Featured in TankersBYJoseph TrevithickOct 12, 2020ShareHere’s Who’s Bought Those Retired Singapore Air Force KC-135R TankersThere are now two companies flying boom-equipped tankers, which are rare assets in the private sector that look set to be increasingly in demand. BYJoseph TrevithickOct 12, 2020ShareBYJoseph TrevithickOct 5, 2020ShareNavy Establishes First Squadron To Operate Its Carrier-Based MQ-25 Stingray Tanker DronesThe Navy is standing up the unit to ensure personnel are as prepared as they can be for the arrival of these drones in the coming years. BYJoseph TrevithickOct 5, 2020ShareBYJoseph TrevithickSep 29, 2020ShareRetired Singaporean KC-135R Tankers Look Set To Join U.S. Private Aerial Refueling MarketSurplus boom-equipped tankers available to private contractors to purchase are rare and these could quickly make a company a pioneer in that role. BYJoseph TrevithickSep 29, 2020ShareBYJoseph TrevithickJul 21, 2020ShareThis Is Our First Look At Boeing’s MQ-25 Tanker Drone Carrying A Refueling PodIllinois Senator Tammy Duckworth saw the prototype fitted with the pod during a recent tour of a Boeing facility in her state. BYJoseph TrevithickJul 21, 2020ShareBYJoseph TrevithickJul 13, 2020ShareFirst KC-10 Extender Tanker Jet Heads To The Boneyard For Retirement (Updated)The type’s first retirement comes 40 years nearly to the day after its first flight and as Congress works to delay such retirements. BYJoseph TrevithickJul 13, 2020ShareBYTyler RogowayJul 3, 2020ShareThe Air Force Desperately Needs A Stealth TankerFielding a stealthy tanker would go a long way to remedy the USAF’s near-sighted practice of betting heavily on relatively short-ranged stealth fighters, but it won’t be cheap. BYTyler RogowayJul 3, 2020ShareBYJoseph TrevithickJun 16, 2020ShareAir Force Says These Are Its Options For Hiring Private Aerial Refueling CompaniesBetween its aging KC-135 and KC-10 tanker fleets and problems with the new KC-46A, the Air Force is facing a worrying tanker gap. BYJoseph TrevithickJun 16, 2020ShareBYJoseph TrevithickJun 11, 2020ShareSenate Looks To Block Many Of The Pentagon’s “Tough Choices” Airpower Cuts In Next BudgetA proposed draft of the annual defense policy bill would prohibit services from getting rid of certain aircraft and order them to buy more of others. BYJoseph TrevithickJun 11, 2020ShareBYJoseph TrevithickMay 26, 2020ShareVenezuela Sends SAMs, Rocket Artillery To Caribbean Outpost As Iranian Tankers Get Closer (Updated)The Venezuelan military has pledged to protect the tankers, which are carrying gasoline, from any American attempts to seize them. BYJoseph TrevithickMay 26, 2020ShareBYJoseph TrevithickMay 11, 2020ShareNo, Iran Isn’t About To Send A Stealth Destroyer To Venezuela Or Off The Coast Of The U.S.The Iranian Navy has never followed through on previous plans to send ships into the Atlantic and it looks unlikely that they’ll do so now. BYJoseph TrevithickMay 11, 2020ShareBYJoseph TrevithickApr 9, 2020ShareRomanian Dictator’s Boeing 707 Makes First Flight In Years For Delivery To Air Refueling FirmThe jet will join Omega Air’s existing fleet as the Pentagon’s interest contractor aerial refueling services grows. BYJoseph TrevithickApr 9, 2020ShareBYJoseph TrevithickMar 30, 2020ShareThe Air Force’s Troubled Boeing KC-46 Tankers Leak Fuel ExcessivelyThe announcement comes weeks after the Air Force said it would not use the aircraft for aerial refueling missions except in a major emergency. BYJoseph TrevithickMar 30, 2020ShareBYJoseph TrevithickMar 30, 2020ShareSale Of KC-46 Tanker To Israel Approved While New Delays For Key Fixes RevealedThe US Air Force says it won’t use the tankers for aerial refueling, except in an emergency, until critical fixes are completed years down the road. BYJoseph TrevithickMar 30, 2020ShareBYTyler Rogoway and Joseph TrevithickMar 1, 2020ShareGeneral Atomics Wants To Give Aerial Tankers Their Own Missile-Laden Loyal Wingmen DronesThe “Defender” concept is a potentially promising way to address the increasing vulnerability of Air Force tankers and other lumbering support planes. BYTyler Rogoway and Joseph TrevithickMar 1, 2020ShareBYJoseph TrevithickJan 31, 2020ShareAir Force Isn’t Happy With Boeing’s Plans To Fix The KC-46 Tanker’s Troubled Vision SystemAmid this prospect of more KC-46 delays, senior US officials are increasingly considering hiring contractors to help fill the potential tanker gap. BYJoseph TrevithickJan 31, 2020ShareBYJoseph Trevithick and Tyler RogowayDec 1, 2019ShareThe SR-71 Blackbird’s Predecessor Created “Plasma Stealth” By Burning Cesium-Laced FuelSkunk Works needed a way to hide the A-12’s radar reflecting behind, so they dumped cesium into its fuel to create a radar-absorbing exhaust plume. BYJoseph Trevithick and Tyler RogowayDec 1, 2019ShareBYJoseph TrevithickSep 20, 2019ShareBoeing’s MQ-25 Stingray Carrier-Based Tanker Drone Demonstrator Flies For The First TimeThe company will be working with this test asset for at least the next two years as it crafts its first full prototypes for the U.S. Navy. BYJoseph TrevithickSep 20, 2019ShareBYJoseph TrevithickSep 19, 2019ShareAir Force Says It Will Be Years Before Boeing’s Faulty New Tankers Are Fully OperationalProblems with the boom operator’s vision system and the boom itself persist and a recently disclosed issue prevents the aircraft from carrying cargo. BYJoseph TrevithickSep 19, 2019ShareBYJoseph TrevithickAug 15, 2019ShareU.K. Says Iran’s Supertanker Is Free To Go Even As The U.S. Tries To Keep It ImpoundedOfficials in Gibraltar are still considering the American request to take custody of the ship and Iran is still holding a British-flagged tanker. BYJoseph TrevithickAug 15, 2019ShareBYJoseph TrevithickAug 15, 2019ShareCluster Bomb Toting F-15Es Are Patrolling The Persian Gulf To Counter Small Boat SwarmsThe weapons would be a useful tool for destroying Iran’s fast boat armada that it has used to seize and harass tankers. BYJoseph TrevithickAug 15, 2019ShareBYJoseph TrevithickAug 13, 2019ShareChina Curiously Says It May Join U.S. Persian Gulf Maritime Coalition Despite Trade WarThe U.S. wants to “internationalize” its new regional mission, but escalating tensions with Beijing could dampen prospects for China’s involvement. BYJoseph TrevithickAug 13, 2019ShareBYJoseph TrevithickJul 22, 2019ShareDivisions With U.S. Emerge As U.K. Proposes European Force To Protect Tankers From IranThe two long-standing allies are increasingly at odds, and publicly so, over how to respond to Iranian provocations. BYJoseph TrevithickJul 22, 2019ShareBYJoseph TrevithickJul 20, 2019ShareIran Has Followed Through With Its Threat To Capture A British Tanker In The Middle East (Updated)Iran has been threatening for weeks to retaliate for U.K. officials detaining one of its supertankers over sanctions violations. BYJoseph TrevithickJul 20, 2019ShareBYJoseph TrevithickJul 18, 2019ShareHere’s What We Know About The Missing Tanker Iran Now Says It Has SeizedThe Iranians initially said the ship had broken down and had asked for assistance, but now claim it was involved in smuggling fuel. BYJoseph TrevithickJul 18, 2019ShareBYTyler Rogoway and Joseph TrevithickJul 9, 2019ShareRoyal Navy Frigate Escorts U.K. Tanker Out Of The Persian Gulf After Iranian ThreatsLast week, Iran said it could seize a British ship in retaliation for U.K. authorities seizing an Iranian tanker in the Mediterranean Sea. BYTyler Rogoway and Joseph TrevithickJul 9, 2019ShareBYJoseph TrevithickJul 8, 2019ShareNorwegian Tanker That Was Victim Of Purported Iranian Attack Is Now Headed For IranIran now separately denies a tanker U.K. authorities seized last week was headed for Syria as Tehran also faces new criticism over