Its a plane. Its a helicopter. Its both. Meet "FLRAA," the Armys new tiltrotor for Future Long-Range Air Assault. This is how the Army will island hop in the Pacific to fend off China. And by the way, Chinese President Xi Jinping has nothing like it.With a stunning announcement, the Army did more than ax 40 generals and open the door to AI. The Army bet its future on this radical aircraft, whose engines swivel to take off and land like a helicopter, or fly high and fast like an airplane.This aircraft was on pace to enter the Army inventory in the early 2030s.PETE HEGSETH SAYS WEST POINT PROFESSOR WHO RESIGNED OVER TRUMP ADMIN EDUCATION OVERHAUL 'WILL NOT BE MISSED'Then came the Army shake-up. On May 1, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth directed the Army to focus more on the Indo-Pacific. In that region, sheer distance and Chinese missile threat rings are locking out current helicopters. For the mission of air assault when troops move into hostile and contested areas by rotary-wing aircraft the hard truth is that the Army has a looming capability gap."We can't actually do the large-scale, long-range air assault today" with the speed and distance required in modern warfare, Maj. Gen. Brett Sylvia, commanding general of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, said last year.Thats unacceptable, given Xis growing appetite for military confrontation.So now the Army wants its revolutionary plane ASAP. On Wednesday, May 7, Army Chief of Staff General Randy George told Congress he wants to move it up several years, "into the 2028 timeframe." Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll said he met with prime contractor Bell Textron to talk about a rush order.Its easy to see why. The acronym-happy Army says "FLRAA" will fly 1,700 nautical miles without refueling and carry 12 passengers at a speed near 300 mph. Compare that to the 183 mph for the Black Hawk helicopter it is replacing. For pilots, the extra range, speed and survivability of a tiltrotor is a huge improvement on a helicopter. With a tiltrotor, they can zoom all over the battlespace with impunity and land any time, any place, in any conditions.You may be familiar with the V-22 Osprey, which first flew in 1989 and is now flown by the Marine Corps, Navy and U.S. Air Force special operations forces. As the first operational tiltrotor, the V-22 has had ups and downs, but beyond question, the V-22 proved itself in combat in Afghanistan. In another vivid example, in 2013, three battle-damaged Air Force MV-22s flew 500 miles from South Sudan to Entebbe, Uganda, spewing fuel, to save the lives of wounded Navy SEALs aboard.No wonder the Army pounced on the tiltrotor concept.However, the Army FLRAA is an all-new design based on the prototype V-280 Valor, which first flew in 2017. It is slightly smaller than the V-22, with a 47-foot fuselage consisting of an aluminum structure and carbon fiber composite skin.CLICK HERE FOR MORE FOX NEWS OPINIONThe big advance for "FLRAA" is in the tilt mechanism. On the older V-22, the whole engine nacelle housing pivoted. For the Armys aircraft, that headache is gone. The two engine nacelles stay put on the wing. Only the propellors rotate, to switch between helicopter and airplane mode. This is much safer, and the improved rotor design also increases agility and maneuverability in low-speed flight while in helicopter mode.The other major difference is that the Armys tiltrotor is designed as a multi-mission aircraft. Door guns on each side mark it as a dedicated air assault platform. Contrast that with the V-22 which only has a tail gun. The new Army tiltrotor also carries so-called "launched effects," which is military lingo for a variety of drones, such as self-protection decoys released to divert enemy fire, sensor drones to hunt targets, drones that do electronic warfare jamming and of course weapons drones for the kill.With its range capability, the Army tiltrotor can drive these drones deep into the battlespace. With drone operations in mind, software matters, so the plane has an open systems digital backbone ready to plug in new systems anytime.Even more intriguing, the FLRAA has the potential to fly by itself. At 240 knots it can deploy from Hawaii to the Philippines in 20 hours. In the future, "FLRAA" may also be able to self-deploy, moving to the theater by flying autonomously as an unmanned aircraft and rejoining with crews at a forward location.The Army sees the Pacific islands like a chessboard. If China threatens, the tiltrotor "FLRAA" can move soldiers rapidly to land in contested areas and block Chinese forces from taking over.Now the Army just needs to give its radical new plane a proper name.CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM REBECCA GRANT

