All Department of the Air Force (USAF) articles
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NewsXwing lands USAF contract for autonomous cargo trials
Autonomous flight technology developer Xwing has won a 21-month contract with the US Air Force (USAF) to operate pilotless cargo trials, becoming the latest aviation start-up to partner with the US military.
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News
Joby signs $55m extension to Agility Prime contract with USAF
Electric air taxi developer Joby Aviation has disclosed a $55 million extension to its Agility Prime contract with the US Air Force (USAF) to deliver and operate up to nine of its yet-to-be-certificated aircraft.
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News
USAF adds 54 AESA radars to F-16 modernisation order
The $128 million contract adds to a similar order last November aimed at modernising the US Air Force’s fleet of multirole Lockheed Martin F-16 fighters.
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News
Northrop will supply MESA sensors to planned USAF E-7 fleet
Northrop Grumman will provide its Multi-role Electronically Scanned Array long-range sensor for the fleet of Boeing E-7 Wedgetail airborne early warning and control jets the US Air Force plans to purchase.
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News
Pacific Propeller wins ‘urgent’ overhaul work for USAF’s C-130H fleet
Washington state-based MRO provider Pacific Propeller International has received what it describes as an “urgent contract” from the US Air Force to replace propeller barrels on the service’s fleet of Lockheed Martin C-130H transports still equipped with a legacy propulsion system.
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News
Russian and American military aircraft collide over Black Sea
An uncrewed aerial vehicle from the US Air Force and a Russian fighter jet collided over the Black Sea on 14 March during what American defence officials describe as an “unsafe intercept” by Russian aviators.
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USAF favours P&W F-35 engine upgrade over adaptive-cycle engine replacement
Budget pressure and lack of buy in from other US military services led the US Air Force to abandon designs for an entirely new engine for its F-35A stealth fighters, and instead pursue a core upgrade of the existing power plant.
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US President Biden selects livery for ‘Next Air Force One’
US President Joe Biden has selected the livery of the “Next Air Force One”, the new VC-25B aircraft designated for presidential travel that is currently under construction, formally rejecting the colour scheme that had been chosen by his predecessor, Donald Trump.
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Pentagon confirms U-2 pilot’s ‘selfie’ with Chinese balloon
For the first time, the public is getting an aerial view of the mysterious Chinese balloon that transited North American airspace during the first week of February. The US Department of Defense (DoD) on 22 February released a photo of the airship – which defence officials say was a spy ...
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GE continues pushing F-35 engine replacement over upgrade
Calling its campaign to develop an adaptive-cycle engine for the fifth-generation stealth fighter a success, GE Aerospace is pushing for the US Air Force to adopt the technology, rather than opting to perform a core upgrade on the existing F-35 powerplant.
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USAF commissions study of autonomous cargo jet feasibility
California-based developer of aviation safety technologies Reliable Robotics will prepare a feasibility assessment for the US Air Force examining the potential for autonomous, multi-engined transport jets, including automations of both flight and cargo operations.
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Artificial intelligence-controlled aircraft completes combat manoeuvres in USAF test
Two artificial intelligence “agents” developed by the US military completed 17h of flight tests in December, focused on execution of advanced fighter manoeuvres such as close-range dogfighting and beyond-visual-range combat.
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News
US F-22s shoot down unidentified high-altitude object over Alaska
The Pentagon says at the direction of US President Joe Biden fighter aircraft shot down an unknown object off the coast of Alaska around 40,000ft, with military officials describing the craft as posing a hazard to commercial aviation.
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V-22s grounded over continued problems with hard clutch engagement
After the US Air Force and US Marine Corps failed to previously address the problem, the joint office overseeing the US military’s fleet of Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey tiltrotors recommended a flight restriction on the problem-plagued craft over continued issues with hard clutch engagement.
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USAF launches effort to develop stealthy air tanker
Formerly known as “KC-Z”, the programme now dubbed Next Generation Air-refuelling System seeks to deliver an air tanker capable of surviving in a contested environment by 2040.
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DARPA, Lockheed successfully test experimental hypersonic weapon
It was the second test flight of the scramjet vehicle known as the Hypersonic Air-breathing Weapon Concept, which Lockheed is developing in conjunction with the Pentagon’s secretive research branch.
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USAF orders more Boeing KC-46s, as inspectors identify more failings
The US Air Force placed an order worth $2 billion with Boeing for 15 new KC-46 air tankers, just as the Pentagon’s test office identified new faults with the troubled jet.
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News
USAF launches AI-powered airlift planning competition
The Air Force Research Laboratory digital event invites researchers from around the world to improve the planning of airlift operations using artificial intelligence-driven algorithms.
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In depth
USA must pair anti-missile systems with ‘passive’ air base defences: Rand
Hardened shelters, camouflage and widely dispersing aircraft on the ground are the most cost-effective means of increasing the resiliency of air bases against attack from advanced adversaries, according to analysis by research group Rand Corporation.
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Jolly Green II rescue helicopter records first battlefield casualty evacuation
The US Air Force’s new Sikorsky HH-60W dedicated combat search and rescue helicopter logged its first operational casualty evacuation in the Horn of Africa in December.
