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 Space Force has finalized a major reorganization of its acquisition structure, creating nine mission area-focused portfolio acquisition executives with broad authority over the service’s development and procurement programs.
The Air Force has officially decided the B-21 Raider will fly with a two-pilot air crew—and it may draw from the ranks of weapon system and combat systems officers to fill those roles.
The Space Force is eyeing three key upgrades next year to its next-generation command-and-control system that will make it easier for allies to share space domain awareness data and improve collaboration and training for operators.
The Pentagon is looking for industry’s ideas for lower-cost, attritable drones that can fly in groups and take on some of the missions that MQ-9A Reapers have performed.
The Space Force has added two startup firms to its National Security Space Launch program, increasing the competitive field for “commercial-like” missions to seven providers.
Just over a year after becoming the 27th Secretary of the Air Force, Troy Meink believes he’s making progress on his top priorities—increasing Air Force readiness, modernizing its aircraft fleet, and growing the nascent Space Force. In a June 26 interview with Air & Space Forces Magazine, Meink acknowledged headwinds but said the proof of his progress is in the fiscal 2027 budget now working its…
Since U.S. Air Force Gen. Alexus G. Grynkewich became NATO’s top military officer in July 2025, the alliance has contended with Russian drone incursions and hybrid warfare against its members and Moscow’s continued aggression in Ukraine. Now the Supreme Allied Commander Europe, a career fighter pilot, is trying to guide…
The U.S. carried out a series of fresh airstrikes against Iran on July 7 as the tenuous ceasefire between the countries again broke down over disputes over the Strait of Hormuz.
As President Donald Trump and other alliance leaders gather for the long-awaited NATO summit meeting in Turkey, a pressing question is how the alliance adapts as Europe seeks to replace long-standing American air warfare capabilities.
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