uranium enrichment. BYJoseph TrevithickJul 8, 2019ShareBYJoseph Trevithick and Tyler RogowayJun 30, 2019ShareHere’s Why General Atomics Teamed Up With Boeing For The MQ-25 Tanker Drone TenderAmid news of the partnership and the Navy’s questionable budget plan for the program, we talked to General Atomics and got their take. BYJoseph Trevithick and Tyler RogowayJun 30, 2019ShareBYJoseph TrevithickJun 29, 2019ShareThe Navy Says “Fly Before Buy” When It Comes To Its New MQ-25 Drone TankerAmid recent concurrency blunders, the service will purchase just four of the unmanned aircraft up front. BYJoseph TrevithickJun 29, 2019ShareBYJoseph TrevithickJun 29, 2019ShareNorthrop Grumman Bails on Navy’s Watered-Down Tanker Drone CompetitionThe company says it didn’t feel it could make an “attractive offer” after seeing the final requirements. BYJoseph TrevithickJun 29, 2019ShareBYJoseph TrevithickJun 29, 2019ShareUS Navy Doubles Down On Range Requirements For Its MQ-25 Tanker DroneThe service says it now wants the Stingray to fly more than twice as far with 50 percent more fuel. BYJoseph TrevithickJun 29, 2019ShareBYJoseph TrevithickJun 29, 2019ShareUSAF Breathing New Life Into Ancient KC-135 Tankers With This New Glass CockpitDigital displays and other systems, along with improved software, could keep the aircraft going for more than 80 years. BYJoseph TrevithickJun 29, 2019ShareBYJoseph TrevithickJun 29, 2019ShareGeneral Atomics Gives First Clues About its MQ-25 Drone Tanker DesignA US government agency is already flying its Avenger and a foreign customer is interested in buying nearly 100 more. BYJoseph TrevithickJun 29, 2019ShareBYJoseph TrevithickJun 29, 2019ShareNorthrop Grumman MQ-25 Drone Tanker Testbed Emerges At Plant 42 In CaliforniaIt’s not clear whether the company is using the X-47B aircraft as a surrogate or an actual prototype design. BYJoseph TrevithickJun 29, 2019ShareBYJoseph TrevithickJun 29, 2019ShareUSAF’s Reboot Of Its Huge International Air Mobility Exercise Has BegunMobility Guardian turns earlier competitions with allies into realistic and complex training for combined operations. BYJoseph TrevithickJun 29, 2019ShareBYJoseph TrevithickJun 29, 2019ShareThe US Navy May Have Watered Down Its MQ-25 Drone Even MoreReported draft requirements focus almost entirely on tanking with no clear mention of intelligence missions. BYJoseph TrevithickJun 29, 2019ShareBYJoseph TrevithickJun 20, 2019ShareNavy Explosives Expert Shows Off Evidence Of Iranian Involvement In Tanker AttacksThe press briefing comes amid a spate of rocket attacks in Iraq that have injured at least three oil workers, which may also be tied to Iran. BYJoseph TrevithickJun 20, 2019ShareBYJoseph Trevithick and Tyler RogowayJun 18, 2019ShareLockheed And Airbus Join Forces To Disrupt U.S. Aerial Refueling Marketplace And MoreThe team plans to pitch the A330-based tanker’s services to the Pentagon and jointly develop all new tanker concepts. BYJoseph Trevithick and Tyler RogowayJun 18, 2019ShareBYJoseph TrevithickJun 14, 2019ShareJapanese Ship Owner Disputes U.S. Claims About Weapons Used In Tanker AttackThe shipping company says “flying objects” were to blame after the U.S. government releases imagery it says show a limpet mine on the ship. BYJoseph TrevithickJun 14, 2019ShareBYJoseph TrevithickJun 14, 2019ShareIran Tried To Shoot Down U.S. Reaper Drone Near Tankers Hours Before Attacks: ReportThe unmanned aircraft, which survived, was reportedly watching Iranian boats in the same general area where the attacks occurred. BYJoseph TrevithickJun 14, 2019ShareBYJoseph TrevithickMay 3, 2019ShareAir Force Considering Making Its Next Tanker A Drone With A Podded Refueling BoomPackaging an aerial refueling boom in a pod will be a major engineering challenge, but it would change the way the USAF keeps its planes in the fight. BYJoseph TrevithickMay 