U.S. Air Force (USAF)

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.

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.”

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.

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.

Sustainability and decarbonization were front and center at the two-day “Airbus Summit” held in Toulouse on March 24-25.

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.

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

Gen. Thomas Bussiere is expected to be nominated as the U.S. Air Force's No. 2, Aviation Week has learned.

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.

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.

Our roundup of the main aerospace and defense stories making the news this week.

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

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.

Altair’s FlightStream system is being used to perform rapid design iterations using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations.

The arduous timeline to certify a passenger-carrying eVTOL aircraft has forced some contenders out of the race.

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.

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.

The Third Multi-Domain Task Force is also pressing for additional long-endurance uncrewed aircraft systems.

The information call came in response to a Joint Urgent Operational Need, a designation that allows new systems to be fielded within two years.

The president’s vision of a comprehensive homeland defense system faces questions over how the project should be led in development and commanded in operations.

Ahead of the first flights of Anduril and General Atomics prototypes, the Air Force has yet to clarify requirements for future uncrewed systems.

The service’s long-term goal is to replace both the C-32A and C-40B/C executive transports with a single platform.

The USAF wants to evaluate how the ALQ-167 Angry Kitten pod can support larger Fairchild Republic A-10s and mobility aircraft, including the Lockheed C-130.

The House on March 11 approved a CR to keep the government funded through Sept. 30.

The goal is to find a replacement for legacy platforms that are too expensive and cumbersome to develop.