A new-generation hypersonic attack weapon could be operational in 10 years or less if the Air Force chooses to pursue such a capability, according to Richard Hallion, former chief Air Force historian. Such a weapon would likely be an air-...

: Mark Lewis, former Air Force chief scientist who appeared at the hypersonics seminar with Hallion June 30 (see Hypersonic Breakthrough Coming Soon above), agreed with Hallion’s timeline for the fielding of a hypersonic missile. Lewis said hypersonic missiles—or aircraft,...

By unanimous vote, the Senate on Wednesday approved the nomination of Army Gen. David Petraeus to be commander of US and NATO forces in Afghanistan, replacing Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal who was removed last week. President Obama, who nominated Petraeus...

Army Gen. David Petraeus, newly confirmed by the Senate to head US and NATO forces in Afghanistan, said Tuesday he will review the standing rules of engagement and tactical directive governing the use of force in Afghanistan. Petraeus’ predecessor, Army...

Airmen at Vandenberg AFB, Calif., successfully fired a Minuteman III ICBM out over the Pacific Ocean during a normally scheduled flight test to assure the continued reliability and performance of the Minutemen fleet. Officials with the base’s 30th Space Wing...

Like it or not, the US is in a “hypersonic race” with other countries to develop a Mach 5-plus attack system, former Air Force chief historian Richard Hallion said Wednesday during a presentation sponsored by AFA’s Mitchell Institute for Airpower...

The Association of Old Crows on Wednesday condemned legislation being pushed by the Obama Administration to sell off up to 500 megahertz of electromagnetic spectrum for commercial wireless purposes over the next 10 years. The electronic warfare advocacy organization is concerned about the impact these handovers would have on the US military, which relies heavily on the spectrum. "[I]t is careless and short-sighted to hastily auction any military spectrum until such measures are taken to ensure that spectrum relocation does not significantly and disproportionately affect the joint warfighters who rely on the EMS to train and fight,” wrote AOC President Christopher Glaze in a letter to the Federal Communications Commission. Indeed, AOC argues that two bills now before Congress—the Radio Spectrum Inventory Act and the Spectrum Relocation Improvement Act—"will negatively affect the military services." (AOC release)

Air Force Academy officials have temporarily suspended a summer ROTC parachute program after a cadet was injured in a jump June 25. Southern Colorado’s KKTV reported Tuesday that this individual was “seriously hurt” in the incident, but was “in fair...

The Air Force on Tuesday delivered the fourth and final C-130J transport to the Royal Norwegian Air Force, thereby completing the aircraft portion of a foreign military sale to the Scandinavian ally. The handover of keys to the aircraft to...

The Euro Hawk remotely piloted aircraft on Tuesday successfully completed its maiden flight, announced Northrop Grumman. The company is supplying Euro Hawk, together with European industry partner EADS, to the German air force. The high-flying aircraft lifted off from Northrop’s...

Northrop Grumman announced Wednesday that it has delivered the first set of instructional materials needed to train pilots and aircraft maintainers at the F-35 schoolhouse opening later this year at Eglin AFB, Fla. This “courseware” of electronic materials includes the...

Air Sorties in Southwest Asia, June 26, 2010 Sortie Type OIF OEF OIF/OEF Total YTD ISR 23 57 80 11,708 CAS/Armed Recon 22 70 92 16,702 Airlift 157 157 30,328 Air refueling 47 47 7,867 Rescue 32 32 3,404 Total...