An ordinary spring day quickly became extraordinary after a nature-loving metal detectorist unearthed a cache of ancient treasure. Marius Mangeac confirmed the discovery to Fox News Digital. He said he found the hoard in a field near Letca Veche, a small village in southern Romania.In a Facebook group, Mangeac said that he found the coins "on a beautiful Saturday that didn't foreshadow anything of what was to come."MAN FINDS CANDY-LIKE DIAMOND WHILE EXPLORING ARKANSAS STATE PARK: CHANCE OF A LIFETIME"I took my detector and went out alone, as I often do, for exercise and to relax in the fields and forests," he wrote in his post, which was translated from Romanian to English."I didn't think this day would surprise me and bring me face to face with history."But suddenly his metal detector began beeping and soon, Mangeac was looking at a hoard of 1,469 Roman coins.Seeing the silver denarii, Mangeac said that his heart "[was] beating quite hard."ARCHAEOLOGISTS UNEARTH STRANGE HEAD DEPICTING ROMAN GOD BENEATH CATHOLIC BASILICA"[I] even thought about pinching myself to make sure I wasn't dreaming," the hobbyist said.For more Lifestyle articles, visit foxnews.com/lifestyle"Whose were these coins, and what were they intended for?"Speaking to Fox News Digital, Mangeac estimated that the coins are at least 2,000 years old.CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTERAfter two strenuous days of photographing the coins, he handed them over to the town hall in Letca Nou.The metal detectorist concluded, "I hope that one day I can take my child to the museum and explain to him how I was lucky enough to discover a page of our people's history."Mangeac's discovery comes weeks after a pair of metal detectorists found ancient treasure in the Romanian commune of Breaza in Transylvania.The treasure dated back to the Dacians, who unsuccessfully warred against the Roman Empire in the second century A.D.

A former California "Teacher of the Year" was sentenced on Friday to 30 years in prison for sexually abusing two of her sixth-grade students.Jacqueline Ma, 36,pleaded guilty in February to two counts of forcible lewd acts on a child, one count of lewd acts on a child and one count of possessing child sexual abuse material, the San Diego County District Attorneys Office said in a news release."This defendant violated the trust she had with her students in the most extreme and traumatic way possible and her actions are despicable," District Attorney Summer Stephan said. "Her victims will have to deal with a lifetime of negative effects and her 30-year sentence is appropriate."Ma taught at Lincoln Acres Elementary School in National City and was the former San Diego County "Teacher of the Year" for the 2022-2023 school year.LUXURY REAL ESTATE MOGULS HIT WITH NEW ALLEGATIONS IN SEX TRAFFICKING CASEMa was allowed to address the public before the judge handed down her sentence, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported."I abused my authority, I exerted my power and control over them, and I deceived them," Ma said while handcuffed and crying in court. "Boys this age should be playing outside, feeling carefree I ripped away their childhood."Ma apologized to the victims and their families, calling her crimes selfish and that she had "disgraced the teaching profession.""I lied to their faces while secretly abusing their sons," Ma said. "I just pray for extra protection and strength for all those (affected)."Ma had groomed young boys with "gifts, food and special attention and even completed their homework for them," the district attorneys office said.Ma was arrested in March 2023 after prosecutors said the parents of a 12-year-old boy discovered inappropriate messages on a family tablet between their son and Ma.205 ARRESTED IN FBI CHILD SEX OPERATION, PATEL AND BONDI ANNOUNCEDespite the boys parents not allowing him to have social media or his own electronics, Ma was able to communicate with him through an unsanctioned after-school program and through a school chat application, the district attorneys office said.Ma groomed the boy for over a year before she sexually assaulted him in her classroom over a period of three months while his parents believed he was participating in an after-school basketball program, prosecutors said.Further investigation into Ma revealed that she had targeted and sexually assaulted a second victim, an 11-year-old boy, in 2020, according to the district attorneys office."No child deserves what this defendant did and I hope this sentence brings a measure of justice to the victims, their families and the community that was left reeling from this defendants crimes," Stephan said.Ma must serve the full 30 years before she is eligible for parole, the Union-Tribune reported.

