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 | June 1, 2021

Approximately $1 billion of the Space Force's $17.4 billion budget request is owed to transfers from the Army and Navy but the service is still declining to offer details on which programs will shift.

Daily News | June 1, 2021

The Air Force's fiscal year 2022 budget request includes an $885 million new start to buy commercial microelectronic items -- part of a broader Defense Department-wide investment of approximately $2.3 billion.

Daily News | June 1, 2021

The Air Force's fiscal year 2022 budget request includes $96 million to buy up to six Three-Dimensional Evolutionary Long Range Radar initial production units, indicating the program expects to award a production contract in April 2022 and anticipates the first delivery the following October.

Daily News | May 28, 2021

The Air Force has deferred near-term procurement of the MH-139 Grey Wolf due to Federal Aviation Administration certification issues, officials confirmed today.

Daily News | May 28, 2021

The Space Force is requesting $17.4 billion in fiscal year 2022 -- a $2 billion increase over FY-21, owed to investment growth and funding transfers from the Air Force, Army and Navy.

Daily News | May 28, 2021

The Air Force's $156.3 billion fiscal year 2022 budget request calls for a reduction of 206 legacy aircraft, including the A-10, F-15, F-16, KC-135 and KC-10 tanker fleets.

Daily News | May 27, 2021

A new report from the Defense Department inspector general found that inadequate testing and poor program management led to a $100 million redesign of the KC-46 tanker's boom -- one of the Category 1 deficiencies that has delayed the aircraft's operational acceptance.

Daily News | May 27, 2021

An Air Force office tasked with helping improve the cyber resiliency of weapon systems has undergone a significant reorganization over the last few years -- shifting from a siloed model to one that is integrated across the service.

The Insider | May 27, 2021

The Air Force’s Golden Horde program this week successfully completed flight tests of a modified, Boeing-built Small Diameter Bomb I, demonstrating all test objectives, including the expansion of the system's radio network to include six weapons in flight.

Daily News | May 26, 2021

Lockheed Martin this week confirmed it proposed its TPY-X radar for the Air Force's Three-Dimensional Expeditionary Long-Range Radar recompete effort and has begun work under a new integration contract the service awarded the company in March.

The Insider | May 25, 2021

The Biden administration's nominee to serve as Air Force secretary, Frank Kendall, told lawmakers today that one of the Defense Department's best options for reducing F-35 sustainment costs is to continue to buy the aircraft in sufficient quantities.

The Insider | May 21, 2021

The Air Force announced today the first operational Advanced Battle Management System capability will be communication pods installed on the KC-46 tanker that will allow the F-22 and F-35 to send and receive data to one another.

Daily News | May 20, 2021

The Air Force may update its F-35 retrofit plan to include more than 470 aircraft in low-rate initial production lots 5 through 16.

The Insider | May 19, 2021

The Defense Department has chosen five companies to prototype new attack aircraft as part of its armed overwatch program.

The Insider | May 14, 2021

The Space Force expects to release its much-anticipated satellite communications strategy this summer, according to the head of the Space and Missile Systems Center.

Daily News | May 13, 2021

Performance issues linked to one of Boeing's Air Force One suppliers will impact the program's schedule, though the Air Force has not yet determined the scope of that impact, the service's military deputy for acquisition said today.

Daily News | May 13, 2021

The head of the F-35 joint program office said today it's unlikely the program's Autonomic Logistics Information System replacement will be delivered in 2022 as planned, and he expects to have solidified a new schedule in the next six to nine months.

The Insider | May 13, 2021

The Space and Missile Systems Center's Launch Enterprise released three prototype requests this week, calling on industry to submit proposals for next-generation rocket propulsion testing, upper stage resiliency enhancements and orbital maneuvering capabilities.

Daily News | May 12, 2021

The Chief of Space Operations today revealed a once-classified Ground Moving Target Indicator satellite program, and said he sees a growing opportunity for the Space Force to contribute to the tactical intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance mission.

Daily News | May 12, 2021

The Air Force's new chief scientist brings a Silicon Valley background to the service's science and technology portfolio, and she told Inside Defense in a recent interview she plans to use her expertise in product management and acquisition to help the service accelerate change.

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