Fresh off the first combat deployment of its new EA-37B, the Air Force is nearly doubling the planned number of new electronic attack jets and projecting more than $3 billion in spending on the program in the next five years.
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Air Force fighters, tankers, and intelligence aircraft contributed “defensive overwatch” for the U.S. military effort to guide commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, senior officials said.
The Air Force said May 4 it has approved the T-7A Red Hawk trainer aircraft to move into low-rate production and awarded Boeing a $219 million contract to start building the first 14 production jets.
The Air Force is planning to spend $2.19 billion over the next five years to acquire new C-37 jets for transporting military and civilian leaders. That’s on top of another $1.17 billion in projected funding for the VC-25B “Air Force One” replacement.
The Air Force expects to start modifying its first B-52H Stratofortress bomber with new engines and other upgrades later this year, following the successful review of the Commercial Engine Replacement Program’s design.
The Air Force wants to spend more than a half billion dollars through 2031 on a new protection system designed for cargo and refueling aircraft that features onboard sensors and weapons to track and take down enemy missiles and drones.
Research and development spending on the Air Force’s sixth-generation F-47 fighter and its advanced propulsion system is expected to peak in 2028 before dropping in the following years, according to Air Force budget documents.
The Air Force has finished modifying and testing the new VC-25B Bridge aircraft that will serve as a temporary Air Force One, the service announced May 1. All that’s left now is to finish painting the jet before it starts flying this summer.
President Donald Trump’s administration sent a batch of three-star Air Force nominations to Congress for approval on April 30, including a new superintendent for the U.S. Air Force Academy and the next commander of Air Mobility Command, officially pushing that job down to a three-star ...