Its a plane. Its a helicopter. Its both. Meet "FLRAA," the Armys new tiltrotor for Future Long-Range Air Assault. This is how the Army will island hop in the Pacific to fend off China. And by the way, Chinese President Xi Jinping has nothing like it.With a stunning announcement, the Army did more than ax 40 generals and open the door to AI. The Army bet its future on this radical aircraft, whose engines swivel to take off and land like a helicopter, or fly high and fast like an airplane.This aircraft was on pace to enter the Army inventory in the early 2030s.PETE HEGSETH SAYS WEST POINT PROFESSOR WHO RESIGNED OVER TRUMP ADMIN EDUCATION OVERHAUL 'WILL NOT BE MISSED'Then came the Army shake-up. On May 1, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth directed the Army to focus more on the Indo-Pacific. In that region, sheer distance and Chinese missile threat rings are locking out current helicopters. For the mission of air assault when troops move into hostile and contested areas by rotary-wing aircraft the hard truth is that the Army has a looming capability gap."We can't actually do the large-scale, long-range air assault today" with the speed and distance required in modern warfare, Maj. Gen. Brett Sylvia, commanding general of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, said last year.Thats unacceptable, given Xis growing appetite for military confrontation.So now the Army wants its revolutionary plane ASAP. On Wednesday, May 7, Army Chief of Staff General Randy George told Congress he wants to move it up several years, "into the 2028 timeframe." Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll said he met with prime contractor Bell Textron to talk about a rush order.Its easy to see why. The acronym-happy Army says "FLRAA" will fly 1,700 nautical miles without refueling and carry 12 passengers at a speed near 300 mph. Compare that to the 183 mph for the Black Hawk helicopter it is replacing. For pilots, the extra range, speed and survivability of a tiltrotor is a huge improvement on a helicopter. With a tiltrotor, they can zoom all over the battlespace with impunity and land any time, any place, in any conditions.You may be familiar with the V-22 Osprey, which first flew in 1989 and is now flown by the Marine Corps, Navy and U.S. Air Force special operations forces. As the first operational tiltrotor, the V-22 has had ups and downs, but beyond question, the V-22 proved itself in combat in Afghanistan. In another vivid example, in 2013, three battle-damaged Air Force MV-22s flew 500 miles from South Sudan to Entebbe, Uganda, spewing fuel, to save the lives of wounded Navy SEALs aboard.No wonder the Army pounced on the tiltrotor concept.However, the Army FLRAA is an all-new design based on the prototype V-280 Valor, which first flew in 2017. It is slightly smaller than the V-22, with a 47-foot fuselage consisting of an aluminum structure and carbon fiber composite skin.CLICK HERE FOR MORE FOX NEWS OPINIONThe big advance for "FLRAA" is in the tilt mechanism. On the older V-22, the whole engine nacelle housing pivoted. For the Armys aircraft, that headache is gone. The two engine nacelles stay put on the wing. Only the propellors rotate, to switch between helicopter and airplane mode. This is much safer, and the improved rotor design also increases agility and maneuverability in low-speed flight while in helicopter mode.The other major difference is that the Armys tiltrotor is designed as a multi-mission aircraft. Door guns on each side mark it as a dedicated air assault platform. Contrast that with the V-22 which only has a tail gun. The new Army tiltrotor also carries so-called "launched effects," which is military lingo for a variety of drones, such as self-protection decoys released to divert enemy fire, sensor drones to hunt targets, drones that do electronic warfare jamming and of course weapons drones for the kill.With its range capability, the Army tiltrotor can drive these drones deep into the battlespace. With drone operations in mind, software matters, so the plane has an open systems digital backbone ready to plug in new systems anytime.Even more intriguing, the FLRAA has the potential to fly by itself. At 240 knots it can deploy from Hawaii to the Philippines in 20 hours. In the future, "FLRAA" may also be able to self-deploy, moving to the theater by flying autonomously as an unmanned aircraft and rejoining with crews at a forward location.The Army sees the Pacific islands like a chessboard. If China threatens, the tiltrotor "FLRAA" can move soldiers rapidly to land in contested areas and block Chinese forces from taking over.Now the Army just needs to give its radical new plane a proper name.CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM REBECCA GRANT

