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
In September, the Air Force celebrates its 70th year as an independent armed service, having previously been a branch of the Army. After a history arguably dating back to the American Civil War, the Air Force in 1947 began a new story of development and achievement under its own banner.
In the story available through link at the top right button on this page, we have selected 70 photographs representing the Air Force’s history and evolution, one for each year. They comprise leaders, acts of heroism, aircraft, missiles, tragedies, victories, and successes of many kinds.
It would be impossible to select the most important Air Force mission, person, or feat in any given year, nor is it feasible to represent in 70 pictures the more than 300 USAF career specialties or the hundreds of types of aircraft and other weapon systems it has operated. Rather, these images, taken collectively, are meant to illustrate and illuminate 70 years of progress, struggle, and accomplishment.
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
Three of four congressional committees with influence over defense policy have voted to change the official name of the Department of Defense to the Department of War—but final approval of the Pentagon rebrand is months away and not yet assured.
The Marine Corps has accepted six F-35B jets with ballast rather than radars in their nose cones—and the Air Force and Navy will have to do likewise later this year.
The Space Development Agency last year quietly canceled plans to launch 11 satellites mean to conduct communications experiments in low-Earth orbit, Air & Space Forces Magazine has learned.
Current and near-term Chinese artificial intelligence capabilities could counter or replicate how the U.S. military plans and conducts operations, especially complex strike packages such as those seen recently in Iran, according to a new think tank report.
President Donald Trump’s administration is asking Congress for an extra $21 billion to boost munitions stockpiles, $17.3 billion to pay for operational costs from the conflict with Iran, and $4 billion for high-priority Space Force programs, according a June 24 supplemental funding request.
Air Force plans to increase flying hours and to improve parts availability took a hit June 24 as the House Appropriations Committee approved a spending bill cutting back both initiatives.
The Space Force selected Boeing to extend the life of its narrowband satellite communications program, awarding the company $2 billion to build two satellites.
President Donald Trump has nominated 20 Air Force brigadier generals for another star, according to a June 22 Pentagon announcement, including the heads of recruiting, ICBM acquisition, and a top training center.
The Pentagon is asking to shift money from the Navy’s E-2D Hawkeye and classified Air Force accounts to fund a $1.55 billion spending plan for its revived E-7 Wedgetail program in fiscal 2027, according to budget amendments submitted to Congress last week.
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