MC-130J Takes Flight

April 20, 2011

Lockheed Martin announces the first flight of USAF’s MC-130J Combat Shadow II aircraft. The flight takes place from the company’s Marietta, Ga., production facility.

ARRW Flies at Hypersonic Speeds in First Successful Test

May 16, 2022

The Air Force conducted its first successful test of the Air-launched Rapid Response Weapon, or ARRW, on May 14, snapping a streak of three consecutive failed tests and giving the beleaguered hypersonics program a much needed boost. Off the coast of Southern California, the AGM-183A ARRW separated from the wing…

Air Force’s Biggest MILCON Contract Ever on Record Goes to Tyndall Rebuild

May 16, 2022

It’s been more than three-and-a-half years since Hurricane Michael pummeled Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla., severely damaging or destroying 95 percent of the base’s 1,300 structures. On May 10, the base took a major step in its long build back to become the “Base of the Future” with the awarding…

Three Air Force Academy Cadets at Risk of Not Graduating Over COVID Vaccine Refusal

May 16, 2022

A dozen Cadets from the Air Force Academy have refused to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, including three seniors who won’t be allowed to graduate unless they get the shot, a spokesman for the Academy confirmed to Air Force Magazine. USAFA’s graduation ceremony is scheduled for May 25, with Defense Secretary…

US Troops Return to Somalia as Al-Shabab Threat Increases

May 16, 2022

President Joe Biden approved a Defense Department request to return "under 500" American troops to Somalia, where the al-Shabab terrorist group has grown in wealth and influence and increased the tempo of its attacks since U.S. troops withdrew in January 2021. A senior administration official told members of the press…

Space Force to Add Three Intelligence Squadrons—‘Billets Are Already in Place’

May 16, 2022

The Space Force plans to add three new intelligence squadrons in the next two years, said Lt. Gen. Stephen N. Whiting, commander of the service’s Space Operations Command. The additions would double the number of squadrons in Space Delta 7, whose intel Guardians already work on missile warning and defense,…

Mitchell Institute’s New UAV Study Center Looks at Drones in a China Fight

May 15, 2022

Unmanned aerial vehicles and autonomous aircraft may provide a solution to operating in heavily contested domains such as the Taiwan Straits, according to a panel of expert who suggested operationalizing artificial intelligence for such purposes sooner rather than later. The group gathered virtually to help launch the Mitchell Institute for…

On NATO’s Eastern Flank, Navy Growlers Highlight Air Force’s Electronic Warfare Gap

May 13, 2022

Navy E/A-18 Growlers are conducting NATO enhanced air policing in Eastern Europe near Ukraine to show Russia that the U.S. stands ready with electronic warfare capabilities. But what the Navy is doing also highlights what the Air Force can't. Pilots from Navy Electronic Attack Squadron 134, or VAQ-134—nicknamed "Garudas"—who spoke…

Kendall Sees Room to Change Space Force FYDP—But Not F-35 Plan

May 13, 2022

The Space Force’s budget got a big bump in the Pentagon’s 2023 budget request, with a topline of $24.5 billion—36 percent more than fiscal 2022’s enacted level. And even more money in the years ahead is likely, according to Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall. If Kendall’s prediction is accurate, it…

Three Vanguards to Become Programs of Record in 2023, Air Force S&T Boss Says

May 13, 2022

Three of the Air Force’s four Vanguard programs—high-profile ventures chosen for extra investment and accelerated development—are slated to become programs of record by the end of 2023, the deputy assistant secretary of the Air Force for science, technology, and engineering told Congress. The statement seemingly affirmed the department’s approach to…

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