Blackbird Sighting

Blackbird Sighting

Aug. 18, 2009

Earlier this month, airmen at Edwards AFB, Calif., towed the SR-71A Blackbird that is part of the Air Force Flight Test Center Museum at Edwards over public roads to the base’s corrosion control facility for some primping. This SR-71, serial number 17955, will have its sun-damaged paint redone by expert craftsmen in time for the air show and open house at Edwards in October. (Edwards report by Leonard Moore)

New Jersey F-16s Lend Their ‘Voice’ to Popular Flight Simulator

April 25, 2025

F-16s assigned to the New Jersey Air National Guard will live forever in the popular video game Microsoft Flight Simulator, thanks to an audio producer who records aircraft sounds to help make virtual flight as realistic as possible.

Air Force Futures Boss Leans Toward ‘Low End’ CCA in Next Increment

April 24, 2025

The Air Force is leaning toward a less-sophisticated autonomous aircraft in the second increment of the Collaborative Combat Aircraft, the services chief futurist said. He also suggested that the next increment of CCA may be air-launched, a la the "Rapid Dragon" experiments conducted by the service in recent years.

SDA Hires an Integrator to Keep Its Next Satellite Tranche on Schedule

April 24, 2025

After the first tranches of its ambitious low-Earth orbit constellation faced production and supply chain issues that delays launches, the Space Development Agency is trying something new for its next round of satellite procurement. The agency awarded a $55 million contract to SAIC on April 22 for “system engineering and integration…

USAF Doubles Down on More F-16 Fighters near North Korea

April 24, 2025

The U.S. Air Force will ramp up its fighter presence near North Korea by sending more than two dozen additional F-16s and 1,000 Airmen from Kunsan Air Base to Osan Air Base, South Korea.

What a ‘Ferrari’ Version of the F-35 Might Look Like—and What the Pentagon Thinks

April 24, 2025

Lockheed Martin's suggestion to upgrade the F-35 with technologies developed for the F-47 Next-Generation Air Dominance fighter could come in a number of areas, several of which are already in hand.

Acting Pentagon CIO Signing Off on New, Faster Cyber Rules for Contractors

April 23, 2025

A new fast-track approval process for software on Defense Department networks will use AI tools to radically shorten a process that currently takes months or years, Acting Pentagon Chief Information Officer Katie Arrington said April 23.

C-17 Refuels Off a Commercial Tanker for First Time in AMC History

April 23, 2025

Air Mobility Command, responsible for the Air Force’s airlift and tanker fleets, got some refueling help of its own from a commercial provider for the first time earlier this month. The milestone came when a KDC-10 tanker owned by Omega Air Refueling passed fuel onto a C-17 over California on April 10.

Dozen F-16s Join Back-to-Back Exercises with the Philippines

April 23, 2025

A dozen F-16s from Misawa Air Base are joining back-to-back exercises across the Philippines’ vast archipelago, including the northernmost major island less than 200 miles from Taiwan.

Air Force MAJCOMs, Given New Guidance, Pull Back on Family Days

April 23, 2025

When acting Air Force Secretary Gary A. Ashworth rescinded service-wide “Family Days” last week citing the need to build readiness, he left it up to commanders, directors, and supervisors to decide if they would still permit extra days off. Here’s how Air Force major commands are taking that guidance.

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