U.S. Air Force (USAF)

By Steve Trimble
U.S. Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall on May 2 flew on a highly modified version of the Lockheed Martin F-16 that was operated by an artificial intelligence (AI) agent.
Budget, Policy & Operations

By Brian Everstine
The U.S. Air Force wants its new command focused on modernization to begin this work this year.
Budget, Policy & Operations

By Graham Warwick
Founded in 2019, MightyFly says it is the first developer of large autonomous cargo eVTOL aircraft to receive an FAA flight corridor approval.
Advanced Air Mobility

By Brian Everstine
The first two operational F-15EXs will deliver eight months later than expected due to problems with Boeing in-sourcing forward fuselage production.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Graham Warwick, Joe Anselmo
Our roundup of the main aerospace and defense stories making the news this week.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Brian Everstine
The U.S. Army plans to begin acquisition of a new counter uncrewed aircraft system (UAS) for the Middle East.
Missile Defense & Weapons

By Brian Everstine
The U.S. Marine Corps is in the study phase of its collaborative combat aircraft (CCA) effort.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Ben Goldstein
Reliable Robotics has completed a road map that outlines how KC-135 Stratotankers can be automated.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Brian Everstine
Collaborative Combat Aircraft and Survivable Airborne Operations Center selections favor private companies as major primes set sights on larger awards.
Budget, Policy & Operations

By Brian Everstine
The V-22 Program Office is starting a new study looking at long-term modernization of the tiltrotor.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Brian Everstine
The U.S. Air Force expects to field more than 100 Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) under the first phase of the program.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Brian Everstine
The U.S. Air Force has declared a Nunn-McCurdy cost breach for its Boeing MH-139 Grey Wolf helicopter program.
Multi-Mission Aircraft

By Matthew Jouppi
Lockheed’s road map to victory provides clues for the sixth-generation combat aircraft program.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Steve Trimble
PACAF officials decided that the situation demanded some operational creativity.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Graham Warwick
Joby Aviation has rolled the second production prototype electric vertical-takeoff-and-landing air taxi off its pilot line in Marina, California.
Advanced Air Mobility

By Mark Carreau
John Bailey, a 25-year veteran of NASA Stennis Space Center operations, has been named director of the Bay St. Louis, Mississippi-based rocket engine test facility.
Space

By Brian Everstine
The U.S. Air Force has awarded Sierra Nevada Corp. (SNC) a $13 billion contract for its Survivable Airborne Operations Center (SAOC).
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Brian Everstine
The U.S. Air Force announced April 24 that it selected General Atomics and Anduril to continue designs for the first phase of its CCA program.
Army Aviation Association of America

By Steve Trimble
A series of proposed upgrades, including manually foldable winglets, could slash the fuel consumption of the four-engine KC-135 tanker by 12-14%.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Steve Trimble
A reusable hypersonic Next-Generation Responsive Strike prototype could be commissioned by the end of the decade.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Brian Everstine
Anduril and General Atomics Aeronautical Systems will continue to design the first increment of the collaborative combat aircraft (CCA) for the U.S. Air Force.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Steve Trimble
The prospect of scaling up the use of contracted refueling services could hinder Air Mobility Command’s ability to complete proficiency and combat training.
Multi-Mission Aircraft

By Steve Trimble
A lack of funding is putting pressure on USAF plans to field an advanced new tanker in the 2030s and limiting upgrades for a follow-on purchase of KC-46As.
Multi-Mission Aircraft

By Steve Trimble
Air Mobility Command plans to complete a year-long analysis in the hopes of resolving several fundamental questions about the U.S. Air Force’s next tanker.
Multi-Mission Aircraft

By Steve Trimble
Lockheed Martin has announced a $100 million reach forward loss on an early production lot of a classified missile program with a fixed-price contract.
Missile Defense & Weapons