All United States Air Force articles – Page 13
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NewsPentagon releases photos of intercontinental B-1B combat mission
An unspecified number of Boeing B-1B long-range bombers flew an intercontinental combat mission from Dyess AFB in Texas to strike targets in Syria and Iraq on 2 February, as the USA began a retaliatory air campaign against militant groups involved in the deaths of three US Army personnel in Jordan.
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NewsBeta completes USAF electric aircraft test deployment
During the three months of evaluations with the US Air Force, airframer start-up Beta says one of its all-electric Alia aircraft demonstrated its ability to support a range of operations, including casualty evacuation, logistics resupply and personnel transport.
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NewsBoeing reveals flight of first production-model MH-139
Without providing a specific date, Boeing says it completed assembly of the first production-model MH-139A Grey Wolf nuclear-site security helicopter in late December, with the first flight of that aircraft following shortly after.
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NewsAdditional US manufacturers join USAF autonomous fighter effort
Three additional aerospace manufacturers – Boeing, Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman – have confirmed they will participate in a US Air Force effort to develop autonomous fighter jets known as collaborative combat aircraft.
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NewsCost overruns on B-21 development generate $1.5bn charge for Northrop
While company executives previously predicted that early stages of B-21 development and production would lose money, the substantial $1.56 billion charge from the US government related to cost overruns led Northrop to post a loss in the final quarter of 2023.
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NewsAnduril selected for USAF autonomous fighter programme
The artificial intelligence-focused defence technology start-up, which recently acquired autonomous fighter developer Blue Force Technologies, will be among five companies advancing so-called collaborative combat aircraft.
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NewsNorthrop approved to begin low-rate production on B-21
The decision comes after the first prototype of the next-generation stealth bomber has completed at least two successful flights.
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NewsB-21 completes second known test flight
The next-generation US Air Force stealth bomber being developed by Northrop Grumman made its first flight in November from a test centre in Palmdale, California.
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NewsUSAF tests rapid fighter deployment with Bahrain
Military planners at the Pentagon and regional headquarters around the world are exploring methods for maintaining the sortie generation needed to establish air superiority without relying on large, established airfields that are easier for adversaries to target – a concept known as agile combat employment.
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NewsUSAF crew ejects from B-1B in South Dakota crash
All four crew aboard a US Air Force Boeing B-1B supersonic bomber safely ejected from a crash on Ellsworth AFB in South Dakota, for which the cause is not yet known.
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NewsUS Navy expands fighter maintenance support to cover air force F-16s
Amid the ongoing retirement of older model Boeing F/A-18 strike fighters, the US Navy is using excess capacity at its fighter maintenance depots to assist the US Air Force in sustaining its Lockheed Martin F-16 jets.
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NewsUSAF tests reverse flow air refuelling using C-5M to top off KC-10
The reverse refuelling concept turns the US Air Force’s massive Lockheed Martin C-5M Super Galaxy strategic lifters into “floating gas stations”, freeing up more dedicated tanker aircraft to refuel tactical craft.
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NewsBoeing delivers two F-15EXs with two more expected by year-end
The delivery marks the third and fourth examples of the latest F-15 variant turned over to the US Air Force, which hopes to supplement its growing fleet of fifth-generation fighters.
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News‘Franken-bird’ project attempts to splice together damaged F-35s
Lockheed Martin and the US Air Force say the salvage mission represents the first-ever attempt to remove viable airframe sections from damaged aircraft and re-connect them into an airworthy jet.
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NewsUS Congress halts KC-135 replacement until USAF produces stealth tanker acquisition plan
The 2024 defence spending plan approved by lawmakers in Washington bars the US Air Force from issuing a formal strategy to phase out the ageing Boeing KC-135 tanker fleet, until the service produces an acquisition strategy for the Next Generation Air-refuelling System survivable tanker.
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NewsUS defence spending bill could expose new details of sixth-generation fighter development
Language included in the 2024 US defence spending plan will require the Pentagon to provide greater insight into how it plans to develop and field the next generation of combat aircraft, including sixth-generation fighters and autonomous support jets.
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NewsUS Congress approves nearly 12% reduction to A-10 fleet
For the second consecutive year, lawmakers who control US defence spending have approved the retirement of some Fairchild Republic A-10 attack jets, a move long-sought by US Air Force leaders.
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NewsUS grounds entire Osprey fleet following deadly crash in Japan
Both the US Air Force and US Navy say a preliminary investigation into the 29 November crash of a Bell Boeing CV-22 Osprey indicates a “potential materiel failure” caused the deadly mishap, but the underlying cause remains unclear.
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NewsBoeing no longer competing to build USAF’s new ‘Doomsday jet’
The withdrawal of Boeing from the contest to build a new airborne command centre capable of managing a nuclear exchange leaves Sierra Nevada Corporation as the only bidder to replace the current Boeing E-4B Nightwatch.
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NewsSearch crews find wreckage of US Osprey tiltrotor that crashed off Japanese coast
Dive teams have located the fuselage of a US Air Force CV-22 Osprey that crashed in water off the southern coast of Japan on 29 November, killing eight crew.