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U.S. Air Force (Page 7)

Latest in U.S. Air Force

The US Air Force says a program to explore low cost 'air vehicle' concepts that could be turned into cruise missiles or used for other purposes is as much about shaking up industrial base and supply chain status quos.
U.S. Air Force

Shaking Up U.S. Industrial Base Key To ‘Cheap’ Cruise Missile Program

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on Jul 29, 2024

The U.S. Air Force is planning to retire its remaining RQ-4 Global Hawk high-altitude, long-endurance drones by the end of the 2027 Fiscal Year. The service says it has become clear that the RQ-4s would be overly vulnerable in any future conflict against a peer or near-peer adversary, but it’s not clear what aircraft (or other assets) might fill the resulting capability gap. This only adds to the growing evidence that a top-secret, high-flying, stealth spy drone, commonly referred to as the RQ-180, or variants or derivatives thereof, is getting close to entering service, if it isn’t already being employed operationally on some level.
U.S. Air Force

Air Force Chief Hints At Existence Of Clandestine Spy Aircraft

By Thomas Newdick, Tyler Rogoway

Posted on Jul 26, 2024

F-15EX and J16, both two seaters, but one uses the second crewman in a different capacity than the traditional weapon system officer role.
U.S. Air Force

USAF Should Look At China’s Future Multi-Crew Fighter Model For F-15EX

By Major Joshua "Soup" Campbell

Posted on Jul 25, 2024

The ballooning cost of the US Air Force's Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile program is one of the drivers behind uncertainly over the future of its sixth-generation combat jet effort, which could evolve into a fully uncrewed platform.
U.S. Air Force

Next Generation Air Dominance Fighter Uncertainty Tied To Sentinel ICBM Woes

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on Jul 24, 2024

Recently retired Lancer Rage takes to the skies above Davis–Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, Arizona
U.S. Air Force

B-1B Named Rage Brought Out Of Mothballs To Fly Once Again (Updated)

By Oliver Parken

Posted on Jul 20, 2024

B-2 sprit taking off.
U.S. Air Force

B-2 Stealth Bomber’s Latest Upgrade Is Here

By Thomas Newdick

Updated on Jul 17, 2024

New questions have emerged about the future of the F/A-XX Next Generation Fighter program, the budget for which a draft Senate defense bill would slash.
U.S. Air Force

Navy’s F/A-XX Next Generation Fighter Program Would Be Gutted Under Senate Defense Bill

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on Jul 16, 2024

Two legendary U.S. nuclear bombers, their first flights separated by almost half a century, took to the skies over Missouri at the weekend. The formation flights by the U.S. Air Force B-2 Spirit stealth bomber and the B-29 Doc — one of only two examples of the World War II-era bomber that are flying anywhere in the world — were, the service believes, the first time that these two legendary aircraft had flown together in this way.
U.S. Air Force

B-2 Spirit Joined By B-29 Superfortress For Unprecedented Nuclear Bomber Heritage Flight

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Jul 15, 2024

The US Air Force has revealed that development of a new relatively low-cost stand-off precision-guided munition is for Ukraine.
U.S. Air Force

Air Force’s Cheap And Fast To Produce Long-Range Missile Is Being Built For Ukraine

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on Jul 12, 2024

Northrop Grumman has offer a new and interesting look at its secretive XRQ-73 drone.
U.S. Air Force

Our Best Look Yet At The XRQ-73 Hybrid-Electric Stealthy Flying Wing Drone

By Thomas Newdick, Tyler Rogoway

Posted on Jul 10, 2024

There is no official replacement for the F-22 Raptor, says the head of Air Combat Command. That could be another blow to the withering Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) program.
U.S. Air Force

Air Force Now Says It Has No Official F-22 Raptor Replacement

By Howard Altman

Posted on Jul 10, 2024

The Senate Armed Services Committee has directed the Pentagon to look into the possibility of transferring retired A-10 Warthog ground attack jets to Jordan.
U.S. Air Force

Surplus A-10 Warthogs Could End Up In The Jordanian Air Force

By Joseph Trevithick

Updated on Jul 10, 2024

Air Force special operations aviators are now training on AT-802U aircraft ahead of the arrival of their first OA-1K Sky warden light attack planes while questions grow about the program's future.
U.S. Air Force

AT-802U Trainers Arrive To Prepare USAF Aviators For A Murky Light Attack Future

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on Jul 9, 2024

The first weapon-ready plutonium pit for the future W81-! nuclear warhead has been produced.
U.S. Air Force

Problem Plagued Sentinel ICBM Program Will Press Ahead Despite Nearly Doubling In Cost

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on Jul 8, 2024

The Pentagon has made a new announcement about the first forward-deployments of Air Force F-35As and F-15EXs to Japan, as well as changes to the Marine Corps' F-35B force in that country.
U.S. Air Force

USAF F-35As To Be Based In Japan Replacing Wild Weasel F-16s

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on Jul 3, 2024

The US Air Force is taking a second look at the crewed sixth-generation stealth combat jet it is developing under the Next Generation Air Dominance initiative to see where costs could be cut, even at the cost of losing certain capabilities.
U.S. Air Force

Next Generation Air Dominance Fighter’s Future Increasingly Uncertain

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on Jul 2, 2024

Anduril and General Atomics have shared new details about progress and challenges, including on production and autonomy issues, as part of the Air Force Collaborative Combat Aircraft program.
U.S. Air Force

Construction Of First Collaborative Combat Aircraft Drone Has Begun At General Atomics

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on Jul 1, 2024

A U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle from Royal Air Force Lakenheath's 494th Fighter Squadron returns to formation after receiving fuel from a KC-135 Stratotanker from the Fairchild Air Force Base's 92nd Aerial Refueling Squadron, over the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, May 2, 2024. The U.S. Air Force is globally postured to protect and defend freedom of coalition allies and regional partners within the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility to maintain peace and stability across the region.
U.S. Air Force

Flying The F-15E Strike Eagle In Air-To-Air Combat, From Dogfighting To Drone Hunting

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Jul 1, 2024

The US Air Force's Air Mobility Command has outlined a critical need to give its fleets new counter-drone defenses they can use wherever they go.
U.S. Air Force

Built-In Counter-Drone Defenses Sought For Air Force Transports, Tankers

By Eric Tegler, Joseph Trevithick

Posted on Jun 29, 2024

A USAF F-15EX Eagle II armed with 12 AIM-120 AMRAAMs.

F-15EX Testers Are Now Preparing The Eagle II For Rapidly Adapting To New Missions

By Jamie Hunter

Posted on Jun 25, 2024

A new report from the Government Accountability Office raises questions and concerns about the Air Force's push to retire 32 Block 20 F-22 Raptors.
U.S. Air Force

Ditching Older F-22s Risks Creating Capability Gaps, New Costs

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on Jun 19, 2024

F-15EX has been put through its paces by testers in Eglin AFB to prepare it for service.

How USAF Testers Are Working To Field The F-15EX Fast

By Jamie Hunter

Posted on Jun 18, 2024

Royal Australian Air Force F/A-18F Super Hornets will be used to launch prototypes of the US Air Force's Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile.
U.S. Air Force

Australian F/A-18F Super Hornets To Test Launch U.S. Air Force’s Hypersonic Cruise Missiles

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on Jun 18, 2024

USAF B-52 in flight
U.S. Air Force

B-52s With New Rolls Royce Engines Won’t Fly Operational Missions Until 2033

By Joseph Trevithick

Updated on Jun 18, 2024

B-52 Future Stratofortress: The Upgrades That Will Transform The B-52H Into The B-52J
U.S. Air Force

B-52 Future Stratofortress: The Upgrades That Will Transform The B-52H Into The B-52J

By Tyler Rogoway

Updated on Jun 14, 2024

F-15EX arrives at the 142nd Wing in Portland.
U.S. Air Force

Inside The First F-15EX Wing Commander’s Plans To Speed The Newest Eagle Into Service

By Tyler Rogoway

Updated on Jun 14, 2024

Anduril’s Fury
U.S. Air Force

Top Air Force Officer Doubles Down On Aerial Combat Drones With Short Life Spans

By Joseph Trevithick

Updated on Jun 14, 2024

Congress is moving to block the Air Force from retiring or preparing to retire any U-2 spy planes in the next fiscal year.
U.S. Air Force

U-2 Retirement Reprieve Emerges In Proposed Defense Spending Bill

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on Jun 4, 2024

A USAF Boeing F-15EX flies at low level in Nevada.

How 50 Years Of Eagle Experience Has Shaped The Advanced F-15

By Jamie Hunter

Posted on Jun 4, 2024

The Defense Innovation Unit and the US Air Force have picked four different companies design, build, and flight test new low-cost cruise missile concepts.
U.S. Air Force

‘Cheap’ Long-Range Cruise Missile Designs To Be Tested By Air Force

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on Jun 3, 2024

The US Air Force has awarded its first contract for the purchase of production Joint Strike Missiles which are set to give its F-35A Joint Strike Fighters a new and capable stand-off strike option against targets on land and at sea.
U.S. Air Force

USAF F-35s Are Officially Getting Joint Strike Cruise Missiles That Fit In Their Bays

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on Jun 1, 2024

Testing at the Upside-Down Air Force, RADC
U.S. Air Force

The Fascinating Story Of The USAF’s “Upside-Down Air Force”

