Air Warfare

Air Force official’s musings on rogue drone targeting humans go viral

A "thought experiment" from the service that went viral highlights the possible dangers that could come from giving autonomous drones too much power.

24 hours ago

Auditors: Future F-35 cooling needs unknown as DoD eyes engine upgrade

“Without defined [cooling and engine] requirements, the F-35 program is at greater risk of repeating prior missteps,” GAO said.

2 days ago

Pentagon

Air Force general set to lead Missile Defense Agency

An Air Force two-star general has been named the next director of the Missile Defense Agency, replacing Vice Adm. Jon Hill.

Auditors: Over 1 million F-35 spare parts lost by DoD and Lockheed

GAO said some defense officials believe the true amount of lost spare parts may be even higher.

4 days ago

See the tech at Malaysia’s aerospace, maritime defense expo

LIMA 2023 saw the debut of the Chengdu J-10CY single-seat aerobatics aircraft of China's August 1st demonstration team.

4 days ago

Biden picks Brown to be Joint Chiefs chairman

President Biden singled out Brown's Accelerate Change or Lose strategy as exactly what the military needs: "General, you're right on."

9 days ago

Malaysia inks light combat jet, maritime patrol aircraft deals

The largest of the contracts was a deal for 18 Korean Aerospace Industries FA-50 light combat jets.

9 days ago

Austin hopes F-16 training for Ukrainian pilots will begin in weeks

F-16 jets will bolster Ukraine in the long run but not necessarily as part of a spring counteroffensive against Russia.

9 days ago

GAO blasts T-7 delays, cites ‘tenuous’ Air Force-Boeing relationship

Boeing plans to start building T-7s before the Air Force officially orders them, but GAO worries this could lead to problems down the road.

10 days ago

Ursa Major wins Air Force contract for hypersonic, space launch engine

Ursa Major will mature two engines, one to replace Russian rocket engines for satellites and the other to support hypersonic testbeds and aerial targets.

11 days ago

An F-35A Lightning II assigned to Luke Air Force Base, Ariz., prepares to be refueled by a KC-135 Stratotanker assigned to the 161st Air Refueling Wing during a local sortie, Sept. 16, 2022. (Staff Sgt. James A. Richardson Jr./Air Force)

US Air Force wants to avoid F-35 mistakes on sixth-gen fighter

The Air Force plans to award a contract to a vendor to build its Next Generation Air Dominance fighter in 2024.

12 days ago

F-16s key step for Ukraine, but won’t be ‘game-changer,’ SECAF says

“Ukraine [will] remain an independent nation,” SECAF Kendall said. "It’s time to start thinking longer-term about what [its] military might look like."

12 days ago

The 556th Test and Evaluation Squadron completed the first round of MQ-9A Reaper ground and flight testing with the Angry Kitten ALQ-167 Electronic Countermeasures Pod at Creech Air Force Base, Nevada, in April 2023.

Fur-midable: US Air Force pairs Angry Kitten jammer with Reaper drone

Angry Kitten’s name is a brew of inside joke and design goals, and is a departure from the typically terrifying military moniker, like Hellfire or Stryker.

2 weeks ago

US Air Force plans to award Next Generation Air Dominance deal in 2024

The NGAD solicitation formally begins the process to choose a company to build the Air Force’s next advanced fighter system, which will replace the F-22.

2 weeks ago

New Zealand unveils defense budget, with Army in the lead

The government's signals intelligence agency is to receive a 25% boost in funding.

2 weeks ago

Air Force Vice Chief of Staff Gen. David W. Allvin speaks with civic leaders from South Carolina during a meeting at the Pentagon, Arlington, Virginia, June 8, 2022. The group discussed local initiatives for Joint Base Charleston. (Eric Dietrich/Air Force)

Why Gen. Allvin is the frontrunner to become Air Force chief of staff

Allvin still requires President Joe Biden's approval and Senate confirmation to become Air Force chief of staff.

2 weeks ago

US Air Force wants drone wingmen to bring ‘mass’ airpower on a budget

The Air Force plans to collect industry's ideas for creating drone wingmen and use them to flesh out how it might use collaborative combat aircraft.

3 weeks ago

The cost of Turkey’s TF-X fighter jet could rise, manufacturer says

The head of Turkish Aerospace Industries also revealed deliver timelines for the Kaan aircraft.

3 weeks ago

Permanent fighter force for Kadena still an option: Air Force general

For the Air Force, finding a way to permanently keep fighters at Kadena Air Base will require some balancing -- and negotiation with lawmakers and the DoD.

3 weeks ago

Defense News offers premier news and analysis of global air warfare programs and technologies to keep military and industry decision-makers informed.

A "thought experiment" from the service that went viral highlights the possible dangers that could come from giving autonomous drones too much power.

“Without defined [cooling and engine] requirements, the F-35 program is at greater risk of repeating prior missteps,” GAO said.

An Air Force two-star general has been named the next director of the Missile Defense Agency, replacing Vice Adm. Jon Hill.

GAO said some defense officials believe the true amount of lost spare parts may be even higher.

LIMA 2023 saw the debut of the Chengdu J-10CY single-seat aerobatics aircraft of China's August 1st demonstration team.

President Biden singled out Brown's Accelerate Change or Lose strategy as exactly what the military needs: "General, you're right on."

The largest of the contracts was a deal for 18 Korean Aerospace Industries FA-50 light combat jets.

F-16 jets will bolster Ukraine in the long run but not necessarily as part of a spring counteroffensive against Russia.

Boeing plans to start building T-7s before the Air Force officially orders them, but GAO worries this could lead to problems down the road.

Ursa Major will mature two engines, one to replace Russian rocket engines for satellites and the other to support hypersonic testbeds and aerial targets.

The Air Force plans to award a contract to a vendor to build its Next Generation Air Dominance fighter in 2024.

“Ukraine [will] remain an independent nation,” SECAF Kendall said. "It’s time to start thinking longer-term about what [its] military might look like."

Angry Kitten’s name is a brew of inside joke and design goals, and is a departure from the typically terrifying military moniker, like Hellfire or Stryker.

The NGAD solicitation formally begins the process to choose a company to build the Air Force’s next advanced fighter system, which will replace the F-22.

The government's signals intelligence agency is to receive a 25% boost in funding.

Allvin still requires President Joe Biden's approval and Senate confirmation to become Air Force chief of staff.

The Air Force plans to collect industry's ideas for creating drone wingmen and use them to flesh out how it might use collaborative combat aircraft.

The head of Turkish Aerospace Industries also revealed deliver timelines for the Kaan aircraft.

For the Air Force, finding a way to permanently keep fighters at Kadena Air Base will require some balancing -- and negotiation with lawmakers and the DoD.