A defender belonging to the 117th Security Forces Squadron guards the 117th Air Refueling Wing’s KC-135R Stratotanker fleet in March, at Sumpter Smith Joint National Guard Base, Ala. The mission of the 117th ARW is to provide worldwide air refueling, airlift, support, logistics, intelligence, and medical services in support of its community, state, and the nation. U.S. Air National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Shelby Thurman
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2025 USAF & USSF Almanac: Installations
June 20, 2025
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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
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
When Space Force leaders started talking about expanding the service early this year, the idea was simple: double the size of the force in the next five years. At AFA’s Air, Space & Cyber conference this week, officials detailed just how they’re planning to grow so much so quickly.
The Air Force’s new Collaborative Combat Aircraft will take part in their first large-force engagement exercise in December, the head of the drones’ Experimental Operations Unit said Sept. 15.
The Space Force revealed this week that it has space control weapons on orbit, but the head of U.S. Space Command said the U.S. still has “a long way to go” in improving its ability to detect and target threats in the domain.
The Pentagon announced a deal with Lockheed Martin on Sept. 17 to expand production of the AIM-260 Joint Advanced Tactical Missile, an advanced new Air Force and Navy air-to-air missile meant to equip fifth- and sixth-generation fighters.
As the Space Force prepares to field new fleets of satellites that can track moving targets in the air and on the ground, it’s working to ensure it has the organizational structures in place to onboard and operate those systems.
Lockheed Martin has unveiled its concept for a modular version of one of the Air Force’s main air-to-ground cruise missiles, opening up a range of possible upgrades and uses for the weapon.
The Air Force will consider acquiring new F-16 Fighting Falcon jets to answer capacity shortfalls in its aging fighter fleet, according to multiple people familiar with the matter. These discussions are happening as the Air Force is building its proposed fiscal 2028 budget and the five-year spending plan that goes…
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Dan Caine said the U.S. needs to prepared for future conflicts in which its adversaries will be able to closely track the location of American forces and attack with autonomous systems that use artificial intelligence.
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