By Oliver Parken

Posted on May 31, 2024

A U.S. B-2A Spirit bomber assigned to the 509th Bomb Wing and a Royal Netherlands air force F-35A conduct aerial operations in support of Bomber Task Force Europe 20-2 over the North Sea March 18, 2020. Bomber missions provide opportunities to train and work with NATO allies and theater partners in combined and joint operations and exercises.
U.S. Air Force

Dutch F-35s Take On A Full Nuclear Role

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on May 31, 2024

Officials at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in North Carolina are looking into the possibility of erecting physical barriers to protect F-15E Strike Eagles there from drones.
U.S. Air Force

Enclosures To Defend F-15Es From Drone Attacks Eyed At Seymour Johnson AFB

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on May 30, 2024

Experimental Alpha Draco hypersonic boost-glide vehicle preparing for launch, 1959.
U.S. Air Force

Alpha Draco Paved The Way In The Late 1950s For Future Hypersonic Boost-Glide Vehicles

By Oliver Parken

Posted on May 29, 2024

An F-35 Joint Strike Fighter crashed in Albuquerque New Mexico.
U.S. Air Force

F-35 Crashes In New Mexico (Updated)

By Howard Altman

Posted on May 28, 2024

How the A-10's Avenger cannon went from terrible to terrifying.
U.S. Air Force

How The A-10’s Avenger Cannon Went From Terrible To Terrifying

By Tyler Rogoway

Updated on May 28, 2024

Black Flag 24-1, out of Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, run by the Air Force’s 53rd Wing.
U.S. Air Force

Massive China-Focused Black Flag Test Exercise Flies Deep Into The Virtual Realm

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on May 28, 2024

B-2/B-21 comparison
U.S. Air Force

B-21, B-2 Comparison Image Shows Just How Weird The Raider’s Windows Really Are

By Tyler Rogoway

Posted on May 23, 2024

Everything We Learned About The Next Doomsday Planes For The Air Force
U.S. Air Force

Everything We Learned About The Next Doomsday Planes For The Air Force

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on May 23, 2024

B-21 raider first air-to-air image
U.S. Air Force

First Aerial View Of B-21 Raider Offers New Insights

By Tyler Rogoway

Posted on May 22, 2024

The quiet closing out of the Air Force's SHiELD program and issues the Army has been having with is laser-armed DE M-SHORAD variants of the 8x8 Stryker reflect broader hurdles facing directed energy weapons of this type.
U.S. Air Force

U.S. Military Laser Weapon Programs Are Facing A Reality Check

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on May 21, 2024

The Viper Demo team has painted their jet in the YF-16's scheme to commemorate the type's 50th anniversary.
U.S. Air Force

Viper Demo Team Secretly Painted Jet In YF-16 Scheme To Celebrate Type’s 50th Anniversary

By Tyler Rogoway

Posted on May 15, 2024

Members of Congress are pushing to block the US Air Force from retiring more than half of its F-15E Strike Eagles.
U.S. Air Force

Move To Block F-15E Strike Eagle Cuts Being Made In Congress

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on May 14, 2024

T-6 ejection seat mishap
U.S. Air Force

T-6 Pilot Dies In Ejection Seat Accident

By Oliver Parken

Posted on May 14, 2024

Lockheed Martin's Skunk Works has released a new rendering of a stealth tanker concept amid uncertainty about the U.S. Air Force's future tanker plans.
U.S. Air Force

New Skunk Works Stealthy Tanker Concept Unveiled

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on May 13, 2024

A B-2 Spirit taxis at Whiteman Air Force Base
U.S. Air Force

Damaged B-2 Won’t Be Repaired, Fleet To Shrink To 19 Jets (Updated)

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on May 10, 2024

Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC), which won the contract to build the U.S. Air Force’s highly specialized Survivable Airborne Operations Center (SAOC) aircraft last month, has acquired five Boeing 747-8s from Korean Air. The likelihood is that these will be converted as the successors to the Air Force’s aging 747-200-based E-4B Nightwatch ‘doomsday planes,’ although at this stage we still don’t know how many of the new SAOC aircraft will be fielded.
U.S. Air Force

Former Korean Air 747s Slated To Become USAF Doomsday Planes (Updated)

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on May 9, 2024

STRAIT OF SAN JUAN DE FUCA, Wash. (May 6, 2024) The Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine USS Nebraska (SSBN 739) transits the Strait of San Juan de Fuca escorted by U.S. Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft and U.S. Coast Guard screening escort vessels. Joint operations, such as this one which involved the Air Force, Coast Guard, and Navy, ensure the U.S. military is ready to meet its security commitments at home and abroad including commitments to our allies and partners. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Gwendelyn Ohrazda/Released)
U.S. Air Force

A-10 Warthogs Escorting A Ballistic Missile Submarine Is Certainly Different

By Oliver Parken

Posted on May 9, 2024

Unmanned Long-Endurance Tactical Reconnaissance Aircraft crew chiefs, assigned within the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, prep an ULTRA aircraft for taxi across the flightline before an early morning takeoff at an undisclosed location, May 7, 2024. ULTRA is an unmanned aerial system capable of flight times up to 80 hours, providing intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities to combatant commanders, with a smaller operational footprint than other UAS in its class.
U.S. Air Force

Air Force’s ULTRA Long-Endurance Glider-Like Drone Is Now Operating In The Middle East

By Joseph Trevithick, Thomas Newdick

Posted on May 8, 2024

The Air Force new 5,000-pound-class GBU-72/B bunker buster bomb could be a future addition to the B-2 bomber's arsenal.
U.S. Air Force

B-2 Spirits Could Get New 5,000-Pound Bunker Busters

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on May 7, 2024

A US Air Force F-22 stealth fighter has suffered a mishap at an airport in Georgia today, May 6, 2024.
U.S. Air Force

F-22 Raptor Ends Up On Its Side During Air Guard Exercise (Updated)

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on May 6, 2024

JDAM-ER Winged Bombs With Seekers That Home In On GPS Jammers Headed To Ukraine
U.S. Air Force

JDAM-ER Winged Bombs With Seekers That Home In On GPS Jammers Headed To Ukraine

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on May 4, 2024

A 49th Wing F-16 Viper takes off Jan. 19, 2022, at Holloman Air Force Base, N.M. Holloman is the Air Force’s premiere training base for F-16 Viper and MQ-9 Reaper aircrew. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Adrian Salazar)
U.S. Air Force

F-16 Crashes Near Holloman Air Force Base In New Mexico (Updated)

By Oliver Parken

Posted on Apr 30, 2024

SAOC will replace the E-4B, now we have a better idea of what it will look like.
U.S. Air Force

E-4B Doomsday Plane Replacement Concept Art Has Some Interesting Features

By Tyler Rogoway

Posted on Apr 29, 2024

SNC has won the competition to deliver new Survivable Airborne Operations Center (SAOC) 'doomsday planes' to succeed the Air Force's E-4B Nightwatch jets.
U.S. Air Force

Job Of Building The Air Force’s Next Doomsday Planes Falls To Sierra Nevada Corp. (Updated)

By Joseph Trevithick

Updated on Apr 28, 2024

General Atomics has now confirmed that its Collaborative Combat Aircraft drone design for the US Air Force is based on its XQ-67A.
U.S. Air Force

XQ-67 Confirmed To Be A Prototype For General Atomics’ Collaborative Combat Aircraft Design

By Joseph Trevithick

Updated on Apr 26, 2024

Eglin UFO Case
U.S. Air Force

Eglin AFB Pilot Likely Saw A Lighting Balloon, Not A UFO Pentagon Concludes

By Howard Altman

Posted on Apr 25, 2024

The US Air Force has chosen Anduril and General Atomics to move ahead in Increment 1 of its Collaborative Combat Aircraft drone program.
U.S. Air Force

General Atomics, Anduril Move Ahead In Collaborative Combat Aircraft Drone Program (Updated)

By Joseph Trevithick

Updated on Apr 24, 2024

Additional details about a breakthrough autonomous dogfight in September 2023 underscore significant challenges still to be addressed.
U.S. Air Force

Next Big Challenge For AI Dogfighting Is Keeping Track Of Enemies Up Close

By Joseph Trevithick, Tyler Rogoway

Posted on Apr 24, 2024

B-2 Spirit stealth bombers assigned to the 509th Bomb Wing taxi on the runway at Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri, April 15, 2024. Team Whiteman executed a mass fly-off of 12 B-2s to cap off the annual Spirit Vigilance exercise. Routine training ensures that Airmen are always ready to execute global strike operations… anytime, anywhere. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Hailey Farrell)
U.S. Air Force

Majority Of The B-2 Spirit Fleet Took To The Skies In A Mass Launch

By Oliver Parken

Posted on Apr 18, 2024

B-21 raider production still capped at 100 units as USAF looks at what could come next.
U.S. Air Force

Air Force Looking At Options Beyond The B-21 Raider Is Absolutely Necessary

By Tyler Rogoway, Joseph Trevithick

Posted on Apr 18, 2024

F-15EX
U.S. Air Force

F-15E Strike Eagle’s Defense Of Israel Bolsters The Case For F-15EX

By Tyler Rogoway

Posted on Apr 17, 2024

The US Air Force's unique X-62A test jet participating in a breakthrough dogfight last year while a fully autonomous mode against a crewed F-16.
U.S. Air Force

AI Is Now Dogfighting With Fighter Pilots In The Air

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on Apr 17, 2024