Featured in USAFBYJamie HunterNov 27, 2020ShareStrike Eagle Pilot Gives A Detailed Walk Around Tour Of An F-15EVideo from the flightline at RAF Lakenheath includes details of the important relationship between the F-15E’s pilot and weapon systems officer. BYJamie HunterNov 27, 2020ShareBYBrett TingleyNov 27, 2020ShareBlasting The Air In Front Of Hypersonic Vehicles With Lasers Could Unlock Unprecedented SpeedsFor decades, the DoD has been researching a radical drag reduction technique that involves sheathing a vehicle in directed energy-induced plasma. BYBrett TingleyNov 27, 2020ShareBYJamie HunterNov 27, 2020ShareThe A-10 Warthog Is Preparing For Its Biggest Upgrade In Over A DecadeA new large-area cockpit display and additional weapons are all in the grand plans to get the A-10 ready for higher-end missions. BYJamie HunterNov 27, 2020ShareBYJoseph TrevithickNov 27, 2020ShareNew Insights Into Mysterious Soviet ‘Dome Of Light’ Phenomenon In Declassified DocumentsAir Force analysts were baffled by the massive light shows, which may have been a countermeasure against American early warning satellites. BYJoseph TrevithickNov 27, 2020ShareBYJoseph TrevithickNov 27, 2020ShareMIT Lincoln Lab’s Storied 707 Military Testbed Jet Is Now At The BoneyardFor almost 30 years, the aircraft supported a wide variety of radar, communications, and other flight test programs in cooperation with the Air Force. BYJoseph TrevithickNov 27, 2020ShareBYJoseph TrevithickNov 27, 2020ShareAll The Crazy Proposed Variants Of The B-70 Valkyrie Super BomberThe different adaptations of the B-70 included recon planes, tankers, transports, and even motherships to launch hypersonic vehicles and spacecraft. BYJoseph TrevithickNov 27, 2020ShareBYJoseph TrevithickNov 24, 2020ShareThis Is Our First Look At A B-1 Bomber Carrying A Stealthy Cruise Missile ExternallyThe Air Force hopes its B-1s will eventually be able to carry up to a dozen of the missiles, and potentially hypersonic weapons, on external pylons. BYJoseph TrevithickNov 24, 2020ShareBYJoseph TrevithickNov 19, 2020ShareNew Report On U.S. Military Aircraft Reliability Is Downright MiserableThe report provides a damning depiction of the mission-capable rates and operating costs of the Pentagon’s aircraft fleet. BYJoseph TrevithickNov 19, 2020ShareBYThomas NewdickNov 18, 2020ShareEnlisted Airmen Can Now Get A Taste Of Air Force Flight TrainingThe hope is that the adjustment to the Rated Preparatory Program could help address the Air Force’s longstanding pilot shortage. BYThomas NewdickNov 18, 2020ShareBYJoseph TrevithickOct 28, 2020ShareSquadron Showcases F-15E Strike Eagles Adorned With Villain-Themed Nose Art Ahead Of HalloweenThe artwork features well-known antagonists from comics, movies, and television, as well as real-life. BYJoseph TrevithickOct 28, 2020ShareBYJoseph TrevithickOct 19, 2020ShareU-2 Spy Plane Got New Target Recognition Capabilities In First-Ever In-Flight Software UpdateThe ability to generate Star Wars-themed logs of software changes was another part of the recent game-changing experiment. BYJoseph TrevithickOct 19, 2020ShareBYBrett TingleyOct 14, 2020ShareThe Military’s Puzzling Plan To Have SpaceX Deliver A C-17’s Worth Of Cargo Anywhere In An Hour (Updated)A new partnership with SpaceX and other companies could revolutionize how quickly the DoD can deliver cargo worldwide, but major questions remain. BYBrett TingleyOct 14, 2020ShareBYJoseph TrevithickOct 14, 2020ShareStormBreaker Mini Glide Bomb That Can Hit Moving Targets In Any Weather Is Ready For WarNow it has been approved for fielding, U.S. Air Force F-15E squadrons downrange will be the first to carry the precision weapons on combat sorties. BYJoseph TrevithickOct 14, 2020ShareBYJoseph TrevithickOct 12, 2020ShareBoom Rolls Out Its XB-1 “Baby Boom” Supersonic Demonstrator JetThe XB-1 will support the continued development of Boom’s Overture supersonic airliner that is slated to fly at over twice the speed of sound. BYJoseph TrevithickOct 12, 2020ShareBYJoseph 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 3, 2020ShareAir Force C-17 Launched A Pallet Of Mock Cruise Missiles During Recent Arsenal Plane TestThe test was part of a larger set of experiments centered on improving the service’s communications and data-sharing networks. BYJoseph TrevithickOct 3, 2020ShareBYThomas NewdickOct 