Ryan Finnerty

Americas Defence Reporter at Flightglobal

Covering defense and military aviation for @flightglobal. Formerly @ncpr @wearehpr @hiconversation @usarmy.

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General Atomics planning modular family of uncrewed fighters

3 weeks ago | flightglobal.com | Ryan Finnerty

The race to deliver the first operational uncrewed fighter jet is heating up, with competing visions for both the aircraft themselves and models for industrial production now starting to take shape.
RAAF to deliver options for fielding uncrewed fighters by year’s end

4 weeks ago | flightglobal.com | Ryan Finnerty

The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) says that within 12 months it aims to provide the civilian government in Canberra with options for procuring a fleet of uncrewed fighter aircraft. However, such conclusions could be presented even sooner, according to head of air force capabilities Air Vice-Marshal Nicholas Hogan. “We have to provide options to government going forward, and we will likely do that by the end of the year, but certainly within the next 12 months,” Hogan says.
Australia confirms ‘informational’ meeting with GCAP fighter partners

4 weeks ago | flightglobal.com | Ryan Finnerty

Australia’s next combat aircraft might not come from the country’s long-time ally and defence supplier the USA. Speaking at the 2025 Avalon air show near Melbourne, the head of capability for the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) confirmed his office recently received what he describes as an “informational briefing” from the multi-national Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) – a trilateral partnership between the UK, Italy and Japan.
Australian air force ‘not concerned at all’ about F-35 ‘kill switch’

4 weeks ago | flightglobal.com | Ryan Finnerty

The head of capability for the Royal Australian Air Force says his service has no qualms about the reliability of its US-made Lockheed Martin F-35A fighters. Speaking at the Avalon air show near Melbourne on 27 March, Air Vice-Marshal Nicholas Hogan brushed off concerns raised by allied F-35 operators in Europe and Canada about whether Washington has the ability to remotely disable the stealthy jets.
Washington moves to deepen industrial ties with Australia amid regional tensions

1 month ago | flightglobal.com | Ryan Finnerty

More American military equipment could soon be repaired in Australia, rather than returning to the USA for maintenance. The Pentagon wants to increase the use of regional maintenance, repair and overhaul providers to support equipment that is forward deployed in the Indo-Pacific, as Washington seeks to better prepare its forces for any potential conflict in the vast region.
Boeing wins contract for USAF’s sixth-generation fighter, dubbed F-47

1 month ago | flightglobal.com | Ryan Finnerty

Aerospace giant Boeing will build the US military’s first sixth-generation fighter aircraft. After five years of secretive flight testing, and more recently months of uncertainty about the programme’s future, the US Air Force (USAF) on 21 March announced Boeing as the winner of the Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) contract. “This contract reaffirms our commitment to maintaining the United States’ position as the world’s most dominant air force,” says USAF chief of staff General David Allvin.
‘There is no kill switch’: Pentagon denies F-35 rumours as calls grow to ditch US defence products

1 month ago | flightglobal.com | Ryan Finnerty

After several weeks of wild speculation, the Pentagon is formally denying it has the ability to remotely disable Lockheed Martin F-35 fighter jets. Dubbed the “kill switch”, the concept seemingly began as an unsubstantiated rumour on social media. It gained enough traction to receive news coverage in Europe and North America. “There is no kill switch,” the Pentagon’s F-35 Joint Program Office (JPO) said on 18 March.
Australia races to field MQ-4C maritime surveillance fleet amid heightened Chinese naval activity

1 month ago | flightglobal.com | Ryan Finnerty

Australia is ramping toward the first domestic flight of the country’s new Northrop Grumman MQ-4C Triton long-range maritime patrol platform. The first example of four currently under contract by Canberra was turned over to the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) in the summer of 2024, after a US Navy (USN) ferry flight from the continental USA.
Portugal suggests it may pass on F-35 acquisition, questioning US reliability

1 month ago | flightglobal.com | Ryan Finnerty

At least one European government has begun to openly question whether the USA can be considered a reliable supplier of arms in light of Washington’s recent geopolitical turn away from traditional allies on the continent. In a 13 March interview with newspaper Publico, Portuguese defence minister Nuno Melo suggested Lisbon may need to look elsewhere for its fighter modernisation initiative. “We cannot be oblivious to the geopolitical environment,” Melo says.
General Atomics testing remotely piloted flight with satellite network key to polar operations

1 month ago | flightglobal.com | Ryan Finnerty

Uncrewed aircraft manufacturer General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI) is testing new a satellite control system that could allow the company’s remotely piloted and autonomous aircraft to operated in the high Arctic. General Atomics on 12 March said it has completed two test flights of a Grey Eagle Extended Range (GE-ER), an improved version of the MQ-1C multi-role, long-endurance UAV, controlled via a constellation of small communication satellites.

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