The Air Force’s latest accounting of its personnel shows that, as of Aug. 31, the service has 346,166 active duty members, comprising 71,691 officers and 274,475 enlisted airmen. Its civilian force has 145,620 employees, the majority (76.1 percent) of whom are “white collar” employees. Women make up nearly 20 percent of the service’s active duty airmen. For more raw numbers, read here.
‘Angry Kitten’ EW Pod Tested on Search-and-Rescue HC-130
April 17, 2026
The Air Force recently tested its “Angry Kitten” electronic warfare pod on an HC-130J during Exercise Bamboo Shield, showing the pod can turn the rescue platform into a command-and-control node and protect it from enemy radars.The tests follow what could be the pod’s first use in combat after it was…