U.S. Air Force (USAF)

By Steve Trimble
A secretive DARPA office has a new project: a large hypersonic bomber prototype. The Aerospace Projects Office keeps a low profile, even by DARPA standards.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Steve Trimble
New U.S. Air Force leadership must decide the shape of the next generation of air superiority technology, with the stakes high for industry and U.S. airpower.
Budget, Policy & Operations

By Graham Warwick
Researchers appeal for new aerial gunnery requirements to unlock development of hypersonic ammunition.
Missile Defense & Weapons

By Garrett Reim
The company plans to use its capital infusion to lengthen the time its Microballoons can stay aloft.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Brian Everstine
The Block 42 F-16C, assigned to Holloman AFB, New Mexico, crashed shortly after taking off on April 30, 2024.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Garrett Reim
The startup is promoting three military uses for its short-takeoff-and-landing aircraft: tactical transportation, special ops and temporary command post.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Vivienne Machi
Blauser, who currently serves as deputy director of the U.S. Air Force’s Rapid Capabilities Office, will oversee the space procurement office.
Budget, Policy & Regulation

By Tony Osborne
Until now, the service has been tight-lipped about the role it played in defending Israel on April 14.
Budget, Policy & Operations

By Brian Everstine
The service on Feb. 4 released a solicitation to identify small UAS that can identify isolated personnel in areas where combat aircraft are denied.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Steve Trimble
The first flight milestone, announced Feb. 4, keeps the program on track to deliver the first systems near the end of this year.
Sensors & Electronic Warfare

By Steve Trimble
The release of the 2025 Marine Corps Aviation Plan clarifies the intent of a two-year-old experimental campaign involving the Kratos XQ-58A Valkyrie.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Sash Tusa
The nature of the military pilot-training market is changing, driven by the exceptionally high cost of the process.
Light Attack and Advanced Training

By Steve Trimble
The Bethesda, Maryland-based company reported a $1.3 billion reach-forward loss on a classified program within the Missiles & Fire Control (M&FC) business.
Supply Chain

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

By Bill Carey
California firefighting agencies dispatched scores of aircraft to battle wildfires in the Greater Los Angeles area.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Brian Everstine
The company on Jan. 23 announced its preliminary earnings for the fourth quarter of 2024, with total revenues of $5.4 billion and an operating margin of 41.9%.
Budget, Policy & Operations

By Brian Everstine
The delivery was the 64th for the MC-130J fleet and the 134th total number of MC-130Js, AC-130Js and HC-130Js.
Multi-Mission Aircraft

By Brian Everstine, Vivienne Machi
Survivability and increased standoff head the list of priorities for long-term Air Force modernization.
Budget, Policy & Operations

By Vivienne Machi
Derek Tournear, the director of the U.S. Space Development Agency (SDA), has been placed on administrative leave, “pending the results of an investigation.”
Budget, Policy & Regulation

By Brian Everstine, Steve Trimble
President-elect Donald Trump is poised to nominate Troy Meink, the principal deputy director of the NRO, to be the next secretary of the Air Force, Aviation Week has learned.
Budget, Policy & Operations

By Brian Everstine
Boeing F-15s are getting anti-ship standoff weapons as the Air Force looks to use machine learning to improve tracking of targets at sea.
Missile Defense & Weapons

By Robert Wall
A raid in Yemen inaugurates a new era in U.S. battlefield airborne electronic attack that may be defined by 50 years of continuous evolution.
Sensors & Electronic Warfare

By Robert Wall
The Department of the Air Force, in a report released Jan. 13 that looks at its future, paints a picture of space as becoming a cold or potentially hot battlefield.
Budget, Policy & Regulation

By Brian Everstine
The service announced Jan. 15 that it will buy four production representative test vehicles (PRTV) with fiscal 2025 research, development, test and evaluation funds.
Light Attack and Advanced Training

By Brian Everstine
Hegseth, a former Army National Guard officer turned Fox News host, has turned into one of the more controversial nominations by Trump ahead of next week’s inauguration.
Budget, Policy & Operations