1, 2020ShareOver A Dozen Companies Awarded Contracts For Air Force’s Skyborg Combat Drone ProgramThe U.S. Air Force is seeking to begin work on a drone using AI technologies before the end of the year. BYThomas NewdickOct 1, 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 TrevithickSep 25, 2020ShareGeneral Atomics’ Sparrowhawk Drone-Launched Drone Breaks CoverThis low-cost unmanned demonstrator could give larger drones, such as the MQ-9 Reaper, game-changing new capabilities. BYJoseph TrevithickSep 25, 2020ShareBYJoseph TrevithickSep 24, 2020ShareSAM System That Guards Washington DC Just Made Its Lowest Ever Intercept Of A Mock Cruise MissileThe National Advanced Surface to Air Missile System is critical to protecting America’s capital and surrounding areas from air and missile threats. BYJoseph TrevithickSep 24, 2020ShareBYBrett Tingley and Tyler RogowaySep 7, 2020ShareThe Air Force Just Tested “Robot Dogs” For Use In Base SecurityThe quadrupedal robots secured the perimeter of a base during a recent test of the USAF’s Advanced Battle Management System. BYBrett Tingley and Tyler RogowaySep 7, 2020ShareBYJoseph TrevithickSep 4, 2020ShareMQ-9 Reaper Flies With AI Pod That Sifts Through Huge Sums Of Data To Pick Out TargetsThe system is designed to help parse through mountains of intelligence data quickly so that operators only get data-linked objects of interest. BYJoseph TrevithickSep 4, 2020ShareBYJoseph TrevithickSep 4, 2020ShareB-52 Bombers Fly Unprecedented Patrol Along Edge Of Russian-Controlled Territory In Ukraine (Updated)American and British spy planes lurked in the Black Sea during the B-52’s highly unique visit to Ukrainian airspace. BYJoseph TrevithickSep 4, 2020ShareBYJoseph TrevithickSep 1, 2020ShareTest Aircraft Have Been Lugging DARPA’s Prototype Hypersonic Cruise Missiles AroundLive flight tests of these secretive air-breathing hypersonic weapons could be imminent. BYJoseph TrevithickSep 1, 2020ShareBYJoseph TrevithickSep 1, 2020ShareNew Mobile Operations Center Used To Support B-2 Stealth Bomber Deployment To Diego GarciaThe new deployable operations center is a key component of the Air Force’s ambitions to rapidly stage its stealth bombers at forward operating bases. BYJoseph TrevithickSep 1, 2020ShareBYJoseph TrevithickAug 31, 2020ShareRussian Su-27 Flew Into Danish Territory After Intercepting B-52 Bomber Over The Baltic SeaThe incident took place on the same day another Flanker performed an unsafe maneuver very close to a B-52 flying over the Black Sea. BYJoseph TrevithickAug 31, 2020ShareBYJoseph TrevithickAug 24, 2020ShareAir Force Wants New Ideas To Help Make It Easier For Female Fighter Pilots To Pee In FlightThe service says that women aviators are deliberately not hydrating to avoid having to go, which creates all sorts of serious risks. BYJoseph TrevithickAug 24, 2020ShareBYJoseph TrevithickAug 23, 2020ShareAir Force’s Mayhem Project Tied To Hypersonic Engines For Planes Such As The SR-72The service wants these hypersonic demonstrators to have advanced air-breathing jet engines at their core. BYJoseph TrevithickAug 23, 2020ShareBYJoseph TrevithickAug 20, 2020ShareAI Claims “Flawless Victory” Going Undefeated In Digital Dogfight With Human Fighter PilotThe virtual tournament is part of a larger US military effort to explore uses for artificial intelligence and machine learning in aerial combat. BYJoseph TrevithickAug 20, 2020ShareBYJoseph TrevithickAug 19, 2020ShareAir Force Eyes Adding Nuclear-Armed Hypersonic Boost-Glide Vehicles To Its Future ICBMsAt present, all other hypersonic weapons of this type that the US military is developing are conventionally armed. BYJoseph TrevithickAug 19, 2020ShareBYTyler RogowayAug 14, 2020SharePortland Air National Guard Base Will Be Home To The First Operational F-15EX Eagle UnitThe 142nd Fighter Wing will transition to the F-15EX after the schoolhouse in Klamath Falls receives the type. BYTyler RogowayAug 14, 2020ShareBYTyler Rogoway and Joseph TrevithickAug 13, 2020ShareThe Tragic Tale Of How NASA’s X-34 Space Planes Ended Up Rotting In Someone’s BackyardThe craft were once seen as the future of cheaper, faster space access. Since then they have been reduced to backyard junk that nobody wants to claim. BYTyler Rogoway and Joseph TrevithickAug 13, 2020ShareBYJoseph TrevithickAug 11, 2020ShareB-21 Raider Stealth Bomber