Daily Report: 8 Dead in B-52 Crash
PLUS: Streamlined Testing for the B-21 and Market Research for NGAL
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Operational Pilot Flies B-21 Bomber As Air Force Streamlines Testing
The B-21 Raider stealth bomber was recently flown, for the first time, by an operational pilot as part of its flight test process, the Air Force said June 11. And a top Pentagon official said the move to bring operational testing into the B-21 process ...
Boom Operator and F-22 Pilot Errors Combined in $10 Million KC-46 Mishap
Mistakes made by a KC-46 boom operator and an F-22 pilot combined to break off the refueling boom, leaving $10 million in damage as the boom plunged into the Atlantic Ocean, an Air Force investigation found.
Next-Gen Airlifter Could Land and Take Off from Austere Airstrips
The Air Force is offering a few early hints of what it’s looking for in its next-generation replacement for the C-5 and C-17, including the ability to fly in and out of makeshift airfields on austere battlefields.
Eight Dead in B-52 Crash at Edwards
Eight people who were aboard a B-52H Stratofortress bomber died in a fiery crash shortly after takeoff June 15 at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., the base confirmed.
Daily Report: Senators Wants USAF to Build Back MQ-9 Fleet
PLUS: Congress Pushes for More Military AI Oversight
Congress Wants Controls on How AI Is Used for Targeting and Planning
Concerned about how artificial intelligence might be used to generate target lists or operational plans, lawmakers want to expand limits on autonomous weapons to address mission planning and target selection. The House Armed Services Committee's version of the 2027 National Defense Authorization bill would direct ...
Senators Want Pentagon to Tap in to Commercial On-Orbit Data Centers
Senate lawmakers introduced a bill June 10 to require the Pentagon to consider how it might leverage the commercial space industry’s rush to build on-orbit data centers.
Senate Committee Backs Multiyear Deals for F-35, F-15EX
The Air Force would be able to sign multiyear contracts to buy F-35A Joint Strike Fighters and F-15EX Eagle II jets under the Senate’s version of a key defense policy bill.
Senators Want to Build Back MQ-9 Fleet by 2028
Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Kenneth S. Wilsbach recently called the MQ-9 Reaper the “most valuable player” of Operation Epic Fury. Now the Senate Armed Services Committee wants the Air Force to build up its Reaper fleet.
Where DAF Program Leaders Learn to Ship Software in the Age of AI
The Air Force and Space Force have it in writing: move faster on AI. The executive orders are public. The mandates have deadlines. What’s missing is how to ship AI-powered software in high compliance environments, without compromising what already works. That...
Daily Report: Lawmakers Pitch a Combatant Command for Drones
PLUS: Adversaries Exploit Location Data and Declining Readiness Rates for the F-35.
Experts: Adversaries Can Exploit App Data to Track Troops, Families
For millions of Americans, downloading smartphone apps and quickly allowing them access to the phone’s location data has become a daily routine. But for service members and their families, every download can offer U.S. adversaries a chance to threaten their personal safety, information security experts ...
Lawmakers Eye Four-Star Command for Unmanned, Autonomous Systems
The Pentagon could have the option to create a new combatant command devoted to unmanned and autonomous systems if a provision in the Senate Armed Services Committee’s annual defense policy bill becomes law. The legislation is one of several moves lawmakers have proposed in recent ...
GAO Report: Just Over One in Four F-35As Fully Mission Capable
Software shortcomings, spare parts shortages, and corrosion problems mean only about one in four F-35 stealth fighters were ready to carry out all their possible missions at any given time in fiscal 2025, according to a new Government Accountability Office report.
Lawmakers Pave the Way for Space Force to Dissolve SDA, Space RCO
Tucked into the Senate Armed Services Committee’s annual defense policy bill is the legal backing the Space Force needs to dissolve the Space Development Agency and the Space Rapid Capabilities Office as part of its acquisition reform efforts.
Daily Report: Renewed Strikes on Iran
PLUS: U-2 May Escape Chopping Block and U.S. Space Fores Korea’s New Leader
US Launches Renewed Strikes Against Iran, Vowing to ‘Negotiate with Bombs’
The U.S. resumed strikes against Iran on June 10, as President Donald Trump seeks to pressure Iran to make concessions in the stalled negotiations between the two countries.
GAO: Tanker Fleet Struggling with Readiness due to Parts Shortage, KC-46 Delays
The Air Force tanker fleet “did not meet” its availability and mission capable rate goals from fiscal 2019 to 2025, in large part because of parts shortages and delays fielding the KC-46 refueler, according to a Government Accountability Office report released June 10.
What the Space Force Is Eyeing for Its Future GPS Enterprise
After years of talking about the issue and a few fits and starts, the Space Force is refining its plans to bolster its legacy GPS architecture amid fears that its satellites and ground systems are increasingly vulnerable to threats like jamming, spoofing, and even kinetic ...