Air Force Magazine
In This Issue
Check out the March 2023 issue of Air & Space Forces Magazine
Fifth-Generation Weapons
A new generation of precision weapons is needed to enhance modern strike capability and deter potential aggressors. “We need fifth-generation weapons to go with our fifth-generation Air Force,” said Gen. Mark D. Kelly, head of Air Combat Command, in October 2021, counting such munitions among his top five priorities.
Will Ukraine Get F-16s?
Continued aggressive attacks by Russia have kept the flow of military aid from the west rising and the sophistication of the weapons on offer growing.
China Special Report: Concerns Over China Reach New Heights
USAF Bursts Chinese Surveillance Balloon, as Nation Comes to Grips With an Ever-More Assertive People’s Republic.
Autonomy, Collaboration, and Experimentation
The timeline for competition between the U.S. and China to boil over into conflict could be much closer to us than most think.
Honorary Promotions
“Tombstone promotions” first appeared at the turn of the 20th century and were not strictly honorary at their inception. Rather, these end-of-career promotions allowed officers to retire with the rank and pay of the next higher grade than the highest one they held on Active duty.
Editorial: Myth Busting
All the best satellite intelligence and ground-based radars in the world can still miss threats if they don’t know what they’re looking for.