An ordinary spring day quickly became extraordinary after a nature-loving metal detectorist unearthed a cache of ancient treasure. Marius Mangeac confirmed the discovery to Fox News Digital. He said he found the hoard in a field near Letca Veche, a small village in southern Romania.In a Facebook group, Mangeac said that he found the coins "on a beautiful Saturday that didn't foreshadow anything of what was to come."MAN FINDS CANDY-LIKE DIAMOND WHILE EXPLORING ARKANSAS STATE PARK: CHANCE OF A LIFETIME"I took my detector and went out alone, as I often do, for exercise and to relax in the fields and forests," he wrote in his post, which was translated from Romanian to English."I didn't think this day would surprise me and bring me face to face with history."But suddenly his metal detector began beeping and soon, Mangeac was looking at a hoard of 1,469 Roman coins.Seeing the silver denarii, Mangeac said that his heart "[was] beating quite hard."ARCHAEOLOGISTS UNEARTH STRANGE HEAD DEPICTING ROMAN GOD BENEATH CATHOLIC BASILICA"[I] even thought about pinching myself to make sure I wasn't dreaming," the hobbyist said.For more Lifestyle articles, visit foxnews.com/lifestyle"Whose were these coins, and what were they intended for?"Speaking to Fox News Digital, Mangeac estimated that the coins are at least 2,000 years old.CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTERAfter two strenuous days of photographing the coins, he handed them over to the town hall in Letca Nou.The metal detectorist concluded, "I hope that one day I can take my child to the museum and explain to him how I was lucky enough to discover a page of our people's history."Mangeac's discovery comes weeks after a pair of metal detectorists found ancient treasure in the Romanian commune of Breaza in Transylvania.The treasure dated back to the Dacians, who unsuccessfully warred against the Roman Empire in the second century A.D.

A former California "Teacher of the Year" was sentenced on Friday to 30 years in prison for sexually abusing two of her sixth-grade students.Jacqueline Ma, 36,pleaded guilty in February to two counts of forcible lewd acts on a child, one count of lewd acts on a child and one count of possessing child sexual abuse material, the San Diego County District Attorneys Office said in a news release."This defendant violated the trust she had with her students in the most extreme and traumatic way possible and her actions are despicable," District Attorney Summer Stephan said. "Her victims will have to deal with a lifetime of negative effects and her 30-year sentence is appropriate."Ma taught at Lincoln Acres Elementary School in National City and was the former San Diego County "Teacher of the Year" for the 2022-2023 school year.LUXURY REAL ESTATE MOGULS HIT WITH NEW ALLEGATIONS IN SEX TRAFFICKING CASEMa was allowed to address the public before the judge handed down her sentence, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported."I abused my authority, I exerted my power and control over them, and I deceived them," Ma said while handcuffed and crying in court. "Boys this age should be playing outside, feeling carefree I ripped away their childhood."Ma apologized to the victims and their families, calling her crimes selfish and that she had "disgraced the teaching profession.""I lied to their faces while secretly abusing their sons," Ma said. "I just pray for extra protection and strength for all those (affected)."Ma had groomed young boys with "gifts, food and special attention and even completed their homework for them," the district attorneys office said.Ma was arrested in March 2023 after prosecutors said the parents of a 12-year-old boy discovered inappropriate messages on a family tablet between their son and Ma.205 ARRESTED IN FBI CHILD SEX OPERATION, PATEL AND BONDI ANNOUNCEDespite the boys parents not allowing him to have social media or his own electronics, Ma was able to communicate with him through an unsanctioned after-school program and through a school chat application, the district attorneys office said.Ma groomed the boy for over a year before she sexually assaulted him in her classroom over a period of three months while his parents believed he was participating in an after-school basketball program, prosecutors said.Further investigation into Ma revealed that she had targeted and sexually assaulted a second victim, an 11-year-old boy, in 2020, according to the district attorneys office."No child deserves what this defendant did and I hope this sentence brings a measure of justice to the victims, their families and the community that was left reeling from this defendants crimes," Stephan said.Ma must serve the full 30 years before she is eligible for parole, the Union-Tribune reported.

