Sara Sirota

Sara Sirota was an associate editor for Inside the Air Force until April 2021. Previously, she reported for The Hill and The Cazenovia Republican. She has a master's degree in security studies from Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service and a bachelor's degree in political science from Colgate University.

Connections
Archived Articles
Daily News | July 16, 2020

The 16th Air Force has reached full operational capability to target adversaries the government says are interfering in the U.S. electoral process, stealing intellectual property and posing other threats in the "information environment."

The Insider | July 15, 2020

The Air Force has completed captive-carry flight tests of the Gray Wolf cruise missile prototype aboard an F-16 and intends to perform the first live release later this summer.

The Insider | July 14, 2020

The Air Force has officially canceled its program to recapitalize the two OC-135B aircraft that perform observation flights in support of the Open Skies Treaty mission, according to a notice released to industry today.

Daily News | July 14, 2020

House lawmakers are proposing a $170 million cut to the Air Force's fiscal year 2021 funding request for the Long Range Standoff Weapon and are recommending a study into the government's backup plans if the new cruise missile's warhead faces a production delay.

The Insider | July 13, 2020

House appropriators are so frustrated with the Pentagon's brazen disregard for lawmakers' oversight authorities when realigning congressionally allocated funds that they're rejecting the Air Force's proposal to consolidate its budget accounts for science and technology research.

Daily News | July 10, 2020

The Air Force expects to announce an "initial set of awards" for the Skyborg Prototyping, Experimentation and Autonomy Development program next week, according to a service spokesman.

Daily News | July 10, 2020

A House panel is criticizing the Air Force's management of its hypersonics prototyping program -- pointing to skyrocketing costs and poor budget planning as evidence of the military's broader lack of discipline executing Middle Tier Acquisition authorities.

Daily News | July 9, 2020

House appropriators are recommending cutting most of the fiscal year 2021 funding the Air Force proposed for Advanced Battle Management System on-ramp events while also criticizing the service's nontraditional execution of the program.

Daily News | July 9, 2020

Air Force testers are developing a first-of-its-kind, systematic approach to guide experimentation with artificial intelligence and autonomous airborne vehicles and fill a need within the defense community for a set of principles for officials evaluating these new technologies.

Daily News | July 7, 2020

The House Appropriations defense subcommittee’s mark of the fiscal year 2021 defense spending bill would fully fund KC-46 tanker procurement, add money to maintain the MQ-9 Reaper production line and support the Space Force’s three requested National Security Space Launch services.

Daily News | July 6, 2020

Air Force operational testers are starting to execute a new, iterative cybersecurity process that, once transitioned to the acquisition community next year, will enable program managers to evaluate vulnerabilities throughout the lifecycle of their weapon systems.

Daily News | July 2, 2020

The Air Force has awarded another 18 companies indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contracts each worth up to $950 million to share technologies that enable joint all-domain command and control.

Daily News | July 2, 2020

The Air Force's nascent DevSecOps initiative is giving warfighters modern software development services while tapping into the private sector's data analytics, artificial intelligence and other advanced technologies to build more virtual-friendly weapon systems and operations.

Daily News | July 1, 2020

The Air Force is asking lawmakers to approve a funding transfer to support additional production efforts for general purpose bombs and integrate counter-small unmanned aerial system software into enterprise systems.

Daily News | June 29, 2020

An upcoming military exercise in Europe could give the Air Force's Advanced Battle Management System team and industry suppliers another opportunity to demonstrate maturing technology and leave-behind capabilities for warfighters.

Daily News | June 26, 2020

The House Armed Services Committee is proposing a major reduction to the Air Force's desired fiscal year 2021 budget for the Advanced Battle Management System -- the service's flagship program to achieve joint all-domain command and control.

Daily News | June 25, 2020

The Senate Armed Services Committee wants to realign the Air Force's fiscal year 2021 tactical missile procurement budget to buy more anti-ship weapons and boost the service's classified research funding to continue maturing advanced air-to-air capabilities.

Daily News | June 25, 2020

The Senate Armed Services Committee's mark of the fiscal year 2021 defense policy bill recommends authorizing an extra $65 million to fund the Air Force's scramjet-powered hypersonic missile program at a higher development level that could bring the system closer to operational use.

The Insider | June 24, 2020

The Senate Armed Services Committee wants to give the Air Force an additional $128 million for low-cost attritable aircraft technology and is calling on the service to come up with a plan to advance the program.

Daily News | June 23, 2020

The MQ-9 Reaper and E-3G Airborne Warning and Control System are among the aerial assets slated to participate in the next Advanced Battle Management System on-ramp, according to an Air Force official.

Not a subscriber? Sign up for 30 days free access to exclusive, behind-the-scenes reporting on defense policy and procurement.