ‘Franken-bird’ F-35 returns to flight
After more than year of work, engineers and maintenance experts from the US Air Force and Lockheed Martin successfully flew a regenerated F-35 fighter formed by splicing together sections from two damaged jets to form a single working aircraft.
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NewsArmy helicopter was 100ft above mandatory flight ceiling during collision with PSA Airlines jet
Preliminary data released by the USA’s National Transportation Safety Board indicates the incident Sikorsky UH-60 was flying around 300ft when it impacted a PSA Airlines regional jet – some 100ft above the altitude ceiling of 200ft for rotorcraft in the area.
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In depthUS Marine Corps plans mechanical improvements to address Osprey safety concerns
Following a tumultuous multi-year period of serious safety incidents for the iconic Bell-Boeing tiltrotor, the US Marine Corps says it is pursuing mechanical improvements of Osprey components blamed for at least one fatal crash and numerous groundings.
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NewsFinal US AV-8B Harriers to retire from service in 2027
The latest aviation strategy from the US Marine Corps calls for half of the service’s vertical/short take-off and landing AV-8B Harrier jump jets to be retired by 2026, with the remaining aircraft mothballed in 2027.
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NewsNo more ‘must win competitions’ for Lockheed under de-risking strategy: CEO Taiclet
Chief executive James Taiclet says the defence giant has repositioned its portfolio of development programmes, including by accepting some short-term penalties in 2024 on a secretive aircraft development programme.
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NewsPoland begins transition to F-35 with start of flight training at US base
After accepting its first two stealth fighters from Lockheed Martin in December, Poland has begun training its initial cohort of F-35 Lightning II pilots at a US Air National Guard Base in the state of Arkansas.
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NewsNight vision equipment and crowded airspace under scrutiny in Washington collision
A former helicopter pilot familiar with the incident area says city lights, crowded airspace and the use of night vision equipment by military pilots make for a hectic operating environment.
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NewsBlack Hawk involved in PSA Airlines crash was conducting a night proficiency flight
The crew of a Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk that fatally struck a commercial airliner was assigned to a Virginia-based VIP transport unit and was performing an annual night proficiency flight at the time of the incident.
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NewsNo survivors reported from PSA Airlines crash in Washington, DC
Emergency response officials from the District of Columbia say no survivors have been found after a Bombardier CRJ700 operated by PSA Airlines collided with a US Army helicopter over the Potomac River, with the effort now shifting from a rescue to recovery mission.
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NewsMidair collision likely first fatal accident involving US airline since 2009 Colgan Air crash
The midair collision of an American Eagle-branded regional jet and a Sikorsky UH-60 helicopter near Washington, DC may be the first fatal crash involving a US airline since the 2009 crash of a Colgan Air-operated regional jet that killed 50 people.
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NewsPSA Airlines CRJ700 disappeared from flight-tracking website one-half mile from runway
The 29 January midair collision involving a PSA Airlines MHIRJ CRJ700 appears to have happened when the regional jet was flying at less than 1,000ft over the Potomac River.
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NewsPSA CRJ700 regional jet involved in midair collision near Washington, DC
A PSA Airlines regional jet and a US military Sikorsky H-60 helicopter collided near Ronald Reagan Washington National airport on 29 January, with reports saying both aircraft crashed.
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NewsSearch and rescue aircraft from US Coast Guard re-tasked to support migrant deportations
The Coast Guard says it has assigned fixed-wing transport aircraft to support President Donald Trump’s ongoing crackdown on migrants living in the USA illegally, with search and rescue platforms being used to ferry detainees to deportation processing centres in Texas and California.
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News’In-flight malfunction’ caused F-35 crash during Alaska training flight: USAF
Dramatic video has emerged of a catastrophic F-35 crash at Eielson AFB in Alaska.
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NewsSikorsky begins ground testing with new Black Hawk engine
The trials mark the first time one of the new GE Aerospace T901 Improved Turbine Engines has been powered up inside a Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk as part of a US Army plan to overhaul its fleet of the iconic utility helicopters.
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NewsPentagon reduces withholding on F-35 payments, citing Lockheed’s progress on TR-3 development
Although the much-delayed Technical Refresh 3 update to the F-35 stealth fighter remains a work in progress, manufacturer Lockheed Martin has made sufficient advances that the Pentagon is now only withholding $3.8 million per aircraft, down from $5 million previously.
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NewsUS Air Force expands funding for sixth-generation engine development
Despite uncertainty over the future of its sixth-generation fighter development programme, the US Air Force is committing fresh funding toward a separate effort to develop a propulsion solution for “future air dominance platforms”.
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NewsLockheed delivers final MC-130J to US Air Force
Aircraft number 5994 arrived at Kirtland AFB on 14 January after rolling off Lockheed Martin’s production line in Marietta, Georgia, in 2024.
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NewsLockheed to upgrade F-22 fleet with infrared threat-detection sensors
The latest version of Lockheed’s Tactical Infrared Search and Track system will provide passive threat detection capability to the stealthy F-22 air superiority fighter, in a low-observable configuration rather than a pod.
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NewsBoeing receives 737 fuselage for first US Air Force E-7A Wedgetail
The 737 fuselage made by Spirit AeroSystems was delivered to Boeing’s factory in Renton, Washington on 22 January, where it will be assembled into the first prototype of the US Air Force’s E-7A Wedgetail airborne early warning and control jet.