Monday, March 17, 2025
End-to-end performance of the Air Force's AIM-120 Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile cannot be adequately assessed until the Defense Department’s test and evaluation facilities are improved, according to a Jan. 31 report released by the Office of the Director of Operational Test and Evaluation.
The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Joint Program Office has yet to establish a plan to test the jet's new Technology Refresh 3 software and associated Block 4 hardware upgrades, despite aircraft enabled with a truncated version of the configuration already being delivered to field units, the Pentagon's top weapons tester said in a Jan. 31 report.
Exercises intended to simulate teaming among fighter drones and manned jets are already confirming the pairing to be a "completely natural" solution to bring "unstoppable capability" to an air-to-air fight, Maj. Gen. Joseph Kunkel, Air Force director of force design, integration and wargaming, said today.
The Air Force and aerospace prime Boeing are in "active discussions" to make needed changes to the VC-25B program, the eventual replacement for presidential aircraft Air Force One, company CEO Kelly Ortberg told investors Tuesday.
The Air Force can't afford to go big on either modernization or readiness at current funding levels, creating a stalemate in which both are already being suboptimized, said Ravi Chaudhary, the now former Air Force assistant secretary for energy, installations and environment.
The Air Force's Next Generation Adaptive Propulsion program is advancing into the prototyping phase, with General Electric and Pratt & Whitney both receiving awards of up to $3.5 billion to carry-out existing contracts, the Pentagon announced Monday evening.
Boeing's Defense, Space & Security division is again anticipating negative charges in the billions as the company continues to reel from last year's International Association of Machinists work stoppage and persistent developmental delays on its firm, fixed-price programs.
The Air Force awarded Lockheed Martin a $270 million contract to enable the F-22 Raptor with next generation infrared threat detection sensors, according to a company news release issued today.
The Air Force has begun questioning industry about existing and maturing advanced propulsion capabilities to support future aircraft requirements, according to two recently released requests for information.
President Trump on Jan. 17 announced he would nominate former Space Force Lt. Col. Matthew Lohmeier to be the next Air Force under secretary.
More than a decade after the fiscal year 2013 sequestration, the Air Force's foundational accounts are still recovering from negative impacts to readiness, modernization and operations and maintenance.
Space Development Agency Director Derek Tournear has been placed on "investigative administrative leave" pending the results of an investigation, an Air Force spokesperson said today.
President-elect Trump today announced his intention to nominate Troy Meink, who currently serves as the principal deputy director for the National Reconnaissance Office, to be the next Air Force secretary.
As the Air Force surveys proposals of priority efforts eligible to receive early funding without a congressionally approved budget, outgoing service acquisition boss Andrew Hunter said in an interview yesterday he is "really excited to leverage it in our approach to tanker modernization."
The Air Force is again shifting its development and procurement plans for the T-7A Red Hawk training jet by pushing a critical milestone back one year and offering a ceiling of $250 million to address long-standing delivery delays and a need for updated capabilities, outgoing service acquisition head Andrew Hunter told Inside Defense today.
The Air Force will debut its large-scale multicombatant command REFORPAC exercise this summer in the Indo-Pacific with minimal limitations even if Congress isn't able to approve the fiscal year 2025 budget by March.
The incoming presidential administration should reconsider where it spends money and prioritize strategic locations for a fight with China rather than maintaining legacy installations that don't currently present a challenge, outgoing service Secretary Frank Kendall said today.
The Air Force’s F-15 Eagle fleet is on track to receive a fresh electronic warfare suite, the Pentagon announced Monday evening, after approving BAE Systems’ Eagle Passive Active Warning Survivability System for full-rate production.
The Air Force last month approved a plan to replace old F-15C/D Eagle jets with newer aircraft considered more combat capable at three Air National Guard squadrons, according to a record of decision posted today in the Federal Register.
The Air Force and Navy secretaries, along with commanders of the combatant commands, must take a deep look at existing inventory requirements for air-to-air missiles and consider whether to adjust acquisition plans, according to the Fiscal Year 2025 National Defense Authorization Act.