From left to right, a U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor and F-16 Fighting Falcon, French Air and Space Force Dassault Rafale and Airbus A400M Atlas, a German Air Force Eurofighter Typhoon, a U.S. Marine Corps F/A-18 Hornet, a U.S. Air Force F-35A Lightning II, and a German Air Force PA-200 Tornado, fly in formation during Arctic Defender 24 at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, July 8, 2024. Arctic Defender is a German Air Force-led exercise that provides a unique opportunity to integrate various forces into joint, coalition and multilateral training from simulated forward operating bases and is part of several exercises under Pacific Skies 24. Pacific Skies is a combination of several exercises in the Indo-Pacific theater in which German, French and Spanish air forces participate with U.S. forces. U.S. Air Force photo Senior Airman Julia Lebens
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2026 USAF & USSF Almanac
June 19, 2026
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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
For more than 50 years, our annual Almanac of the Air Force (and since 2020, the Space Force) has compiled data on the people, weapons, programs, and budgets of the Air Force, Space Force, and Department of Defense. We draw data from multiple sources, including Air Force and Space Force Public Affairs, Department of Defense documents, Congress and reports to Congress, Major Commands, and more.
This comprehensive, unclassified review of Air Force and Space Force data depends on the cooperation of the military services, and we gratefully acknowledge that support. We would be remiss, however, if we did not acknowledge that some data was withheld this year:
Mission Capable Rates for USAF aircraft
Pilot Training Hours
Aircraft Inventory by Major Commands
Average age of aircraft by Major Command
Demographics—Sex, ethnicity, race, and education—for general officers in the Active Air Force and Space Force
Demographics—Sex, ethnicity, race, and education—for all ranks in the Air National Guard
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 Air Force plans to buy up to 11,200 copies of the Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile and its anti-ship variant over the next five to seven years, a dramatic increase in production for the critical long-range cruise missiles
The Space Force has partnered with the the National Reconnaissance Office to get started on key intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance programs but is starting to take more ownership of those efforts, an arrangement the nominee to serve as the next NRO director said is a “lesson in good government.”
Northrop Grumman is deep into testing two upgrades for the F-16 as the Air Force looks to keep the fourth-generation fighter ready for the future fight, company officials told reporters this week.
The Space Development Agency announced contracts worth $1.75 billion to build 36 satellites in support of the Pentagon's Golden Dome missile defense shield.
The Air Force’s “software sold separately” plan to buy critical autonomy software decoupled from the physical air vehicle for its nascent Collaborative Combat Aircraft fleet could help the drones evolve quickly, foster competition, and avoid vendor lock-in, experts and service officials told Air & Space Forces Magazine.
Boeing’s MQ-28 Collaborative Combat Aircraft worked with multiple F-35 variants and battle management aircraft during a recent major Pacific exercise, the contractor announced this week.
F-22 Raptors that had been stationed in the Middle East arrived in England on July 10, the latest batch of U.S. warplanes to leave the region despite ongoing tensions with Iran.
The Air Force and Space Force want approval from Congress to shift more than $900 million in fiscal 2026 funds to cover higher-than-expected personnel costs.
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