Is “Starting To Look Like An Airplane”The Air Force has said that it is aiming for the prototype to take its first flight in December 2021, but that this milestone could be delayed. BYJoseph TrevithickAug 11, 2020ShareBYJoseph Trevithick and Jamie HunterAug 6, 2020ShareStealth Is Put To The Test In Huge Exercise Teaming RQ-170s, F-35s, B-2s With Other JetsThis exercise is also the first confirmation that the Air Force’s top-secret 44th Reconnaissance Squadron flies the reclusive RQ-170 Sentinel. BYJoseph Trevithick and Jamie HunterAug 6, 2020ShareBYJoseph TrevithickAug 4, 2020ShareTest Of Minuteman III ICBM With Three Reentry Vehicles Sure Seems Like A Warning To Russia (Updated)The Air Force currently fields operational Minuteman IIIs with just one warhead each to help meet international treaty obligations. BYJoseph TrevithickAug 4, 2020ShareBYJoseph TrevithickAug 3, 2020ShareThe Pentagon To Beef Up Its Posture In Poland, Add 1,000 TroopsThese developments come less than a week after the Pentagon announced it is planning to pull nearly 12,000 troops out of Germany. BYJoseph TrevithickAug 3, 2020ShareBYtyler rogoway and jamie hunterAug 2, 2020ShareLet’s Talk About The Air Force Potentially Replacing The F-15E With The F-15EXIt seems like a straightforward idea, but it would be controversial and it points to a bigger role for the F-15 in the U.S. Air Force of the future. BYtyler rogoway and jamie hunterAug 2, 2020ShareBYJamie HunterJul 28, 2020ShareNavy’s First Operational F-35C Squadron Fires Missiles As It Preps For Inaugural CruiseThe “Argonauts” have been on the road as the USS Carl Vinson readies for historic deployment. BYJamie HunterJul 28, 2020ShareBYJoseph TrevithickJul 24, 2020ShareNo, The Air Force’s Shadowy Surveillance Test Plane Wasn’t Spying On Portland ProtestersThe highly adaptable aircraft was photographed carrying a large sensor turret and a podded system. BYJoseph TrevithickJul 24, 2020ShareBYJoseph TrevithickJul 24, 2020ShareNew Details Emerge About F-15 Intercept Of Iranian Airbus Over SyriaAmerican officials now say the Iranian airliner drifted from the established air route through the area and did not identify itself when prompted. BYJoseph TrevithickJul 24, 2020ShareBYJamie HunterJul 22, 2020ShareFighter Pilots Warn Of Newly Trained Pilots’ Lack Of Actual Flying ExperienceExperienced front-line pilots have concerns about fewer hours in the cockpit and placing too much emphasis on simulator time for trainees. BYJamie HunterJul 22, 2020ShareBYJoseph TrevithickJul 22, 2020ShareTiny Missile Interceptor To Defend Aircraft Against Enemy Missile Attacks Moves ForwardThese miniature weapons could provide a robust hard-kill defensive option for everything from stealth fighters to bombers to tankers. BYJoseph TrevithickJul 22, 2020ShareBYJamie HunterJul 21, 2020ShareFully Armed Kadena F-15 Eagles Soar Over Saudi Arabia Wearing Some Awesome Nose ArtU.S. Air Force F-15 squadrons lead the way when it comes to keeping the tradition alive of painting-up their aircraft while on deployment. BYJamie HunterJul 21, 2020ShareBYJamie HunterJul 21, 2020ShareThe Time When The USAF Got Caught Trying To Sneak F-117s Through Austrian AirspaceThe clandestine stealth fighter overflight that outraged Austria in the months leading up to a second war with Iraq. BYJamie HunterJul 21, 2020ShareBYJamie Hunter and Tyler RogowayJul 16, 2020ShareF-15 Uses New Infrared Search And Track Pod To Shoot Down Target With AIM-9X SidewinderLegion Pod will enable F-15s and F-16s to detect and engage even stealthy aircraft without having to turn on their radars. BYJamie Hunter and Tyler RogowayJul 16, 2020ShareBYJoseph TrevithickJul 15, 2020ShareThe Pentagon Moves To Launch Its Own Experimental Mini Space StationThe goal is for the space-based platform to support various test, training, and other missions, possibly with humans aboard in the future. BYJoseph TrevithickJul 15, 2020ShareBYJamie HunterJul 15, 2020ShareBoeing Says India And Israel Are The Focus For Future Advanced F-15 Eagle SalesWith the Air Force contracting Boeing for as many as 200 F-15EXs, additional exports of advanced Eagles could soon follow suit. BYJamie HunterJul 15, 2020ShareBYJoseph TrevithickJul 14, 2020ShareAir Force Close To Test Firing Low-Cost Cruise Missile As Work On Swarming Munitions ProgressesThe service is developing inexpensive stand-off munitions that can be networked together and with other weapons. BYJoseph TrevithickJul 14, 2020ShareBYTyler RogowayJul 14, 2020SharePilot Ejects From F-16 During Landing At Holloman Air Force Base In New MexicoIt’s the second loss of an F-16 for the base in less than a year and comes after a string of major Air Force mishaps over the last 60 days. BYTyler RogowayJul 14, 2020ShareBYJoseph Trevithick and Jamie HunterJul 13, 2020ShareHere Is Our First Look At One Of Boeing’s New F-15EX Eagle Fighter Jets For The Air ForceAir Force just awarded Boeing a contract worth nearly $23 billion related to these aircraft, which includes the purchase of the first lot. BYJoseph Trevithick and Jamie HunterJul 13, 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, 2020ShareBYJoseph TrevithickJul 8, 2020ShareHere Are The Names Space Force Rejected In Favor Of Calling Its New Units “Deltas”America’s newest service is in the process of crafting its own identity and is choosing new naming conventions to set it apart. BYJoseph TrevithickJul 8, 2020ShareBYJoseph TrevithickJul 5, 2020ShareUnusual High-Altitude Spy Plane Appears at Special Operations ExerciseGerman company Grob only ever made five G 520s and one showed up for drills in Indiana. BYJoseph TrevithickJul 5, 2020ShareBYJoseph TrevithickJul 5, 2020ShareThe U.S. Coast Guard May Be Flying a Unique Stealthy Spy PlaneThe service’s Manned Covert Surveillance Aircraft project has connections to decades of secretive work on “quiet aircraft.” BYJoseph TrevithickJul 5, 2020ShareBYJoseph TrevithickJul 5, 2020ShareThe U.S. Air Force Almost Rented a Squadron of A-10 Warthogs to ColombiaThe Colombian Air Force was very interested in turning the tank-busting jets on rebels and drug cartels. BYJoseph TrevithickJul 5, 2020ShareBYJoseph TrevithickJul 3, 2020ShareThe U.S. Air Force’s Last Tail Gunner Has RetiredChief Master Sergeant Rob Wellbaum had been the last airman still on duty to have served as an aerial defense gunner. BYJoseph TrevithickJul 3, 2020ShareBYJoseph TrevithickJul 3, 2020ShareThese Unassuming Planes Have Been Key Players in America’s War on TerrorFor years, the U.S. Air Force’s 318th Special Operations Squadron’s small PC-12 and C-145A aircraft supported secretive operations across five continents. BYJoseph TrevithickJul 3, 2020ShareBYJoseph TrevithickJul 3, 2020ShareThe Pentagon Thought it Could Retire the U-2 in 1969Newly declassified documents show the iconic spy plane has survived attempts to send it to the boneyard for nearly fifty years. BYJoseph TrevithickJul 3, 2020ShareBYJoseph TrevithickJul 2, 2020ShareF-15EX Fighters To Get General Electric Engines Under Urgent Purchase By Air ForceThe service still plans to hold an open competition to formally decide on what engine will power the bulk of the jets. BYJoseph TrevithickJul 2, 2020ShareBYJoseph TrevithickJul 1, 2020ShareThe Air Force Almost Got A Near Hypersonic Radar Plane Killing Cruise Missile Decades AgoThe primary goal was to give bombers, such as the B-52, a means to destroy Soviet air defense sites and airborne early warning and control aircraft. BYJoseph TrevithickJul 1, 2020ShareBYJoseph Trevithick and Tyler RogowayJun 26, 2020ShareHere Are The Air Force’s Reports On Aircrew Encounters With Unidentified Flying CraftThis is what the Air Force says it has in its safety records system about the issue, but its possible, if not probable, there’s more elsewhere. BYJoseph Trevithick and Tyler RogowayJun 26, 2020ShareBYJoseph TrevithickJun 23, 2020ShareF-22 Raptors Could Become Aggressors Under Air Force’s Radical New Training PlanF-22s, which are in notoriously short supply, could perform other duties, including playing the bad guy, if new pilots needed fewer training sorties. BYJoseph TrevithickJun 23, 2020ShareBYJoseph TrevithickJun 23, 2020ShareThe USAF Is Finally Ditching The Last Of Its Cold War Revolvers For New Semi-Auto PistolsThe iconic Smith & Wesson six-shooters are still in use after more than six decades of service. BYJoseph TrevithickJun 23, 2020ShareBYJoseph TrevithickJun 19, 2020ShareRussia Sent Three Types Of Fighters To Intercept B-52s Flying Rare Mission Into Sea Of Okhotsk (Updated)The sorties into the Sea of Okhotsk come amid an increase in American and Russian aerial activity around each others’ borders. BYJoseph TrevithickJun 19, 2020Share12345…10
