Ryan Finnerty
Ryan Finnerty is the Americas defence reporter for FlightGlobal.com and Flight International magazine, covering military aviation and the defence industry. He is a former United States Army officer and previously reported for America’s National Public Radio system in New York and Hawaii covering energy, economics and military affairs.
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NewsPentagon invests $3.7m in composites manufacturer Qarbon Aerospace
The contract with Texas-based Qarbon Aerospace will support the design and manufacture of advanced lightweight continuous fibre thermoplastic composite structures intended for national defence aviation applications.
NewsUS Navy hopes to restore crashed Hawaii P-8 to flight status
Salvage operations are under way in Hawaii following the crash of a Boeing P-8 maritime patrol jet, with the US Navy optimistic that it can recover the aircraft and restore it to flight status.
NewsSikorsky delivers first Polish-built S-70Ms to Romania
The four helicopters are part of an agreement that will see up to 12 Polish-built S-70M Black Hawks supplied to Romania over the next four years, with two more examples scheduled to arrive by the end of 2023.
NewsStratolaunch completes fuelled taxi test ahead of first hypersonic flight
The California start-up completed a taxi test of its two-aircraft captive carry hypersonic flight system, for the first time loaded with live propellant, as the company moves towards its first hypersonic flight before year’s end.
News‘Kinetic and non-kinetic’ solutions needed to defend against uncrewed aircraft: Pentagon
The US military’s top officer focused on countering uncrewed aerial systems says addressing the growing threat will require a mix of offensive and defensive equipment, including interceptor missiles, electronic warfare and microwave and laser-based systems.
NewsPentagon orders AC-130J strike in Iraq
The lethal action follows other strikes in Syria, which Washington says it ordered against Iranian-affiliated groups in response to aggression against American ground and naval forces in the region.
NewsBoeing moves toward low-rate production of MH-139 nuclear patrol helicopter
With delivery of the sixth and final test aircraft, Boeing has completed the research and development phase of the MH-139A Grey Wolf programme, now moving toward low-rate initial production on the helicopter that will be used to patrol the silos housing the USA’s nuclear-armed intercontinental ballistic missiles.
In depthLockheed unveils LED-based flight simulator promising significant reduction in training cost
Billed as a generational leap in simulator technology, fighter manufacturer Lockheed Martin says replacing domed projector screens with LED displays in flight simulators will offer better performance, simplified maintenance and significantly reduced operating costs.
NewsPratt & Whitney lands contract to maintain B-52 and E-3 engines
Engine maker Pratt & Whitney (P&W) has won a Pentagon contract valued up to $870 million for sustainment of TF33 engines, which power Boeing B-52H heavy bombers and Boeing E-3 Sentry airborne early warning jets.
NewsAurora proposes fan-in-wing aircraft for DARPA Sprint competition
Revealing the second of four designs for DARPA’s Speed and Runway Independent Technologies aircraft development programme, Boeing subsidiary Aurora is opting for a blended-wing-body approach using fan-in-wing rotors for vertical lift.
NewsAustralia’s first MQ-4C Triton makes initial flight
Canberra plans to acquire four of the intelligence-gathering uncrewed aerial vehicles, which Northrop Grumman will begin delivering in 2024.
NewsSecretive US ‘spaceplane’ will return to orbit on SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket
The Boeing X-37 Orbital Test Vehicle, operated by the US Space Force, will return to orbit atop a SpaceX Falcon Heavy booster for its seventh long-endurance flight mission.
NewsDARPA selects competitors for high-speed vertical take-off and landing aircraft
Four manufacturers will compete to build an experimental, special operations-focused platform capable of combining jet aircraft speeds with the versatility of vertical take-off and landing.
NewsFive US special operations aircrew killed in Mediterranean helicopter crash
The US Army has identified the two pilots and three crew who died when their Sikorsky MH-60 special operations Black Hawk crashed while practising in-flight refuelling over the Mediterranean Sea.
NewsFlight of the Raider: B-21 lifts off for the first time
The next-generation stealth bomber, under development by Northrop Grumman for the US Air Force, made its first flight on 10 November from the secretive Plant 42 industrial facility in the California high desert.
NewsAirbus launches autonomous aircraft division in the USA
Citing growing demand for uncrewed aviation assets within the US Department of Defense, Airbus is establishing a division with within its American subsidiary focused on developing new UAV platforms.
NewsFirst Boeing T-7A arrives at California air base for flight testing
The first example of Boeing’s T-7A Red Hawk has arrived at Edwards AFB in California, as Boeing and the US Air Force (USAF) progress through flight testing toward low-rate production of the new jet trainer.
NewsUSA launches F-15 strikes and B-1 flights over the Middle East following MQ-9 downing
American air power is on full display across the Middle East, with a B-1 bomber flight and lethal strikes from F-15 fighters coming the same day a US Air Force MQ-9 UAV was downed by rebel fighters in Yemen.
NewsDutch F-16s arrive in Romania to train Ukrainian pilots
The Netherlands plans to contribute 12-18 F-16s to a European fighter training centre in Romania, where Romanian and Ukrainian pilots will undergo instruction on the multi-role combat aircraft.
NewsF-15EX prices exceed those of F-35As in latest USAF contract for 48 fighters
The US Air Force and Boeing have finalised terms for the next three rounds of production for F-15EX fourth-generation fighters, covering 48 aircraft valued at $3.9 billion.