Shelley K. Mesch

Shelley K. Mesch joined Inside Defense as an Air Force reporter in 2022. She had previously reported on business, technology and innovation at The Salt Lake Tribune and the Wisconsin State Journal.

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Archived Articles
Daily News | July 22, 2022

The new commander of the 16th Air Force, Lt. Gen. Kevin Kennedy, said collaboration and partnerships across the service, joint forces and with industry will be key focuses of his tenure.

Daily News | July 20, 2022

Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall this week laid out what he sees as the service's top modernization priorities as he prepares the fiscal year 2024 budget request, the first spending plan to be fully developed under his leadership.

The Insider | July 20, 2022

The Defense Department inspector general will begin this month evaluating the certification of three aircraft to carry the B61-12 nuclear bomb, the office announced Monday.

Daily News | July 19, 2022

The Senate Armed Services Committee in its defense policy bill would limit the number of outdated command-and-control aircraft the Air Force is allowed to retire unless the service meets requirements designed to bridge the capability gap.

The Insider | July 18, 2022

The Hypersonic Air-breathing Weapon Concept successfully completed its third test earlier this month, according to the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency announced today.

The Insider | July 18, 2022

The Air Force Research Laboratory requested information from businesses for small unmanned aerial systems to be used for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance and supplement kinetic strike, according to an online posting Monday.

The Insider | July 15, 2022

The Government Accountability Office has been directed to review and report on the status of Defense Department hypersonic programs, per an amendment to the fiscal year 2023 defense policy bill passed in the House this week.

The Insider | July 13, 2022

The Air Force successfully tested the Air-launched Rapid Response Weapon for a second time Tuesday, the service announced today.

Daily News | July 12, 2022

Industry leaders say the Pentagon needs to do more to ensure the smaller businesses that have won Advanced Battle Management System contracts are able to scale developments to solve the military’s problems while still meeting their own economic needs.

Daily News | July 8, 2022

The Air Force is seeking information on how capable industry would be in manufacturing air-breathing engines for hypersonic weapons, according to online documents.

Daily News | July 8, 2022

The Air Force's central hub for electromagnetic spectrum capabilities ran a successful flight demonstration of two of its key programs for real-time software integration on existing platforms.

Daily News | July 5, 2022

The microchip producer for the Air Force's Small Diameter Bomb II extended its manufacturing end date by four months as the service continues negotiating to obtain all of the needed chips that will integrate military-code GPS onto the bomb.

The Insider | June 30, 2022

The Air Force's Rapid Sustainment Office is seeking industry feedback for advanced manufacturing to reduce sustainment and operational costs along with improving mission readiness.

Daily News | June 28, 2022

The Air Force will stand up its first University Affiliated Research Center focused on tactical autonomy, which will be awarded to a historically black college or university, the service announced Monday.

The Insider | June 27, 2022

BAE Systems received an 18-year, $12 billion contract to continue supporting the Air Force’s Intercontinental Ballistic Missile inventory, the company announced Monday.

The Insider | June 27, 2022

The Air Force demonstrated its new beyond line-of-sight communication system for the B-52 bomber last week, moving one step forward in an upgrade officials say is vital.

Daily News | June 23, 2022

The House Armed Services Committee has passed a fiscal year 2023 defense authorization bill that would order several studies on and limitations of Defense Department efforts to modernize the nuclear triad.

Daily News | June 22, 2022

The House Appropriations defense subcommittee won’t “rubber stamp” nuclear modernization spending proposed by the Air Force, according to a report accompanying the subcommittee’s fiscal year 2023 defense spending bill.

The Insider | June 7, 2022

The House Armed Services cyber subcommittee is calling for a Government Accountability Office review of the Air Force's modernization efforts for Link 16.

Daily News | May 26, 2022

The National Nuclear Security Administration will not be able to meet demands for plutonium pit production within the timeline called for by Congress, the Energy Department's Under Secretary for Nuclear Security Jill Hruby recently told Congress.

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