BYJamie HunterNov 27, 2020ShareStrike Eagle Pilot Gives A Detailed Walk Around Tour Of An F-15EVideo from the flightline at RAF Lakenheath includes details of the important relationship between the F-15E’s pilot and weapon systems officer. BYJamie HunterNov 27, 2020Share
BYBrett TingleyNov 27, 2020ShareBlasting The Air In Front Of Hypersonic Vehicles With Lasers Could Unlock Unprecedented SpeedsFor decades, the DoD has been researching a radical drag reduction technique that involves sheathing a vehicle in directed energy-induced plasma. BYBrett TingleyNov 27, 2020Share
BYJamie HunterNov 27, 2020ShareThe A-10 Warthog Is Preparing For Its Biggest Upgrade In Over A DecadeA new large-area cockpit display and additional weapons are all in the grand plans to get the A-10 ready for higher-end missions. BYJamie HunterNov 27, 2020Share
BYJoseph TrevithickNov 27, 2020ShareNew Insights Into Mysterious Soviet ‘Dome Of Light’ Phenomenon In Declassified DocumentsAir Force analysts were baffled by the massive light shows, which may have been a countermeasure against American early warning satellites. BYJoseph TrevithickNov 27, 2020Share
BYJoseph TrevithickNov 27, 2020ShareMIT Lincoln Lab’s Storied 707 Military Testbed Jet Is Now At The BoneyardFor almost 30 years, the aircraft supported a wide variety of radar, communications, and other flight test programs in cooperation with the Air Force. BYJoseph TrevithickNov 27, 2020Share
BYJoseph TrevithickNov 27, 2020ShareAll The Crazy Proposed Variants Of The B-70 Valkyrie Super BomberThe different adaptations of the B-70 included recon planes, tankers, transports, and even motherships to launch hypersonic vehicles and spacecraft. BYJoseph TrevithickNov 27, 2020Share
BYJoseph TrevithickNov 24, 2020ShareThis Is Our First Look At A B-1 Bomber Carrying A Stealthy Cruise Missile ExternallyThe Air Force hopes its B-1s will eventually be able to carry up to a dozen of the missiles, and potentially hypersonic weapons, on external pylons. BYJoseph TrevithickNov 24, 2020Share
BYJoseph TrevithickNov 19, 2020ShareNew Report On U.S. Military Aircraft Reliability Is Downright MiserableThe report provides a damning depiction of the mission-capable rates and operating costs of the Pentagon’s aircraft fleet. BYJoseph TrevithickNov 19, 2020Share
BYThomas NewdickNov 18, 2020ShareEnlisted Airmen Can Now Get A Taste Of Air Force Flight TrainingThe hope is that the adjustment to the Rated Preparatory Program could help address the Air Force’s longstanding pilot shortage. BYThomas NewdickNov 18, 2020Share
BYJoseph TrevithickOct 28, 2020ShareSquadron Showcases F-15E Strike Eagles Adorned With Villain-Themed Nose Art Ahead Of HalloweenThe artwork features well-known antagonists from comics, movies, and television, as well as real-life. BYJoseph TrevithickOct 28, 2020Share
BYJoseph TrevithickOct 19, 2020ShareU-2 Spy Plane Got New Target Recognition Capabilities In First-Ever In-Flight Software UpdateThe ability to generate Star Wars-themed logs of software changes was another part of the recent game-changing experiment. BYJoseph TrevithickOct 19, 2020Share
BYBrett TingleyOct 14, 2020ShareThe Military’s Puzzling Plan To Have SpaceX Deliver A C-17’s Worth Of Cargo Anywhere In An Hour (Updated)A new partnership with SpaceX and other companies could revolutionize how quickly the DoD can deliver cargo worldwide, but major questions remain. BYBrett TingleyOct 14, 2020Share
BYJoseph TrevithickOct 14, 2020ShareStormBreaker Mini Glide Bomb That Can Hit Moving Targets In Any Weather Is Ready For WarNow it has been approved for fielding, U.S. Air Force F-15E squadrons downrange will be the first to carry the precision weapons on combat sorties. BYJoseph TrevithickOct 14, 2020Share
BYJoseph TrevithickOct 12, 2020ShareBoom Rolls Out Its XB-1 “Baby Boom” Supersonic Demonstrator JetThe XB-1 will support the continued development of Boom’s Overture supersonic airliner that is slated to fly at over twice the speed of sound. BYJoseph TrevithickOct 12, 2020Share
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 3, 2020ShareAir Force C-17 Launched A Pallet Of Mock Cruise Missiles During Recent Arsenal Plane TestThe test was part of a larger set of experiments centered on improving the service’s communications and data-sharing networks. BYJoseph TrevithickOct 3, 2020Share
