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Air Force & Space Forces Almanac 2024
June 7, 2024
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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
A comprehensive look at the Air Force and the Space Force, including people, equipment, budget, weapons systems, and more.
This Almanac was compiled by Amanda Miller, Aaron M.U. Church, and the staff of Air & Space Forces Magazine. We gratefully acknowledge Air Force Public Affairs offices at headquarters, agencies, major commands, and the reserve components for their invaluable help—The Editors.
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
As the threat of Iranian-made drones grew, the Air Force rushed last year to equip F-15E Strike Eagles in the Middle East with a cheap, cost-effective way of defeating them. The service fielded the new capability in roughly a week.
An F-16 Fighting Falcon assigned to the Texas Air National Guard’s 149th Fighter Wing crashed during a training mission in Michigan on Sept. 17. The fighter's sole pilot ejected and is in stable condition at a local hospital.
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.