Air Force Magazine’s Guide to Heroes

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md.—The Department of the Air Force will be taking over the Pentagon’s prototype Joint Fires Network, or JFN, as it transitions to a fully fledged program of record, program executive officer for command, control, communications, and battle management...

The Air Force on Sept. 18 warned that a failure to pass a new budget for the federal government for part or all of fiscal 2025 could degrade military readiness and slow the arrival of critical equipment as Congress ticks toward a shutdown in less than two weeks.

NATO is testing Air Force drones like MQ-9s and RQ-4s to enhance Arctic surveillance, Gen. James Hecker, commander of U.S. Air Forces in Europe-Air Forces Africa and NATO Allied Air Command said on Sept 17. NATO is also interested in implementing capabilities akin to Ukraine's low-cost, low-altitude defense system called…

There is no timeline yet on when, if ever, trainees might be expected to bear actual weapons at Basic Military Training, the head of the 37th Training Wing said Sept. 18. But Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force David Flosi said he views that as the “desired end state.”

The Air Force and Space Force must manage tradeoffs between readiness and preparing forces as they conduct more realistic, large-scale exercises to counter high-end threats, senior leaders said Sept. 18 at AFA’s Air, Space & Cyber Conference.

The Space Force is preparing to award billions of dollars in launch contracts by the end of this year—provided Congress passes a budget. By the end of 2024, Space Systems Command wants to award a contract for the next phase of its National Security Space Launch program. It also wants…

The secretive new B-21 bomber is flying as much as twice a week in flight test at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., and ground tests of two other aircraft are also proceeding well, program officials revealed at AFA’s Air, Space and Cyber conference.

Air Force Special Operations Command will deploy some of its CV-22 Ospreys in the coming weeks after months of limited operations, its commander said Sept. 18. But even when deployed, Ospreys will be required to operate within 30 minutes of a safe landing zone—a factor that will inevitably impact operations and…

Charles Galbreath discusses how Gen. Saltzman plans to transform the Space Force into the powerhouse he wants it to be; building up manpower, adding resources, and building the bridges into allies, partners, and the Pentagon's Combatant Commands.