3, 2019ShareBYJoseph TrevithickApr 17, 2019ShareMore Than A Dozen Air Force KC-135s and KC-46s Flee Kansas Base Ahead Of Bad WeatherThe Air Force is clearly taking no chances after two other major air bases suffered serious storm-related damage in the past six months. BYJoseph TrevithickApr 17, 2019ShareBYTyler RogowayNov 9, 2018ShareEvacuated Naval Air Station Point Mugu And Key Radar Station Threatened By Blaze (Updated)Fueled by stiff winds, a wildfire is racing towards an important hilltop telemetry station and a sprawling naval air station in California. BYTyler RogowayNov 9, 2018ShareBYJoseph TrevithickSep 27, 2018ShareMarine F-35Bs Fly First-Ever Strike Missions Against ‘Fixed Targets’ in Afghanistan (Updated)The debut combat missions for American Joint Strike Fighters came after the same jets conducted armed reconnaissance patrols near Somalia. BYJoseph TrevithickSep 27, 2018ShareBYJoseph TrevithickSep 25, 2018ShareMarine F-35Bs Flew Surveillance Missions Near Somalia And Were Ready To Strike If NecessaryNow the jets may be preparing for the first-ever American Joint Strike Fighter strikes in Afghanistan. BYJoseph TrevithickSep 25, 2018ShareBYJoseph TrevithickSep 20, 2018ShareLockheed Martin Is Crafting New Stealth and Drone Tanker Concepts For The USAFThe Air Force knows it needs tankers that can survive in high-risk areas and it might end up flying a mix of manned and unmanned types. BYJoseph TrevithickSep 20, 2018ShareBYTyler Rogoway and Joseph TrevithickAug 30, 2018ShareBoeing Is The Winner Of The Navy’s MQ-25 Stingray Tanker Drone Competition (Updated)There are some happy and proud folks in St. Louis right now as the company further solidifies its portfolio of naval aviation programs. BYTyler Rogoway and Joseph TrevithickAug 30, 2018ShareBYTyler RogowayAug 3, 2018ShareWatch This F-35B Have A Bit Of Aerial Refueling Frustration On Its Way To The UKThe video is also a reminder of the jet’s often overlooked but unmitigated aerial refueling issues. BYTyler RogowayAug 3, 2018ShareBYJoseph TrevithickJul 10, 2018ShareGerman Navy’s Woes Continue With Its Pair of Ex-Liberian Tankers Stuck Broken In PortThe service can’t meet near-term NATO obligations and has no ships in reserve to rapidly support any extended naval operations in a crisis. BYJoseph TrevithickJul 10, 2018ShareBYTyler RogowayJun 29, 2018ShareNew Stealth Tanker Model Is Touted By Air Force Research Lab At Aviation ConferenceThere is no doubt that the USAF is getting more concerned over the vulnerability of their tanker fleet during a peer-state conflict. BYTyler RogowayJun 29, 2018ShareBYJoseph TrevithickMay 8, 2018ShareGermany, France Move Ahead With Joint C-130J Unit Amid Budget Woes and A400M DelaysThe two countries are sharing costs to expand a French air base to handle a mix of five C-130J-30 airlifters and five KC-130J tankers. BYJoseph TrevithickMay 8, 2018ShareBYTyler RogowayAug 15, 2017ShareRetired RAF Tristars Will Get New Lives As Contracted Aerial RefuellersAfter sitting idle in retirement for three years, the best of the Tristar fleet will be brought back into service as aerial refueling tankers. BYTyler RogowayAug 15, 2017ShareBYTyler RogowayOct 24, 2016ShareWatch Boeing Assemble A 767 In Three Minutes35 years after its first flight, Boeing continues to roll out new 767s, including the KC-46 tanker. As you can see, they have the process down. BYTyler RogowayOct 24, 2016ShareBYTyler RogowayJul 28, 2016ShareYou Can Buy The World’s Largest Operational Flying Boat For About The Price Of A P-51 MustangIs owning a huge, 70-year-old firefighting seaplane on your bucket list? BYTyler RogowayJul 28, 2016ShareBYTyler RogowayJun 30, 2016ShareF-35 Gets the “Pot Of Gold” Treatment After Landing in the UK for the First TimeA long-delayed step forward, but not a major triumph. BYTyler RogowayJun 30, 2016Share12