BYThomas NewdickOct 1, 2020ShareOver A Dozen Companies Awarded Contracts For Air Force’s Skyborg Combat Drone ProgramThe U.S. Air Force is seeking to begin work on a drone using AI technologies before the end of the year. BYThomas NewdickOct 1, 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 TrevithickSep 25, 2020ShareGeneral Atomics’ Sparrowhawk Drone-Launched Drone Breaks CoverThis low-cost unmanned demonstrator could give larger drones, such as the MQ-9 Reaper, game-changing new capabilities. BYJoseph TrevithickSep 25, 2020Share
BYJoseph TrevithickSep 24, 2020ShareSAM System That Guards Washington DC Just Made Its Lowest Ever Intercept Of A Mock Cruise MissileThe National Advanced Surface to Air Missile System is critical to protecting America’s capital and surrounding areas from air and missile threats. BYJoseph TrevithickSep 24, 2020Share
BYBrett Tingley and Tyler RogowaySep 7, 2020ShareThe Air Force Just Tested “Robot Dogs” For Use In Base SecurityThe quadrupedal robots secured the perimeter of a base during a recent test of the USAF’s Advanced Battle Management System. BYBrett Tingley and Tyler RogowaySep 7, 2020Share
BYJoseph TrevithickSep 4, 2020ShareMQ-9 Reaper Flies With AI Pod That Sifts Through Huge Sums Of Data To Pick Out TargetsThe system is designed to help parse through mountains of intelligence data quickly so that operators only get data-linked objects of interest. BYJoseph TrevithickSep 4, 2020Share
BYJoseph TrevithickSep 4, 2020ShareB-52 Bombers Fly Unprecedented Patrol Along Edge Of Russian-Controlled Territory In Ukraine (Updated)American and British spy planes lurked in the Black Sea during the B-52’s highly unique visit to Ukrainian airspace. BYJoseph TrevithickSep 4, 2020Share
BYJoseph TrevithickSep 1, 2020ShareTest Aircraft Have Been Lugging DARPA’s Prototype Hypersonic Cruise Missiles AroundLive flight tests of these secretive air-breathing hypersonic weapons could be imminent. BYJoseph TrevithickSep 1, 2020Share
BYJoseph TrevithickSep 1, 2020ShareNew Mobile Operations Center Used To Support B-2 Stealth Bomber Deployment To Diego GarciaThe new deployable operations center is a key component of the Air Force’s ambitions to rapidly stage its stealth bombers at forward operating bases. BYJoseph TrevithickSep 1, 2020Share
BYJoseph TrevithickAug 31, 2020ShareRussian Su-27 Flew Into Danish Territory After Intercepting B-52 Bomber Over The Baltic SeaThe incident took place on the same day another Flanker performed an unsafe maneuver very close to a B-52 flying over the Black Sea. BYJoseph TrevithickAug 31, 2020Share
BYJoseph TrevithickAug 24, 2020ShareAir Force Wants New Ideas To Help Make It Easier For Female Fighter Pilots To Pee In FlightThe service says that women aviators are deliberately not hydrating to avoid having to go, which creates all sorts of serious risks. BYJoseph TrevithickAug 24, 2020Share
BYJoseph TrevithickAug 23, 2020ShareAir Force’s Mayhem Project Tied To Hypersonic Engines For Planes Such As The SR-72The service wants these hypersonic demonstrators to have advanced air-breathing jet engines at their core. BYJoseph TrevithickAug 23, 2020Share
BYJoseph TrevithickAug 20, 2020ShareAI Claims “Flawless Victory” Going Undefeated In Digital Dogfight With Human Fighter PilotThe virtual tournament is part of a larger US military effort to explore uses for artificial intelligence and machine learning in aerial combat. BYJoseph TrevithickAug 20, 2020Share
BYJoseph TrevithickAug 19, 2020ShareAir Force Eyes Adding Nuclear-Armed Hypersonic Boost-Glide Vehicles To Its Future ICBMsAt present, all other hypersonic weapons of this type that the US military is developing are conventionally armed. BYJoseph TrevithickAug 19, 2020Share
BYTyler RogowayAug 14, 2020SharePortland Air National Guard Base Will Be Home To The First Operational F-15EX Eagle UnitThe 142nd Fighter Wing will transition to the F-15EX after the schoolhouse in Klamath Falls receives the type. BYTyler RogowayAug 14, 2020Share
BYTyler Rogoway and Joseph TrevithickAug 13, 2020ShareThe Tragic Tale Of How NASA’s X-34 Space Planes Ended Up Rotting In Someone’s BackyardThe craft were once seen as the future of cheaper, faster space access. Since then they have been reduced to backyard junk that nobody wants to claim. BYTyler Rogoway and Joseph TrevithickAug 13, 2020Share
