Friday, April 19, 2024
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.
A new report from the Government Accountability Office highlights roadblocks to developing alternate positioning, navigation and timing capabilities and recommends the Defense Department do a better job of coordinating authorities, increase its focus on resiliency and clarify PNT requirements.
The Air National Guard's 174th Attack Wing is demonstrating a suite of new MQ-9 capabilities that could change the way it flies the Reaper.
The Air Force will try again this year for congressional approval to divest a portion of its RQ-4 Global Hawk fleet, service leaders told lawmakers today.
The Air Force expects a nomination "shortly" for an assistant secretary for space acquisition, and service leaders told lawmakers this week they may request a legislative change that would allow a confirmed nominee to be given service acquisition executive authorities within the Space Force before October 2022.
The Space Force today released a vision document describing its plans to become a digital service and outlining four areas where it intends to focus its investment: digital engineering, headquarters, operations and workforce.
The Air Force flew the Skyborg's autonomy core system for the first time last week during a two-hour-long test flight at Eglin Air Force Base, FL.
The chief of the National Guard is meeting today with Air Force and Space Force officials to discuss recommendations for a Space National Guard.
A group of 132 House lawmakers have reiterated their support for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, sending a letter to House Appropriations and Armed Services committee leadership advocating for continued investment in procurement and sustainment costs amid increased scrutiny of the program's performance.
The Air Force has awarded Raytheon a $228 million contract for the GPS IIIF Operational Control Segment.
The Defense Department is conducting a business case assessment to better understand its options for long-term sustainment of the F-35 and plans to release its findings this summer.
Welcome to today’s Space Briefing -- a biweekly roundup of the latest national security space news.
The projected launch timeline for the Air Force Research Laboratory's Navigation Technology Satellite-3 has been pushed from 2022 to 2023 due to a schedule change from the program's rideshare partner.
The Air Force Research Laboratory's Space Vehicles Directorate recently convened a cislunar stakeholders meeting, aimed at bringing government space agencies together to coordinate activities centered on cislunar space capabilities.
Chief of Space Operations Gen. John Raymond has approved the design plan for a new Space Warfighting Analysis Center, which will lead force design efforts within the new Space Force.
Two top Democrats on the House Armed Services Committee said this week they won't support any proposal to add F-35s to the Defense Department's fiscal year 2022 budget request, suggesting the practice -- which has become tradition over the last seven years -- has harmed the program and contributed to the services' mounting sustainment costs.
The Government Accountability Office is recommending the Air Force reconsider its F-35 requirements, including the number of aircraft it plans to buy, in light of concerns around long-term affordability.
The F-35 program executive officer told House lawmakers today the program has implemented a "strategic pause" in its transition away from the Autonomic Logistics Information System, driven by "underestimated complexity" and a significant research and development funding reduction in fiscal year 2021.
The Space Force wants to expand its use of commercial services beyond satellite communications to other mission areas, including remote sensing and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance.
The head of the Space Development Agency said this week he expects the Defense Department's fiscal year 2022 budget request will support the funding needs forecasted in FY-21 without any "significant reshuffling."
The director of the Space Development Agency said today the organization is considering alternatives to the Space Force's National Security Space Launch contracting mechanism for its Tranche 1 satellites, saying it's not clear whether NSSL-class rockets will meet its future needs.