Boeing successfully conducted its first test flight of a USAF E-3 Airborne Warning and Control System aircraft equipped with Block 40/45 upgrades. Company officials say this upgrade program is the largest enhancement in the history of the Air Force’s AWACS fleet. The three-hour test flight on July 15 demonstrated the compatibility between the upgrades and the aircraft’s existing systems. Upgrades include new mission computing hardware and software, upgraded radar equipment and navigation and communications systems. Testers will be making 24 flights over the next few months.
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.