BYJoseph TrevithickAug 11, 2020ShareB-21 Raider Stealth Bomber Is “Starting To Look Like An Airplane”The Air Force has said that it is aiming for the prototype to take its first flight in December 2021, but that this milestone could be delayed. BYJoseph TrevithickAug 11, 2020Share
BYJoseph Trevithick and Jamie HunterAug 6, 2020ShareStealth Is Put To The Test In Huge Exercise Teaming RQ-170s, F-35s, B-2s With Other JetsThis exercise is also the first confirmation that the Air Force’s top-secret 44th Reconnaissance Squadron flies the reclusive RQ-170 Sentinel. BYJoseph Trevithick and Jamie HunterAug 6, 2020Share
BYJoseph TrevithickAug 4, 2020ShareTest Of Minuteman III ICBM With Three Reentry Vehicles Sure Seems Like A Warning To Russia (Updated)The Air Force currently fields operational Minuteman IIIs with just one warhead each to help meet international treaty obligations. BYJoseph TrevithickAug 4, 2020Share
BYJoseph TrevithickAug 3, 2020ShareThe Pentagon To Beef Up Its Posture In Poland, Add 1,000 TroopsThese developments come less than a week after the Pentagon announced it is planning to pull nearly 12,000 troops out of Germany. BYJoseph TrevithickAug 3, 2020Share
BYtyler rogoway and jamie hunterAug 2, 2020ShareLet’s Talk About The Air Force Potentially Replacing The F-15E With The F-15EXIt seems like a straightforward idea, but it would be controversial and it points to a bigger role for the F-15 in the U.S. Air Force of the future. BYtyler rogoway and jamie hunterAug 2, 2020Share
BYJamie HunterJul 28, 2020ShareNavy’s First Operational F-35C Squadron Fires Missiles As It Preps For Inaugural CruiseThe “Argonauts” have been on the road as the USS Carl Vinson readies for historic deployment. BYJamie HunterJul 28, 2020Share
BYJoseph TrevithickJul 24, 2020ShareNo, The Air Force’s Shadowy Surveillance Test Plane Wasn’t Spying On Portland ProtestersThe highly adaptable aircraft was photographed carrying a large sensor turret and a podded system. BYJoseph TrevithickJul 24, 2020Share
BYJoseph TrevithickJul 24, 2020ShareNew Details Emerge About F-15 Intercept Of Iranian Airbus Over SyriaAmerican officials now say the Iranian airliner drifted from the established air route through the area and did not identify itself when prompted. BYJoseph TrevithickJul 24, 2020Share
BYJamie HunterJul 22, 2020ShareFighter Pilots Warn Of Newly Trained Pilots’ Lack Of Actual Flying ExperienceExperienced front-line pilots have concerns about fewer hours in the cockpit and placing too much emphasis on simulator time for trainees. BYJamie HunterJul 22, 2020Share
BYJoseph TrevithickJul 22, 2020ShareTiny Missile Interceptor To Defend Aircraft Against Enemy Missile Attacks Moves ForwardThese miniature weapons could provide a robust hard-kill defensive option for everything from stealth fighters to bombers to tankers. BYJoseph TrevithickJul 22, 2020Share
BYJamie HunterJul 21, 2020ShareFully Armed Kadena F-15 Eagles Soar Over Saudi Arabia Wearing Some Awesome Nose ArtU.S. Air Force F-15 squadrons lead the way when it comes to keeping the tradition alive of painting-up their aircraft while on deployment. BYJamie HunterJul 21, 2020Share
BYJamie HunterJul 21, 2020ShareThe Time When The USAF Got Caught Trying To Sneak F-117s Through Austrian AirspaceThe clandestine stealth fighter overflight that outraged Austria in the months leading up to a second war with Iraq. BYJamie HunterJul 21, 2020Share
BYJamie Hunter and Tyler RogowayJul 16, 2020ShareF-15 Uses New Infrared Search And Track Pod To Shoot Down Target With AIM-9X SidewinderLegion Pod will enable F-15s and F-16s to detect and engage even stealthy aircraft without having to turn on their radars. BYJamie Hunter and Tyler RogowayJul 16, 2020Share
BYJoseph TrevithickJul 15, 2020ShareThe Pentagon Moves To Launch Its Own Experimental Mini Space StationThe goal is for the space-based platform to support various test, training, and other missions, possibly with humans aboard in the future. BYJoseph TrevithickJul 15, 2020Share
BYJamie HunterJul 15, 2020ShareBoeing Says India And Israel Are The Focus For Future Advanced F-15 Eagle SalesWith the Air Force contracting Boeing for as many as 200 F-15EXs, additional exports of advanced Eagles could soon follow suit. BYJamie HunterJul 15, 2020Share
BYJoseph TrevithickJul 14, 2020ShareAir Force Close To Test Firing Low-Cost Cruise Missile As Work On Swarming Munitions ProgressesThe service is developing inexpensive stand-off munitions that can be networked together and with other weapons. BYJoseph TrevithickJul 14, 2020Share