BYJoseph TrevithickOct 12, 2020ShareHere’s Who’s Bought Those Retired Singapore Air Force KC-135R TankersThere are now two companies flying boom-equipped tankers, which are rare assets in the private sector that look set to be increasingly in demand. BYJoseph TrevithickOct 12, 2020Share
BYJoseph TrevithickOct 5, 2020ShareNavy Establishes First Squadron To Operate Its Carrier-Based MQ-25 Stingray Tanker DronesThe Navy is standing up the unit to ensure personnel are as prepared as they can be for the arrival of these drones in the coming years. BYJoseph TrevithickOct 5, 2020Share
BYJoseph TrevithickSep 29, 2020ShareRetired Singaporean KC-135R Tankers Look Set To Join U.S. Private Aerial Refueling MarketSurplus boom-equipped tankers available to private contractors to purchase are rare and these could quickly make a company a pioneer in that role. BYJoseph TrevithickSep 29, 2020Share
BYJoseph TrevithickJul 21, 2020ShareThis Is Our First Look At Boeing’s MQ-25 Tanker Drone Carrying A Refueling PodIllinois Senator Tammy Duckworth saw the prototype fitted with the pod during a recent tour of a Boeing facility in her state. BYJoseph TrevithickJul 21, 2020Share
BYJoseph TrevithickJul 13, 2020ShareFirst KC-10 Extender Tanker Jet Heads To The Boneyard For Retirement (Updated)The type’s first retirement comes 40 years nearly to the day after its first flight and as Congress works to delay such retirements. BYJoseph TrevithickJul 13, 2020Share
BYTyler RogowayJul 3, 2020ShareThe Air Force Desperately Needs A Stealth TankerFielding a stealthy tanker would go a long way to remedy the USAF’s near-sighted practice of betting heavily on relatively short-ranged stealth fighters, but it won’t be cheap. BYTyler RogowayJul 3, 2020Share
BYJoseph TrevithickJun 16, 2020ShareAir Force Says These Are Its Options For Hiring Private Aerial Refueling CompaniesBetween its aging KC-135 and KC-10 tanker fleets and problems with the new KC-46A, the Air Force is facing a worrying tanker gap. BYJoseph TrevithickJun 16, 2020Share
BYJoseph TrevithickJun 11, 2020ShareSenate Looks To Block Many Of The Pentagon’s “Tough Choices” Airpower Cuts In Next BudgetA proposed draft of the annual defense policy bill would prohibit services from getting rid of certain aircraft and order them to buy more of others. BYJoseph TrevithickJun 11, 2020Share
BYJoseph TrevithickMay 26, 2020ShareVenezuela Sends SAMs, Rocket Artillery To Caribbean Outpost As Iranian Tankers Get Closer (Updated)The Venezuelan military has pledged to protect the tankers, which are carrying gasoline, from any American attempts to seize them. BYJoseph TrevithickMay 26, 2020Share
BYJoseph TrevithickMay 11, 2020ShareNo, Iran Isn’t About To Send A Stealth Destroyer To Venezuela Or Off The Coast Of The U.S.The Iranian Navy has never followed through on previous plans to send ships into the Atlantic and it looks unlikely that they’ll do so now. BYJoseph TrevithickMay 11, 2020Share
BYJoseph TrevithickApr 9, 2020ShareRomanian Dictator’s Boeing 707 Makes First Flight In Years For Delivery To Air Refueling FirmThe jet will join Omega Air’s existing fleet as the Pentagon’s interest contractor aerial refueling services grows. BYJoseph TrevithickApr 9, 2020Share
BYJoseph TrevithickMar 30, 2020ShareThe Air Force’s Troubled Boeing KC-46 Tankers Leak Fuel ExcessivelyThe announcement comes weeks after the Air Force said it would not use the aircraft for aerial refueling missions except in a major emergency. BYJoseph TrevithickMar 30, 2020Share
BYJoseph TrevithickMar 30, 2020ShareSale Of KC-46 Tanker To Israel Approved While New Delays For Key Fixes RevealedThe US Air Force says it won’t use the tankers for aerial refueling, except in an emergency, until critical fixes are completed years down the road. BYJoseph TrevithickMar 30, 2020Share
BYTyler Rogoway and Joseph TrevithickMar 1, 2020ShareGeneral Atomics Wants To Give Aerial Tankers Their Own Missile-Laden Loyal Wingmen DronesThe “Defender” concept is a potentially promising way to address the increasing vulnerability of Air Force tankers and other lumbering support planes. BYTyler Rogoway and Joseph TrevithickMar 1, 2020Share
BYJoseph TrevithickJan 31, 2020ShareAir Force Isn’t Happy With Boeing’s Plans To Fix The KC-46 Tanker’s Troubled Vision SystemAmid this prospect of more KC-46 delays, senior US officials are increasingly considering hiring contractors to help fill the potential tanker gap. BYJoseph TrevithickJan 31, 2020Share
BYJoseph Trevithick and Tyler RogowayDec 1, 2019ShareThe SR-71 Blackbird’s Predecessor Created “Plasma Stealth” By Burning Cesium-Laced FuelSkunk Works needed a way to hide the A-12’s radar reflecting behind, so they dumped cesium into its fuel to create a radar-absorbing exhaust plume. BYJoseph Trevithick and Tyler RogowayDec 1, 2019Share
BYJoseph TrevithickSep 20, 2019ShareBoeing’s MQ-25 Stingray Carrier-Based Tanker Drone Demonstrator Flies For The First TimeThe company will be working with this test asset for at least the next two years as it crafts its first full prototypes for the U.S. Navy. BYJoseph TrevithickSep 20, 2019Share
BYJoseph TrevithickSep 19, 2019ShareAir Force Says It Will Be Years Before Boeing’s Faulty New Tankers Are Fully OperationalProblems with the boom operator’s vision system and the boom itself persist and a recently disclosed issue prevents the aircraft from carrying cargo. BYJoseph TrevithickSep 19, 2019Share
BYJoseph TrevithickAug 15, 2019ShareU.K. Says Iran’s Supertanker Is Free To Go Even As The U.S. Tries To Keep It ImpoundedOfficials in Gibraltar are still considering the American request to take custody of the ship and Iran is still holding a British-flagged tanker. BYJoseph TrevithickAug 15, 2019Share
BYJoseph TrevithickAug 15, 2019ShareCluster Bomb Toting F-15Es Are Patrolling The Persian Gulf To Counter Small Boat SwarmsThe weapons would be a useful tool for destroying Iran’s fast boat armada that it has used to seize and harass tankers. BYJoseph TrevithickAug 15, 2019Share
BYJoseph TrevithickAug 13, 2019ShareChina Curiously Says It May Join U.S. Persian Gulf Maritime Coalition Despite Trade WarThe U.S. wants to “internationalize” its new regional mission, but escalating tensions with Beijing could dampen prospects for China’s involvement. BYJoseph TrevithickAug 13, 2019Share
BYJoseph TrevithickJul 22, 2019ShareDivisions With U.S. Emerge As U.K. Proposes European Force To Protect Tankers From IranThe two long-standing allies are increasingly at odds, and publicly so, over how to respond to Iranian provocations. BYJoseph TrevithickJul 22, 2019Share
BYJoseph TrevithickJul 20, 2019ShareIran Has Followed Through With Its Threat To Capture A British Tanker In The Middle East (Updated)Iran has been threatening for weeks to retaliate for U.K. officials detaining one of its supertankers over sanctions violations. BYJoseph TrevithickJul 20, 2019Share
BYJoseph TrevithickJul 18, 2019ShareHere’s What We Know About The Missing Tanker Iran Now Says It Has SeizedThe Iranians initially said the ship had broken down and had asked for assistance, but now claim it was involved in smuggling fuel. BYJoseph TrevithickJul 18, 2019Share
BYTyler Rogoway and Joseph TrevithickJul 9, 2019ShareRoyal Navy Frigate Escorts U.K. Tanker Out Of The Persian Gulf After Iranian ThreatsLast week, Iran said it could seize a British ship in retaliation for U.K. authorities seizing an Iranian tanker in the Mediterranean Sea. BYTyler Rogoway and Joseph TrevithickJul 9, 2019Share
BYJoseph TrevithickJul 8, 2019ShareNorwegian Tanker That Was Victim Of Purported Iranian Attack Is Now Headed For IranIran now separately denies a tanker U.K. authorities seized last week was headed for Syria as Tehran also faces new criticism over uranium enrichment. BYJoseph TrevithickJul 8, 2019Share
