Courtney Albon

Courtney Albon was senior editor for aviation and space at Inside Defense until December 2021. She covered the Air Force since 2012, reporting largely on space programs and fighter aircraft acquisition, development and budget from inside Capitol Hill, the Pentagon, and from military installations around the United States. Courtney previously worked as a general assignment reporter at The Ashland Times-Gazette in Ashland, OH, covering education and local government. She graduated from American University in 2008, where she studied journalism and sociology.

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Archived Articles
Daily News | July 26, 2021

Lockheed Martin told investors today it took a $225 million hit in the second quarter of 2021 on a classified aeronautics development program.

Daily News | July 23, 2021

The Senate Armed Services Committee's version of the fiscal year 2022 defense policy bill moves to expand the role of the future space acquisition executive to give them authority that stretches across the Defense Department space architecture.

Daily News | July 22, 2021

Senate authorizers passed a defense policy bill this week that would restrict a portion of the Air Force's proposed fiscal year 2022 aircraft retirements, add funding for fighter aircraft procurement and modernization, and block the service from developing a bridge tanker until the KC-46 remote vision system is fully operational.

Space Briefing | July 22, 2021

Welcome to today’s Space Briefing -- a biweekly roundup of the latest national security space news.

Daily News | July 22, 2021

The Space Force is soliciting prototype proposals for a new deep-space radar capability and aims to award a contract for the first radar site by the end of this year.

The Insider | July 20, 2021

The Air Force released a request for information Monday for the bridge tanker, seeking companies who can deliver 140 to 160 commercial derivative aircraft to supplement its aerial refueling fleet by 2030.

The Insider | July 19, 2021

The Space Force will meet with industry next month to discuss "innovative acquisition strategies" for future National Security Space Launch missions and to inform the planning process for the next phase of Launch Service Procurements.

The Insider | July 16, 2021

The Biden administration announced today it will nominate Andrew Hunter to serve as the Air Force's next acquisition executive.

Daily News | July 14, 2021

Pratt & Whitney is pitching a set of F135 engine upgrade options for the Joint Strike Fighter the company says could save the government billions in future sustainment costs and provide the engine performance needed to support Block 4 capabilities.

Daily News | July 13, 2021

The head of the F-35 joint program office said today the program expects to finalize a new schedule estimate for the completion of the Joint Simulation Environment and the remaining slate of operational test events in August, informing a new program baseline and a long-awaited full-rate production decision.

The Insider | July 13, 2021

The head of Air Mobility Command has approved the use of the KC-46 centerline drogue system for operational missions -- part of an interim capability release strategy to make the tanker more available for joint taskings.

Daily News | July 12, 2021

After estimates by the Pentagon's cost assessment office and the Government Accountability Office warned of possible delays and cost growth to the Next-Generation Overhead Persistent Infrared system, House appropriators are calling for a thorough review of the program and its strategy to mitigate risk.

Daily News | July 9, 2021

Concerned about what they view as slow progress by the Space Force on standing up an alternative acquisition system, House appropriators are calling on the service to move quickly to implement reforms and to identify a space acquisition and integration chief.

Space Briefing | July 8, 2021

Welcome to today's Space Briefing -- a biweekly roundup of the latest national security space news.

Daily News | July 8, 2021

The Defense Department is requesting congressional approval to shift $120 million in "bridge funding" to keep the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter's Continuous Capability Development and Delivery effort on track until fiscal year 2022 funding is appropriated.

Daily News | July 7, 2021

Air Force officials told the Government Accountability Office in a recent report the service's only options for significantly reducing F-35A sustainment costs are to reduce the number of aircraft it plans to buy or make cuts to its flying-hour program.

Daily News | July 6, 2021

The Space Force will unveil its first force design later this year, which will focus on options for a missile warning architecture that extends to multiple orbits.

Daily News | July 1, 2021

In the lead up to the flight test phase of a major F-35 technology refresh, the joint program office and Lockheed Martin are closely tracking schedule risk and have developed a slate of trade-off options should the effort face additional delays over the next year.

Daily News | June 29, 2021

The chairman of the House Armed Services Committee today showed support for directing the Air Force's investment in advanced engine technology for the Next-Generation Air Dominance program toward a new engine for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.

Daily News | June 25, 2021

As the Air Force continues to focus its Advanced Battle Management System investment on capability development over experimentation, the service is beginning to craft a plan for the second capability release, which program officials say will aim to improve the command-and-control process for U.S. Northern Command's homeland defense mission.

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