All Department of the Air Force (USAF) articles – Page 6
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NewsF-35As drop inert B61-12 nukes in step toward operational certification
Two Lockheed Martin F-35A stealth fighters recently dropped inert B61-12 nuclear gravity bombs over Tonopah Test Range in Neveda as part of the type’s first full weapon system demonstration.
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Vanilla UAV claims world record eight-day flight without refuelling
Platform Aerospace’s Vanilla unmanned air vehicle (UAV) completed an eight-day 50 minute and 47 second flight on 2 October at Edwards AFB in California.
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Stratolaunch wraps critical design review, aims for hypersonic flight test in 2022
The Mojave, California-based company plans to use its massive, six-engined Roc aircraft as a launch platform for hypersonic vehicles and missiles.
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Raytheon flight tests loyal wingman UAV software
Raytheon has conducted a flight test during which a human operator controlled three autonomous unmanned air vehicles simultaneously using manned-unmanned teaming software.
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Boeing wins multibillion dollar contract to sustain global C-17 Globemaster III fleet
The US Air Force has awarded Boeing a multibillion-dollar contract to sustain the worldwide fleet of C-17 Globemaster III strategic transports over the next 10 years.
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DARPA’s HAWC scramjet missile goes hypersonic in successful test
The free flight test of the missile is the first time the US government has successfully launched a scramjet hypersonic vehicle since 2013 when the Boeing X-51 flew 240s, the record for longest air-breathing hypersonic flight.
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Rolls-Royce wins $2.6bn re-engining contract for B-52H Stratofortress
The US Air Force has awarded Rolls-Royce a $2.6 billion contract to replace the engines on its Boeing B-52H Stratofortress bomber fleet.
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USAF prepares to test adaptive engines from GE, P&W
The US Air Force plans to start testing adaptive engine prototypes from GE Aviation and Pratt & Whitney in early fiscal year 2022.
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Raytheon unveils compact, half-priced gallium nitride AESA radar
Lower-cost, smaller AESA radars are a critical enabling technology for several aircraft types, including ”attritable” unmanned air vehicles and light-attack aircraft. Both types have emerged in recent years as low-cost solutions for aerial combat.
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First USAF F-35As stationed in Europe due at RAF Lakenheath in December
The US Air Force’s first Lockheed Martin F-35A stealth fighters to be permanently stationed in Europe are expected to arrive at RAF Lakenheath in the UK this December.
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US Air Force considers buying the E-7 Wedgetail
The US Air Force (USAF) is considering the Boeing E-7 Wedgetail to replace its fleet of Boeing E-3 Sentry Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft.
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Red 6 to install augmented reality headset in multiple T-38 jets
Start-up Red 6 has won a contract to install its augmented reality headset into multiple US Air Force (USAF) Northrop T-38 Talon jet trainers.
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JASSM-ER launch from MC-130J to help prove ‘Rapid Dragon’ pallet concept
Lockheed Martin plans to demonstrate the ability to launch a Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile-Extended Range (JASSM-ER) from the back of an MC-130J transport by the end of the year, as it works to develop a palletised launch system called ‘Rapid Dragon’.
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USAF reveals that five, not two, B-21 test aircraft in production
The secretary of the US Air Force (USAF) has disclosed that five test examples of the Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider stealth bomber have entered production at Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, California.
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Retire old aircraft or risk losing to China: USAF secretary
Frank Kendall, secretary of the US Air Force (USAF), says local politics threaten to weaken the air force by burdening it with outdated aircraft.
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USAF secretary asks ‘hard questions’ of Advanced Battle Management System
Secretary of the US Air Force Frank Kendall is forcing a reassessment of one of the service’s highest development priorities, its Advanced Battle Management System (ABMS), after asking “hard questions” of the imagined battlefield network and receiving “answers that weren’t that good”.
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Lockheed Martin unveils ‘LMXT’ in-flight refuelling tanker
Lockheed Martin has unveiled its bid for the US Air Force’s KC-Y in-flight refuelling tanker programme: the LMXT.
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General Atomics eyes Arctic Circle operations with MQ-9A ‘Big Wing’ demo
As global warming melts Arctic Ocean ice pack, leaving more open water for transit by Chinese and Russian ships, Washington is looking for new ways to keep an eye on the frigid region. One possibility: unmanned air vehicles that can keep watch from above.
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AFSOC aims to design, build and fly amphibious C-130 in 17 months
The US Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) plans to design, build and fly an amphibious retrofit kit for the Lockheed Martin MC-130J in 17 months.
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Lockheed agrees to $30,000 per flight hour cost for F-35A by FY2023
The F-35 Joint Program Office has awarded Lockheed Martin a sustainment contract for the F-35 that commits the company to reduce the operating cost of the stealth fighter to $30,000 per flight hour by fiscal year 2023, down 10.7% from FY2020.
