U.S. Air Force (USAF)

By Matthew Jouppi
As the U.S. Defense Department prioritizes great power competition, demand for the Raptor fleet as the Air Force’s “silver bullet” air dominance force has never been greater.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Steve Trimble
The U.S. Air Force has kicked off the integration phase of the Skyborg unmanned air system (UAS) program, with several contract awards worth up to
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Irene Klotz
After a one-day delay due to poor weather, the 197-ft. (60-m) tall Atlas V lifted off from Space Launch Complex 41 at 9:14 a.m. EDT to deliver an Air Force X-37B test vehicle into orbit for a sixth mission.
Space

By Steve Trimble
The U.S. Air Force has taken the first step in an acquisition process that could lead to an air-launched hypersonic conventional cruise missile.
Missile Defense & Weapons

By Steve Trimble
The release of the second draft on April 24 by the Air Force Lifecycle Management Center moves the competition closer to a formal bidding phase scheduled to begin later this year.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Steve Trimble
Gen. Timothy Ray, the head of Global Strike command, favors a concept not based on a modification to an existing aircraft.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Lee Hudson
Boeing has installed valves on seven KC-46A Pegasus aircraft plugging the leaky fuel system the U.S. Air Force has deemed a major deficiency.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Lee Hudson
Every facet of the problem-plagued Remote Vision System will be altered by Boeing for what the U.S. Air Force is calling "RVS 2.0."
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Jen DiMascio
Made by Lockheed Martin, Space Fence is expected to vastly increase the number of objects in orbit that can be tracked from Earth.
Space Symposium

By Steve Trimble
The design of the Northrop Grumman B-21’s trailing edge has led to speculation about a high-altitude role for the secretive stealth bomber, and new U.S. Air Force statements appear to confirm that analysis.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Lee Hudson
A U.S. Air Force active duty member who works for the Defense Health Agency has tested positive for COVID-19.
Budget, Policy & Operations

By Steve Trimble, Molly McMillin
The U.S. Air Force is looking to complete the EC-37B Compass Call acquisition program in advance of a possible production line shutdown.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Steve Trimble
The first change to the aircraft removes the skin and structural material in lower lobes of the forward and aft fuselage, the Air Force said.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Lee Hudson
“Soon we will release an inaugural doctrine” for the Space Force, Air Force Secretary Barbara Barrett said March 10 in Washington.
Space

By Lee Hudson
The U.S. Space Force has a new launch goal, dubbed “Set the Pace for Space,” which aims to make launch on demand available for commercial and military customers.
Space

By Steve Trimble
Elbit Systems of America will install pylon-based infrared missile warning systems for Air National Guard F-16s.
AFA Air Space and Cyber Conference

By Steve Trimble
The five-year spending plan for the Advanced Battle Management System comes with some new and unique strings attached.
Air Warfare Symposium

By Lee Hudson
As Boeing begins to manufacture T-7A Red Hawk engineering and manufacturing development (EMD) aircraft for Air Force testing, the company still is using its two production-representative jets to collect data.
Air Warfare Symposium

By Lee Hudson
An operational flight test trainer will reside at Moody AFB in Georgia and a weapon system trainer in Kirtland AFB in New Mexico.
Air Warfare Symposium

By Steve Trimble
The U.S. Air Force decided to buy two A-29s for further experimentation after canceling a planned acquisition of up to 350 Light Air Support aircraft.
Air Warfare Symposium

By Steve Trimble
The U.S. Air Force’s fiscal 2021 budget submission shows plans to integrate Northrop Grumman APG-83 AESA radars on 330 more F-16s.
Defense and Space

By Lee Hudson
The U.S. Air Force is proposing the retirement of 13 KC-135s and 16 KC-10s in fiscal 2021, while the successor Boeing KC-46A Pegasus is not considered operationally viable.
Defense and Space

By Steve Trimble, Guy Norris
A new rendering of the Northrop Grumman B-21A released by the U.S. Air Force Jan. 31 offers a fresh perspective on the overall size and features of the highly secretive stealth bomber.
Defense and Space

By Steve Trimble
“We’re committed to see that through and see it through the right way,” new CEO David Calhoun said of the troubled tanker program.
Defense and Space

By Lee Hudson
“We have to figure out a way to mitigate the delayed fielding of the KC-46,” the head of U.S. Transportation Command says.
Defense and Space