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New pictures offer the best look to date at an Air Force HC-130J Combat King II combat search and rescue aircraft (CSAR) carrying an Angry Kitten electronic warfare pod.
C-130

Angry Kitten Electronic Warfare Pod Spotted Flying On HC-130J Combat Rescue Plane

Angry Kitten could be especially valuable for HC-130Js as growing threats call into question the utility of traditional combat search and rescue assets.

For the Beacon program, Northrop Grumman has adapted the Model 437 Vanguard, adding digitally engineered wings and modifications for optionally autonomous flight. The first flight was achieved with a test pilot in the cockpit.
Loyal Wingman

Scaled Composites’ Model 437 Vanguard Jet Is Now Flying As An AI Testbed

The optionally-manned Model 437 Vanguard jet is now set to prove out AI tech for autonomous aircraft under Northrop Grumman's Beacon program.

Cutaway display of a concrete masonry basement fallout shelter with an exercise bike, television and library, 1950s. (Photo by Pictorial Parade/Getty Images)
Bunker Talk

Bunker Talk: Let’s Talk About All The Things We Did And Didn’t Cover This Week

Better late than never.... right? RIGHT?!

The U.S. Air Force is working to combine an aerial target designed to simulate ballistic threats and a liquid-fuel rocket motor into a new, lower-cost hypersonic missile dubbed Angry Tortoise.
Air-Launched Hypersonic Missiles

Angry Tortoise Liquid-Fueled Hypersonic Missile In Development For USAF

Angry Tortoise could offer a new path to an operational and affordable hypersonic weapon after years of struggles with other programs.

U.S. President Donald Trump has changed his public tune on Ukraine and Russia.
Russia

Massive Change In Trump’s Stance On Russia Emerging

Trump calling Russia a "paper tiger" and proclaiming that Ukraine can win are just some indications of a big policy shift incoming.

The giant WindRunner cargo jet concept was shown off for the Air Force.
An-124

Giant WindRunner Cargo Jet Concept Shown Off To USAF

Still in the design phase, this aircraft is anticipated to fly for the first time in 2030 according to its builder.

India’s then-controversial decision to buy the MiG-21 ushered in an era in which Soviet (and latterly Russian) fighters were dominant in the Indian Air Force, a situation that continues to this day. While India buying arms from Moscow is now well established, the Fishbed helped kick off this trend. The delta-winged fighter was selected in favor of Western designs to revamp the Indian Air Force. A key driver was the need to field a fighter that would challenge the F-104 Starfighter that the Pakistan Air Force was then operating.
MiG-21

India’s Iconic MiG-21 Blasts Off Into Retirement

After more than six decades of service, India has finally given up its Cold War-era MiG-21 Fishbed fighter jet.

A business jet converted into a tanker is among the options the U.S. Air Force has been considering as part of plans for a future aerial refueling 'system of systems.'
Tankers

Business Jet Aerial Refueling Tankers Eyed By USAF

Smaller business jet-derived tankers offer many advantages, but the amount of fuel they have to offload isn't one of them.

J-XDS images of china's new 6th generation stealth fighter
J-XDS

Is This Our Best Look At China’s Tailless J-XDS Stealth Fighter?

The images, if authentic, provide us with by far the clearest view of the J-XDS and answer at least one important question.

German defense startup Helsing has unveiled a new uncrewed combat air vehicle (UCAV), the CA-1 Europa. The company is targeting a first flight in 2027 for the UCAV, which looks very similar to the MQ-28 Ghost Bat. Boeing’s Australian subsidiary developed Ghost Bat first as a ‘loyal wingman’ drone for the Royal Australian Air Force, under the Airpower Teaming System. The U.S. Air Force has also now acquired at least one example ostensibly to support research and development and test and evaluation efforts.
MQ-28

Helsing’s CA-1 Drone Is An MQ-28 Ghost Bat Lookalike

The German startup has presented its CA-1 Europa, the latest in a line of loyal wingman-type drones pitched to European air forces.

