The Air Force wants Raytheon and Northrop Grumman to compete for a contract to upgrade the Boeing F-15E Strike Eagle radar system with an active electronically scanned array, according to Flight International. Raytheon upgraded 18 of USAF’s F-15Cs with the APG-63 and recently won a contract to upgrade Navy F/A-18E/F aircraft. Currently, USAF is considering whether to add AESA radar to Air National Guard F-15Cs to aid them in homeland defense against cruise missiles. (DR, 9/19/05)
Happy Birthday US Air Force: 78 Today
Sept. 18, 2025
Seventy-eight years ago today, on Sept. 18, 1947, Supreme Court Chief Justice Fred Vinson swore in Stuart Symington as the first ever Secretary of the Air Force, and the Air Force officially became the first new military service since the Revolutionary War.