White House deputy chief of staff for legislative, political and public affairs James Blair gives an update on President Donald Trump's 'big, beautiful' budget bill, trade negotiations and the president's trip to the Middle East to meet with Iran.

Small business owners Duane Pemberton, Chris McCasland and Becki Lyon join 'Fox & Friends Weekend' to celebrate National Small Business Week and showcase their products being made in America.

White House deputy chief of staff for legislative, political and public affairs James Blair gives an update on President Donald Trump's 'big, beautiful' budget bill, trade negotiations and the president's trip to the Middle East to meet with Iran.

Small business owners Duane Pemberton, Chris McCasland and Becki Lyon join 'Fox & Friends Weekend' to celebrate National Small Business Week and showcase their products being made in America.

Looking for a last-minute Mother's Day gift?Sons and daughters can show their mom some love with a quick-and-easy chicken dish that celebrity chef Robert Irvine says can be prepared in minutes.In an interview with Fox News Digital, Irvine shared his recipe for seared herb chicken paillard with toasted coriander Greek yogurt and spring harvest salad. (See the video at the top of this article.)ARE ROTISSERIE CHICKENS REALLY HEALTHY? WHAT TO KNOWAlthough it's suitable for any occasion, the dish is particularly helpful for anyone pressed for time.That's because the meal can be made in less than three minutes.Irvine also revealed four practical cooking tips that will help make your Mother's Day meal a success.Chicken paillard is pounded flat and grilled or sauted quickly.CHICKEN THIGHS VS. CHICKEN BREASTS: WHICH ARE 'BETTER' FOR YOU? FOOD EXPERTS WEIGH IN"Paillard just means a flat piece of meat," Irvine told Fox News Digital.He used chicken breast for his dish. "But you can do this with the thighs, which have much more flavor because the dark meat contains more natural fat," Irvine said. "The white meat doesn't."When it comes to flattening the chicken, Irvine recommends using the smooth end of a meat pounder."And all we're doing is breaking the protein apart, so it cooks faster."EATING CHICKEN LINKED TO HIGHER MORTALITY RATES, OBSERVATIONAL STUDY SUGGESTSFish can also be substituted for chicken."We could use salmon the very same way. We could use cod," Irvine said.One of the herbs used to bolster the chicken's flavor is rosemary."Now, people think that when I use the rosemary, which is literally taken off the stick here, that this is the flavor," Irvine said, holding the stem."It is slightly. But this, the twig, is much more intense in flavor."He incorporates the twig into the dish, using the back of a knife to bring out the aroma.ONE OF AMERICA'S BEST FOOD TOURS IS HELD IN THIS SURPRISING SOUTHERN TOWN"I'm going to drop that in when I cook."Irvine then removes it before serving."I'm never going to eat this because it's too hot," he said. "But it's a great flavor."Instead of a traditional olive oil, Irvine prefers to use a grapeseed oil."The reason I use grapeseed oil is because I don't want a bitter, peppery aftertaste," he told Fox News Digital."I've already got arugula. That's the pepperiness."For more Lifestyle articles, visit foxnews.com/lifestyleGrapeseed oil reaches a higher temperature than olive oil, "sears the chicken nicely" and "doesn't get absorbed into the chicken like an olive oil would," he said."Olive oil's really only for finishing."While the chicken is cooking, there is no need to move the pan, Irvine said.CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTER"If I shake the pan, the protein moves," he said. "It will never get golden brown."Put down the spatula, Irvine said, and "let it do its thing.""It will tell you when it's ready to turn over because the edges will turn golden brown."