BYJoseph Trevithick and Tyler RogowayJun 30, 2019ShareHere’s Why General Atomics Teamed Up With Boeing For The MQ-25 Tanker Drone TenderAmid news of the partnership and the Navy’s questionable budget plan for the program, we talked to General Atomics and got their take. BYJoseph Trevithick and Tyler RogowayJun 30, 2019Share
BYJoseph TrevithickJun 29, 2019ShareThe Navy Says “Fly Before Buy” When It Comes To Its New MQ-25 Drone TankerAmid recent concurrency blunders, the service will purchase just four of the unmanned aircraft up front. BYJoseph TrevithickJun 29, 2019Share
BYJoseph TrevithickJun 29, 2019ShareNorthrop Grumman Bails on Navy’s Watered-Down Tanker Drone CompetitionThe company says it didn’t feel it could make an “attractive offer” after seeing the final requirements. BYJoseph TrevithickJun 29, 2019Share
BYJoseph TrevithickJun 29, 2019ShareUS Navy Doubles Down On Range Requirements For Its MQ-25 Tanker DroneThe service says it now wants the Stingray to fly more than twice as far with 50 percent more fuel. BYJoseph TrevithickJun 29, 2019Share
BYJoseph TrevithickJun 29, 2019ShareUSAF Breathing New Life Into Ancient KC-135 Tankers With This New Glass CockpitDigital displays and other systems, along with improved software, could keep the aircraft going for more than 80 years. BYJoseph TrevithickJun 29, 2019Share
BYJoseph TrevithickJun 29, 2019ShareGeneral Atomics Gives First Clues About its MQ-25 Drone Tanker DesignA US government agency is already flying its Avenger and a foreign customer is interested in buying nearly 100 more. BYJoseph TrevithickJun 29, 2019Share
BYJoseph TrevithickJun 29, 2019ShareNorthrop Grumman MQ-25 Drone Tanker Testbed Emerges At Plant 42 In CaliforniaIt’s not clear whether the company is using the X-47B aircraft as a surrogate or an actual prototype design. BYJoseph TrevithickJun 29, 2019Share
BYJoseph TrevithickJun 29, 2019ShareUSAF’s Reboot Of Its Huge International Air Mobility Exercise Has BegunMobility Guardian turns earlier competitions with allies into realistic and complex training for combined operations. BYJoseph TrevithickJun 29, 2019Share
BYJoseph TrevithickJun 29, 2019ShareThe US Navy May Have Watered Down Its MQ-25 Drone Even MoreReported draft requirements focus almost entirely on tanking with no clear mention of intelligence missions. BYJoseph TrevithickJun 29, 2019Share
BYJoseph TrevithickJun 20, 2019ShareNavy Explosives Expert Shows Off Evidence Of Iranian Involvement In Tanker AttacksThe press briefing comes amid a spate of rocket attacks in Iraq that have injured at least three oil workers, which may also be tied to Iran. BYJoseph TrevithickJun 20, 2019Share
BYJoseph Trevithick and Tyler RogowayJun 18, 2019ShareLockheed And Airbus Join Forces To Disrupt U.S. Aerial Refueling Marketplace And MoreThe team plans to pitch the A330-based tanker’s services to the Pentagon and jointly develop all new tanker concepts. BYJoseph Trevithick and Tyler RogowayJun 18, 2019Share
BYJoseph TrevithickJun 14, 2019ShareJapanese Ship Owner Disputes U.S. Claims About Weapons Used In Tanker AttackThe shipping company says “flying objects” were to blame after the U.S. government releases imagery it says show a limpet mine on the ship. BYJoseph TrevithickJun 14, 2019Share
BYJoseph TrevithickJun 14, 2019ShareIran Tried To Shoot Down U.S. Reaper Drone Near Tankers Hours Before Attacks: ReportThe unmanned aircraft, which survived, was reportedly watching Iranian boats in the same general area where the attacks occurred. BYJoseph TrevithickJun 14, 2019Share
BYJoseph TrevithickMay 3, 2019ShareAir Force Considering Making Its Next Tanker A Drone With A Podded Refueling BoomPackaging an aerial refueling boom in a pod will be a major engineering challenge, but it would change the way the USAF keeps its planes in the fight. BYJoseph TrevithickMay 3, 2019Share
