2024 USAF & USSF Almanac: Air Force Wings

What the Wars in Gaza and Ukraine Are Teaching the US About Logistics

Sept. 21, 2024

Hamas’ deadly attack on Israel nearly one year ago caught the world by surprise—including Gen. Jacqueline D. Van Ovost, the U.S. military’s top logistics officer. But the Oct. 7 crisis, which spiraled into a war now on the cusp of its second year, illuminated fresh lessons in emergency response and…

AFSOC Boss Sees New Uses for Light Armed Overwatch Planes

Sept. 20, 2024

Air Force Special Operations Command will find ways to use the OA-1K Armed Overwatch plane in great power competition, commander Lt. Gen. Michael E. Conley said this week, amid questions about the fleet’s size and utility in a changing strategic environment.

Lockheed Quietly Delivered 1,000th F-35 in July; Clearing Full Backlog May Take 18 Months

Sept. 19, 2024

It'll take up to 18 months for Lockheed Martin to deliver the 100 or so F-35s that went directly from production line to storage, awaiting the completion of Tech Refresh 3 testing. Customers haven't complained about the order in which the backlog is being delivered.

PACAF Looks to Australia, Japan for Battle Management Help as It Waits for Wedgetail

Sept. 19, 2024

PACAF commander Gen. Kevin Schneider wants the new E-7 Wedgetail "sooner rather than later" and plans on leveraging Australia's E-7s and Japanese E-2s for a smooth transition. Schneider also says air domain awareness should be a layered solution, stressing ground-based capabilities.

Here’s How a Continuing Resolution Could Hurt the Air Force in 2025

Sept. 18, 2024

The Air Force on Sept. 18 warned that a failure to pass a new budget for the federal government for part or all of fiscal 2025 could degrade military readiness and slow the arrival of critical equipment as Congress ticks toward a shutdown in less than two weeks.

USAF Experiments with Drones to Better Monitor Russia in the Arctic

Sept. 18, 2024

U.S. Air Forces in Europe is testing more uses for drones to extend its Arctic surveillance, emphasizing that while sharing information might be “the easiest and cheapest” option, it’s far from enough, its leader said.

New B-21 Bomber Now Flying Up to Twice a Week

Sept. 18, 2024

The secretive new B-21 bomber is flying as much as twice a week in flight test at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., and ground tests of two other aircraft are also proceeding well, program officials revealed at AFA’s Air, Space and Cyber conference.

AFSOC Will Deploy Ospreys in ‘Weeks,’ But Full Fleet Readiness Is Still Months Away

Sept. 18, 2024

Air Force Special Operations Command will deploy some of its CV-22 Ospreys in the coming weeks after months of limited operations, its commander said Sept. 18. But even when deployed, Ospreys will be required to operate within 30 minutes of a safe landing zone—a factor that will inevitably impact operations and…

USAF Leaders: Pilot Shortage Requires ‘Holistic,’ Analytical Solution

Sept. 17, 2024

Holistic approaches, rather than individual good ideas, will help mitigate the Air Force's chronic pilot shortage, panelists said at AFA's Air, Space & Cyber conference.

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