The family of Sam Lilley, a pilot killed in the deadly midair collision between an American Airlines jet and a Black Hawk helicopter near Washington, D.C., earlier this year, is speaking out and hoping to turn grief into action."We [want to] make sure that no other family has to go through the loss that our family and the other 66 families have gone through," said Tim Lilley, Sams father and a pilot himself.The January crash near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) claimed the lives of all 67 people aboard both aircraft. Since the incident, the Lilley family has called for changes to air safety protocols, particularly regarding military and commercial flight coordination near the Pentagon.Tim Lilley argues long-standing problems at Reagan National, from outdated systems to risky procedures, contributed to the tragedy.TWO PLANES DO 'GO-AROUNDS' TO AVOID MILITARY HELICOPTER NEAR REAGAN WASHINGTON NATIONAL AIRPORT"It only takes a minute to look at the procedure going out of the Pentagon and know you should not have a helicopter circling east of the Pentagon while there's aircraft, commercial aircraft, on approach to runway 19 at broader Reagan," he said.DUFFY BLASTS BIDEN, BUTTIGIEG FOR IGNORING REPORT ABOUT FAILING AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEM: 'DID NOTHING!'He recalled previous conversations with his son about the complexity of flying into the area."Sam and I talked quite a bit about the flights into DCA and Ronald Reagan International and the challenges that come with that," he said.Their concerns echo broader issues facing the aviation industry. A New York Times report after the crash highlighted understaffing at the Reagan control tower, and a lawsuit claims the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) improperly discarded qualified air traffic controller applicants based on race.Tim Lilley also expressed concern about outdated air traffic control technology."The system just can't keep up with what's going on. This thing was designed decades and decades ago," he said.BLACK HAWK PILOT FAILED TO HEED FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR IN MOMENTS BEFORE PLANE COLLISION OVER DC: REPORTDespite the tragedy, the Lilleys are hopeful about efforts underway to fix whats broken. They credit Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy for moving quickly after the crash.FAA INCREASING AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL STAFF, SUPERVISORS AT RONALD REAGAN WASHINGTON NATIONAL AIRPORT"Secretary Duffy, he gets it," Tim said. "We met with him just a few days after the accident. Everything that we asked for, hes taking action on. I asked him to do this at the speed of business and not the speed of government, and he's really coming through."The Department of Transportation unveiled a sweeping three-year framework to modernize the nations air traffic control system. The proposal released Thursday includes upgraded radar, new telecommunications networks, and six new air traffic control centers nationwide.Sams family expressed gratitude for the administrations support."I just really [want to] thank President Trump for his leadership in putting forth this program," said Tim, who stressed that aviation safety is not a partisan issue."Every family deserves to know that their loved one is on a commercial aircraft that's [going to] get there safely," Tim said. "This goes both sides of the aisle. We're just looking for support from everybody. I think all Americans deserve safe skies."Even as changes begin, the Lilley family says their advocacy is just beginning."We are in this for the long haul," said Sams stepmother, Sheri Lilley. "Tim and I are adamant that we want to make the name Sam Lilley synonymous with aviation safety."