War Secretary Pete Hegseth has summed top military leaders to an emergency meeting next week.
U.S. Army

War Secretary’s Emergency Meeting A Mystery To Hundreds Of Top Officers Ordered To Attend

Nobody seems to have any concrete info on what Hegseth's surprise upcoming meeting of flag officers in Virginia is all about.

U.S. Air Force 1st Lt. Maurielle Pankau, a 183rd Air Component Operations Squadron intelligence analyst planner, participates in the Shadow Operations Center-Nellis Experiment 3 at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, June 13, 2025. Experiment participants were challenged to use human-machine teaming to deliver decision advantage in scenarios marked by complexity, speed, and uncertainty. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Jennifer Nesbitt)
Artificial Intelligence

Air Force AI Targeting Tests Show Promise, Despite Hallucinations

Artificial intelligence can come up with battlefield options far faster than a human can, but it can fail to factor in small nuances that have major repercussions.

A U.S. Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon receives fuel from a U.S. Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker over the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, May 25, 2025. Aerial refueling allows Fighting Falcons to extend their mission and guarantee war-winning airpower throughout the CENTCOM AOR. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Natalie Jones)
F-15

Laser-Guided Rockets Now Primary Anti-Drone Weapon For USAF Jets In Middle East

The Air Force's top officer praises APKWS's role in downing "scores" of drones since last year as the system moves to more platforms.

India’s Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO), the country’s main military research and development agency, announced the successful test firing of an Agni-Prime from a rail-based mobile launcher system, on September 24. The test, which the DRDO says involved a “full operational scenario,” was carried out at an undisclosed site in the country in collaboration with India’s Strategic Forces Command (SFC).
India-Pakistan Nuclear Standoff

India Just Launched A Ballistic Missile From A Train

Using the proven Agni-Prime missile, the rail-based system could be a valuable and survivable addition to India’s nuclear forces.

The U.S. military was totally unaware of the unprecedented Israeli airstrike on a Hamas compound in Doha, Qatar, earlier this month, one of its senior leaders has confirmed. In the aftermath of the raid, there had been questions as to why the various highly advanced air defense systems and sensors, both American and Qatari, that would normally provide prior alert to an impending attack on Qatar had apparently not functioned as expected. Now we have a better understanding of what happened, from a U.S. perspective.
Air-Launched Ballistic Missiles

New Info On How U.S. Military Was Caught Off Guard By Israeli Strike On Qatar

Israel's novel use of air-launched ballistic missiles to attack Qatar from the west clearly had an impact on the ability to classify the threat and defend against it.

Aggressor satellites for space force.
Anti-Satellite Capabilities

Space Force Wants Aggressor Satellites To Emulate Adversary Orbital Capabilities

Like how Air Force pilots fly against aggressor fighters that replicate the enemy's capabilities and tactics, Space Force wants to do the same in orbit.

Renderings from General Atomics offer new looks at how its air-launched LongShot drone might be employed from F-15 fighters, as well as B-52 bombers and C-17 cargo aircraft.
C-17

F-15 Depicted Launching LongShot Air-To-Air Missile Carrier Drone In New Renderings

General Atomics has told us that LongShot, which can be launched by bombers and cargo planes, too, is not intended to be reusable operationally.

Closing Kill Chains Before The Battle Begins

Closing Kill Chains Before The Battle Begins

Branded Content: Boeing's family of systems is aiming to evolve kill chain effectiveness for the future.

Update from General Atomics from the show floor of Air, Space & Cyber 2025

We Talk YFQ-42A, LongShot, And 9M Flight Hours With General Atomics

Branded Content: The latest from General Atomics from the show floor at Air, Space And Cyber 2025.

A long-range kamikaze drone that U.S. firm Kratos is working on together with Taiwan’s National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST) is set to make its maiden flight early next year.
Unmanned

Jet-Powered Kamikaze Drone Kratos Is Developing With Taiwan To Fly Next Year

Taiwan sees the AI-infused Chien Feng IV as a valuable way to attack enemy ships, but it can also be used against land targets or as a decoy.