U.S. Air Force (USAF)

By Brian Everstine
A new U.S. Air Force unit creating a proving ground for autonomous combat aircraft hopes to take flight within the year.
Budget, Policy & Operations

By Brian Everstine, Vivienne Machi
Troy Meink, Trump's nominee for Air Force secretary, is looking to continue the service’s aircraft modernization push and increase the Space Force’s funding share.
Budget, Policy & Operations

By Brian Everstine
Boeing has been awarded an $18.2 million contract by the U.S. Air Force to mature autonomous refueling.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Graham Warwick
Funding to help modify a glider to flight test ultraquiet, electric-ducted fans has been received by Whisper Aero .
Advanced Air Mobility

By Brian Everstine
Long-standing personnel and parts shortages are sidelining aircraft as service leaders call for more funding.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Graham Warwick
Multi-feedstock SAF production tested; Australian e-aircraft programs advance; ZeroAvia to study large hydrogen UAS; Vertiport design mitigates eVTOL downwash.
Emerging Technologies

By Irene Klotz
The Falcon 9 flight rate at Cape Canaveral SFS Space Launch Complex 40 is planned to be more than doubled by SpaceX.
Launch Vehicles & Propulsion

By Brian Everstine
The Navy now has no target date for its T-45 replacement award as it continues studies for carrier landing practice.
Budget, Policy & Operations

By Steve Trimble
The U.S. Air Force’s next fighter is finally in development, with Boeing in the driver’s seat for a program with aggressive schedule and cost targets.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Brian Everstine
Secretary of the Air Force nominee Troy Meink told lawmakers the service’s fleet is “probably too small on the fighter and bomber side of the house.”
Budget, Policy & Operations

By Vivienne Machi
The USAF is debating whether to cancel a series of current and future contracts for the Space Development Agency and to use SpaceX-built assets instead.
Satellites

By Steve Trimble
Industry is being asked by the U.S. Air Force to submit ideas for a new countermeasure system that can defeat infrared-guided missiles and air vehicles.
Missile Defense & Weapons

By Graham Warwick
Sustainability and decarbonization were front and center at the two-day “Airbus Summit” held in Toulouse on March 24-25.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Brian Everstine
The service is sending students to pilot-training schools before they fly on Air Force trainers in a bid to address the lingering pilot shortage.
Light Attack and Advanced Training

By Graham Warwick
ZeroAvia and Reliable Robotics are studying the integration of hydrogen-electric propulsion onto a Cessna with automation tech to make an uncrewed aircraft.
Advanced Air Mobility

By Brian Everstine
Gen. Thomas Bussiere is expected to be nominated as the U.S. Air Force's No. 2, Aviation Week has learned.
Budget, Policy & Operations

By Michael Bruno
Boeing's win of the F-47 aircraft contract from the U.S. Air Force is already boosting sentiment in the company while rival Lockheed Martin is taking a hit.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Steve Trimble
Boeing has won a contract to develop the F-47 next-generation combat aircraft for the U.S. Air Force which throws a lifeline to the company’s struggling military aviation business.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Robert Wall
Our roundup of the main aerospace and defense stories making the news this week.
Emerging Technologies

Aviation Week Staff
Readers write about Moon and Mars dust, net-zero emissions, the race to the Moon, the U.S. airpower debate and hypersonic ammunition.
Feedback

By Steve Trimble
The discovery prompted the U.S. Air Force to pause Boeing KC-46 deliveries until the fleet could be inspected and the root cause identified.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Guy Norris
Altair’s FlightStream system is being used to perform rapid design iterations using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Graham Warwick, Ben Goldstein, Garrett Reim
The arduous timeline to certify a passenger-carrying eVTOL aircraft has forced some contenders out of the race.
Advanced Air Mobility

By Brian Everstine
The DOD is also in the midst of acting on an order from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to reallocate 8% in funding among the services to higher priorities.
Budget, Policy & Operations

By Brian Everstine
USAF and Navy leaders have pitched their future fighter plans to Trump, as the Pentagon and the administration prepare to decide how to fund procurement.
Budget, Policy & Operations