The Department of Energy’s Ames Lab, in Ames, Iowa, is working on a new high-strength aluminum alloy that could enable the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter to fly “farther and faster,” says lab officials. Researchers plan to produce about 400 pounds of the aluminum-yttrium-nickel alloy, for use in the JSF engine, over the next few months for testing. If the material performs well, it could dramatically impact the performance and efficiency of the JSF and other aircraft by greatly reducing aircraft weight, which was a particular problem for the short takeoff and landing variant of the F-35. Ames researcher Larry Jones said that Pratt & Whitney engineers estimated that replacing several components in one jet engine with the new alloy could reduce the engine’s weight by up to 350 pounds.
Air Force Conducts Test Launch of Minuteman III ICBM
May 21, 2025
The Air Force tested an unarmed Minuteman III ICBM from Vandenberg Space Force Base, Calif,. at 12:01 a.m. Pacific Time May. 21. The successful test saw the missile equipped with a single reentry vehicle travel more than 4,200 miles to strike a test site near Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall…