U.S. Air Force (USAF)

By Steve Trimble
Kratos will be ready to deliver 15-20 XQ-58 Valkyrie aircraft to customers in 2026.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Brian Everstine
Laser-guided rockets help the U.S. Air Force down drones cheaply, though pilots say it is not as easy as it looks.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Graham Warwick
After losing NGAD to Boeing, Lockheed plans to develop the F-35 to fill the gap.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Steve Trimble
A component failure and a design flaw combined to cause the loss of a Northrop Grumman B-2 bomber 2.5 years ago, a newly released accident investigation report says.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Graham Warwick
Startup VerdeGo Aero is to build the first prototype of its VH-4T-415 turbine-based hybrid-electric powerplant.
Advanced Air Mobility

By Brian Everstine
The U.S. Army is speeding up fielding of its new Integrated Battle Command System for air and missile defense in Europe.
Missile Defense & Weapons

By Steve Trimble
U.S. Air Force researchers want proposals for new automation technologies that would allow boom-equipped uncrewed aircraft to refuel crewed aircraft.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Graham Warwick
Joby-L3Harris hybrid eVTOL; low-boom X-59 taxis; Skydweller three-day flight; collaborative autonomy framework.
Emerging Technologies

By Brian Everstine
The Pentagon on July 31 awarded Lockheed Martin a $9.5 billion contract award for the two variants of its AGM-158 long-range missile.
Missile Defense & Weapons

By Brian Everstine
The U.S. Air Force’s first F-15EX unit pushes through the fighter variant’s growing pains.
Emerging Technologies

By Ben Goldstein
Reliable Robotics and the U.S. Air Force have agreed to develop an Autonomy Government Reference Architecture framework for autonomous collaborative platforms.
Advanced Air Mobility

By Brian Everstine
Aviation Week rode along on the KC-135 as it participated in the last scheduled day of flying as part of AMC’s massive Mobility Guardian 2025 exercise.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Steve Trimble
The U.S. Air Force confirmed on July 25 that it is pursuing the acquisition of a cruise missile similar to the Ukraine-bound Extended Range Attack Munition (ERAM).
Missile Defense & Weapons

By Steve Trimble
Boeing will start assembling the first of four production representative test vehicles of the T-7A Red Hawk advanced jet trainer for the U.S. Air Force.
Light Attack and Advanced Training

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

By Sash Tusa
Defunding the Boeing E-7A program would present considerable technical and operational risk for the U.S.
Budget, Policy & Operations

By Brian Everstine
The shift by the U.S. Air Force to laser-guided weapons to down relatively cheap drones was enabled by a quick-turn software update to Litening targeting pods.
Missile Defense & Weapons

By Brian Everstine
The Boeing F-47 Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) program has been set up in a way that U.S. Air Force Gen. David Allvin wishes he could have a time machine.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Christine Boynton
A planned B-52 bomber flyover that caused a SkyWest Airlines regional jet to perform a go-around near Minot, North Dakota, was operating with FAA approval.
Safety, Ops & Regulation

By Guy Norris
As Pratt & Whitney marks its 100th anniversary, Aviation Week takes a look back through its archives at some of the engine-maker’s key milestones.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Steve Trimble
As the U.S. Marine Corps aviation branch shuffles its tactical aviation force structure, the XQ-58 suddenly looms large in force structure plans.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Brian Everstine
The U.S. Air Force has set up a foreign military sales office amid some international interest in the Boeing MH-139 Grey Wolf.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Steve Trimble
A new low-cost cruise missile designed to be launched by fighters is now also on the U.S. Air Force wish list.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Brian Everstine
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. (GA-ASI) is offering a variant of its YFQ-42A collaborative combat aircraft (CCA) for potential European programs.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Brian Everstine
Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin has told Aviation Week what the U.S. Air Force learned from the unprecedented strikes by seven B-2s on Iranian targets in June.
Budget, Policy & Operations