2022 USAF & USSF Almanac: Weapons & Platforms

The U.S. military launched 21 satellites from Vandenberg Space Force Base, Calif., Sept. 10, carrying out the first phase of the Space Development Agency’s plan to put more than 100 operational “Tranche 1” data transport spacecraft in orbit over the next year.

Russian drones were shot down by NATO fighter jets over Poland, alliance officials told Air & Space Forces Magazine Sept. 10, marking the first time that allied aircraft assigned to protect the alliance’s eastern flank have used force to defend NATO airspace.

The Space Force welcomed its first officers trained in a way far different from decades of Air Force practice late last month. Eighty-four space professionals graduated from the Space Force’s first Officer Training Course on Aug. 28, a yearlong program in which Guardians were trained in all aspects of the service’s…

Audio of this article is brought to you by the Air & Space Forces Association, honoring and supporting our Airmen, Guardians, and their families. Find out more at afa.org The Space Development Agency is ready to start launching operational satellites—and...

A massive wargame this summer saw Air Force C-130 crews push their limits to haul everything from potatoes to firetrucks between small islands across the Pacific.

The Air Force awarded a prototyping contract for a successor to the GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator, the hulking munition used to destroy Iran’s deeply buried nuclear development sites this June as part of Operation Midnight Hammer. 

Derek M. Tournear, the head of the Space Development Agency that spearheaded the trailblazing push to buy and launch small satellites at a speed and scale unseen in military space circles, is departing the organization for a job in academia just before a momentous launch. 

“This much is certain: First, U.S. Air Force airpower is vital to deter adversaries and secure victory in conflict; and second, the U.S. Air Force is too small, too old, and too lacking in combat readiness to meet the nation’s security requirements. The Air Force needs decisive, insightful leadership not…

The Air Force needs a steady infusion of as much as $30 billion a year to reverse the decades of neglect that has diminished its readiness, capacity, and capability to dangerously low levels, according to a new report from the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies.