Russian aircraft have encroached on the Alaska air defense indication zone (ADIZ) four times in the last week, the head of NORAD and U.S. Northern Command noted Sept. 17, as he said he wants to ramp up his command’s training and monitoring capabilities.
Air
Lockheed Martin, having “gold-plated” its initial bid for the Collaborative Combat Aircraft program, will focus on lower cost, more attritable aircraft in its proposal for the second increment, the head of the company’s legendary Skunk Works division told reporters Sept. 17.
The Air Force is hoping to slash the cost of the Next-Generation Air Dominance fighter from hundreds of millions per copy to less than $80 million, secretary Frank Kendall said. It might be done by disaggregating the fighter’s functions and possibly making it uncrewed.
The Air Force’s top acquisition official said Sept. 16 that longstanding plans to replace the KC-135 Stratotanker refueling jet with a similar airframe hinge on the progress of the service’s search for a more futuristic tanker.
Pratt & Whitney is working with the Air Force to keep the F-22 credible beyond its previously-planned 2030 sunset by tracking parts usage to schedule maintenance only when actually needed. It's also pursuing additive parts printing as a cost-saver.
The Pentagon still believes Iran presents a threat to Israel and is determined to maintain sufficient forces in the region to deter Iranian aggression, Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III said on a visit to Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala., Sept. 13.
Thousands of Airmen are ensnared in a bureaucratic backlog that's forcing staff to handle their reenlistments manually, in some cases delaying paychecks.
As the Air Force eyes hundreds if not thousands of unmanned Collaborative Combat Aircraft to supplement its manned fighter fleet, startup Anduril offered a rare glimpse at the kind of autonomy software that could undergird CCAs—one human providing relatively simple directions for multiple “robotic wingmen” ...
The Air Force has chosen Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo., as the second Main Operating Base for the new B-21 Raider bomber. Whiteman has hosted the B-2 Spirit bomber for 31 years.