BYTyler RogowayJul 14, 2020SharePilot Ejects From F-16 During Landing At Holloman Air Force Base In New MexicoIt’s the second loss of an F-16 for the base in less than a year and comes after a string of major Air Force mishaps over the last 60 days. BYTyler RogowayJul 14, 2020Share
BYJoseph Trevithick and Jamie HunterJul 13, 2020ShareHere Is Our First Look At One Of Boeing’s New F-15EX Eagle Fighter Jets For The Air ForceAir Force just awarded Boeing a contract worth nearly $23 billion related to these aircraft, which includes the purchase of the first lot. BYJoseph Trevithick and Jamie HunterJul 13, 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
BYJoseph TrevithickJul 8, 2020ShareHere Are The Names Space Force Rejected In Favor Of Calling Its New Units “Deltas”America’s newest service is in the process of crafting its own identity and is choosing new naming conventions to set it apart. BYJoseph TrevithickJul 8, 2020Share
BYJoseph TrevithickJul 5, 2020ShareUnusual High-Altitude Spy Plane Appears at Special Operations ExerciseGerman company Grob only ever made five G 520s and one showed up for drills in Indiana. BYJoseph TrevithickJul 5, 2020Share
BYJoseph TrevithickJul 5, 2020ShareThe U.S. Coast Guard May Be Flying a Unique Stealthy Spy PlaneThe service’s Manned Covert Surveillance Aircraft project has connections to decades of secretive work on “quiet aircraft.” BYJoseph TrevithickJul 5, 2020Share
BYJoseph TrevithickJul 5, 2020ShareThe U.S. Air Force Almost Rented a Squadron of A-10 Warthogs to ColombiaThe Colombian Air Force was very interested in turning the tank-busting jets on rebels and drug cartels. BYJoseph TrevithickJul 5, 2020Share
BYJoseph TrevithickJul 3, 2020ShareThe U.S. Air Force’s Last Tail Gunner Has RetiredChief Master Sergeant Rob Wellbaum had been the last airman still on duty to have served as an aerial defense gunner. BYJoseph TrevithickJul 3, 2020Share
BYJoseph TrevithickJul 3, 2020ShareThese Unassuming Planes Have Been Key Players in America’s War on TerrorFor years, the U.S. Air Force’s 318th Special Operations Squadron’s small PC-12 and C-145A aircraft supported secretive operations across five continents. BYJoseph TrevithickJul 3, 2020Share
BYJoseph TrevithickJul 3, 2020ShareThe Pentagon Thought it Could Retire the U-2 in 1969Newly declassified documents show the iconic spy plane has survived attempts to send it to the boneyard for nearly fifty years. BYJoseph TrevithickJul 3, 2020Share
BYJoseph TrevithickJul 2, 2020ShareF-15EX Fighters To Get General Electric Engines Under Urgent Purchase By Air ForceThe service still plans to hold an open competition to formally decide on what engine will power the bulk of the jets. BYJoseph TrevithickJul 2, 2020Share
BYJoseph TrevithickJul 1, 2020ShareThe Air Force Almost Got A Near Hypersonic Radar Plane Killing Cruise Missile Decades AgoThe primary goal was to give bombers, such as the B-52, a means to destroy Soviet air defense sites and airborne early warning and control aircraft. BYJoseph TrevithickJul 1, 2020Share
BYJoseph Trevithick and Tyler RogowayJun 26, 2020ShareHere Are The Air Force’s Reports On Aircrew Encounters With Unidentified Flying CraftThis is what the Air Force says it has in its safety records system about the issue, but its possible, if not probable, there’s more elsewhere. BYJoseph Trevithick and Tyler RogowayJun 26, 2020Share
BYJoseph TrevithickJun 23, 2020ShareF-22 Raptors Could Become Aggressors Under Air Force’s Radical New Training PlanF-22s, which are in notoriously short supply, could perform other duties, including playing the bad guy, if new pilots needed fewer training sorties. BYJoseph TrevithickJun 23, 2020Share
BYJoseph TrevithickJun 23, 2020ShareThe USAF Is Finally Ditching The Last Of Its Cold War Revolvers For New Semi-Auto PistolsThe iconic Smith & Wesson six-shooters are still in use after more than six decades of service. BYJoseph TrevithickJun 23, 2020Share
BYJoseph TrevithickJun 19, 2020ShareRussia Sent Three Types Of Fighters To Intercept B-52s Flying Rare Mission Into Sea Of Okhotsk (Updated)The sorties into the Sea of Okhotsk come amid an increase in American and Russian aerial activity around each others’ borders. BYJoseph TrevithickJun 19, 2020Share