The F-22 Combined Test Force at Edwards AFB, Calif., has completed another first by flying an F-22 Raptor armed with the newest—as yet unfielded—AIM-120D Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile. The Edwards crew was checking noise and vibration effects on the missile. The AMRAAM is still under development at Eglin AFB, Fla. The Raptor CTF is helping Eglin develop the weapon, said Capt. Jason Armstrong, a 411th Flight Test Squadron armament engineer. The new D model of the missile has a newer navigation system that could react differently to “vibro-accoustics,” so test engineers are checking in actual flight the modeling and assumptions generated by missile-maker Raytheon.
House, Senate Unveil Competing Proposals for 2026 Budget
July 11, 2025
Lawmakers from the House and Senate laid out competing versions of the annual defense policy bill on July 11, with vastly different potential outcomes for some of the Air Force’s most embattled programs.