Atomic Boom and Bust

Air Force is 120 Airplanes Smaller Since 2020, But Fighters and Bombers Stay About Level

Nov. 24, 2021

The Air Force overall reduced its size by 120 aircraft in fiscal year 2021, but kept about the same number of fighter, bomber and attack aircraft, according to data supplied by the service. The F-35 fleet saw the biggest increase while the B-1B bomber fleet saw the largest decline.

No COVID-19 Vaccine, No PCS Moves, Air Force Says

Nov. 24, 2021

With several thousand Airmen still unvaccinated against COVID-19, the Air Force is reportedly introducing a new consequence for those without a medical or administrative exemption. Starting Nov. 29, unvaccinated Airmen will be blocked from moving to new assignments unless they are on existing PCS orders, or have been selected for…

SOUTHCOM Advances ‘Quiet Weapon System,’ Promoting Gender Equality in Regional Militaries

Nov. 24, 2021

Gen. Laura J. Richardson made history as the first woman to lead U.S. Southern Command, and the third-ever to lead a U.S. combatant command. Seeing a woman in such a senior leadership role is already having a powerful impact on female officers and enlisted personnel in regional militaries. “Everywhere we went in…

New DOD Group to ‘Synchronize’ Efforts to Track Unidentified Aerial Phenomena

Nov. 24, 2021

The Defense Department is establishing a new office to coordinate its approach to unidentified aerial phenomena, signaling the Pentagon’s increasing interest in the issue as it becomes less and less of a fringe concern.

KC-46 Weapons Systems Council Unifies Lessons Learned with USAF’s New Tanker

Nov. 24, 2021

Air Mobility Command’s KC-46 next generation refueler has been operating from five bases nationwide and for nearly two years, but lessons learned and problems encountered were not unified until a Nov. 17-18 Weapons Systems Council at McConnell Air Force Base, Kan. “The KC 46, being a new platform, it did…

AFRL Wants to Capture College Creativity in Maturing AI for Autonomous Systems

Nov. 24, 2021

An $88 million deal with the University of Dayton will hopefully “add a unique fresh look” at maturing artificial intelligence for Air Force autonomy applications. The agreement between the Air Force Research Laboratory and the university—a program called Soaring Otter—expands on what Kelly Miller of the AFRL Sensors Directorate characterized…

Average Age of USAF Aircraft Drops Slightly, But Eight Fleets Now Exceed 50 Years Old

Nov. 23, 2021

Purchases of new F-35 fighters, KC-46 tankers, and C-130 transports in recent years have made only a small dent in the age of the Air Force’s fleet, down to 29.1 years across all types after hitting 30.55 years in 2020. But the service operates eight fleets exceeding an average of…

Upgraded Missile Warning Satellites Come ‘Another Significant Step’ Closer to Reality

Nov. 23, 2021

The Space Force’s “go fast acquisition” of three new missile warning satellites passed a system-level critical design review Oct. 28 that judged how the satellites and associated ground systems will work together and how the new equipment will work with existing missile warning systems. The satellites are designed with “improved…

Data Hackathons to Help Expand Digital Engineering in the Testing Community

Nov. 23, 2021

So-called “hackers” from three commands competed in a hackathon Nov. 1-5 to help the Air Force Test Pilot School figure out how to manage stores of data in an expansion of digital engineering. Now the Air Force Test Center plans to stage quarterly hackathons with the next goal “to not only…

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