USAF is “comfortable” with the decision to terminate the F136 alternative engine for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program, said Lt. Gen. Stephen Wood. Modern engines are so reliable that the Air Force doesn’t feel an alternate is a compelling requirement in order to guard against a fleet-grounding problem with the F135.
Air Force Global Strike Command test-launched an unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile Aug. 16, several days after delaying the test to avoid stoking tensions with China. The launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base, Calif., took place at 12:49 a.m. Pacific time. The ICBM reentry vehicle traveled approximately 4,200 miles…