BYJoseph TrevithickApr 17, 2019ShareMore Than A Dozen Air Force KC-135s and KC-46s Flee Kansas Base Ahead Of Bad WeatherThe Air Force is clearly taking no chances after two other major air bases suffered serious storm-related damage in the past six months. BYJoseph TrevithickApr 17, 2019Share
BYTyler RogowayNov 9, 2018ShareEvacuated Naval Air Station Point Mugu And Key Radar Station Threatened By Blaze (Updated)Fueled by stiff winds, a wildfire is racing towards an important hilltop telemetry station and a sprawling naval air station in California. BYTyler RogowayNov 9, 2018Share
BYJoseph TrevithickSep 27, 2018ShareMarine F-35Bs Fly First-Ever Strike Missions Against ‘Fixed Targets’ in Afghanistan (Updated)The debut combat missions for American Joint Strike Fighters came after the same jets conducted armed reconnaissance patrols near Somalia. BYJoseph TrevithickSep 27, 2018Share
BYJoseph TrevithickSep 25, 2018ShareMarine F-35Bs Flew Surveillance Missions Near Somalia And Were Ready To Strike If NecessaryNow the jets may be preparing for the first-ever American Joint Strike Fighter strikes in Afghanistan. BYJoseph TrevithickSep 25, 2018Share
BYJoseph TrevithickSep 20, 2018ShareLockheed Martin Is Crafting New Stealth and Drone Tanker Concepts For The USAFThe Air Force knows it needs tankers that can survive in high-risk areas and it might end up flying a mix of manned and unmanned types. BYJoseph TrevithickSep 20, 2018Share
BYTyler Rogoway and Joseph TrevithickAug 30, 2018ShareBoeing Is The Winner Of The Navy’s MQ-25 Stingray Tanker Drone Competition (Updated)There are some happy and proud folks in St. Louis right now as the company further solidifies its portfolio of naval aviation programs. BYTyler Rogoway and Joseph TrevithickAug 30, 2018Share
BYTyler RogowayAug 3, 2018ShareWatch This F-35B Have A Bit Of Aerial Refueling Frustration On Its Way To The UKThe video is also a reminder of the jet’s often overlooked but unmitigated aerial refueling issues. BYTyler RogowayAug 3, 2018Share
BYJoseph TrevithickJul 10, 2018ShareGerman Navy’s Woes Continue With Its Pair of Ex-Liberian Tankers Stuck Broken In PortThe service can’t meet near-term NATO obligations and has no ships in reserve to rapidly support any extended naval operations in a crisis. BYJoseph TrevithickJul 10, 2018Share
BYTyler RogowayJun 29, 2018ShareNew Stealth Tanker Model Is Touted By Air Force Research Lab At Aviation ConferenceThere is no doubt that the USAF is getting more concerned over the vulnerability of their tanker fleet during a peer-state conflict. BYTyler RogowayJun 29, 2018Share
BYJoseph TrevithickMay 8, 2018ShareGermany, France Move Ahead With Joint C-130J Unit Amid Budget Woes and A400M DelaysThe two countries are sharing costs to expand a French air base to handle a mix of five C-130J-30 airlifters and five KC-130J tankers. BYJoseph TrevithickMay 8, 2018Share
BYTyler RogowayAug 15, 2017ShareRetired RAF Tristars Will Get New Lives As Contracted Aerial RefuellersAfter sitting idle in retirement for three years, the best of the Tristar fleet will be brought back into service as aerial refueling tankers. BYTyler RogowayAug 15, 2017Share
BYTyler RogowayOct 24, 2016ShareWatch Boeing Assemble A 767 In Three Minutes35 years after its first flight, Boeing continues to roll out new 767s, including the KC-46 tanker. As you can see, they have the process down. BYTyler RogowayOct 24, 2016Share
BYTyler RogowayJul 28, 2016ShareYou Can Buy The World’s Largest Operational Flying Boat For About The Price Of A P-51 MustangIs owning a huge, 70-year-old firefighting seaplane on your bucket list? BYTyler RogowayJul 28, 2016Share
BYTyler RogowayJun 30, 2016ShareF-35 Gets the “Pot Of Gold” Treatment After Landing in the UK for the First TimeA long-delayed step forward, but not a major triumph. BYTyler RogowayJun 30, 2016Share