JOINT REGION MARIANAS HEADQUARTERS, Guam—New missile threats from China coupled with the strategic importance of Guam are heightening the urgency for new defensive systems to protect the island, said Gen. Kenneth S. Wilsbach, commander of Pacific Air Forces. Guam is just a speck in the ...
Air
The Air Force’s plans to divest a sizable chunk of its F-22 fighter fleet has run into its biggest hurdle yet, as the House Armed Services Committee’s mark of the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act would prohibit any such retirements and establish a minimum fleet ...
In early June in the skies above Cannon Air Force Base, N.M., a KC-46 Pegasus from the 349th Air Refueling Squadron and a CV-22 Osprey from the 20th Special Operations Squadron came together, marking the first ever aerial refueling by a KC-46 of a CV-22 ...
JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii – Six years ago, agile combat employment (ACE), the Air Force concept of operating at dispersed and austere bases, was a PowerPoint presentation advocated for by Pacific Air Forces leadership. Now, as the concept nears Initial Operational Capability (IOC), adding new ...
Joint bomber exercises between China and Russia in May were a sign that China supports the Russian military and the two nations have some degree of interoperability, but quick intercepts by U.S. Pacific allies were an important demonstration, Pacific Air Forces (PACAF) Commander Gen. Kenneth ...
After years of blocking the Air Force from retiring A-10 attack aircraft, the Senate Armed Services Committee will allow the service to proceed, but not with a new initiative to retire older F-22 Raptor air superiority jets. It also agreed to add seven more jets ...
ANDERSEN AIR FORCE BASE, Guam—Amid 4,400 acres of jungle terrain on the northern plateau of Guam, new construction is underway to add storage for standoff munitions and to better prepare the Air Force to meet the rising threat posed by China. The new standoff weapons ...
The Stand-in Attack Weapon is to be a pathfinder system in two ways, industry and Air Force officials said. The SiAW will both open a corridor through enemy air defenses and potentially create a new way of buying weapons. The Air Force is looking for ...
The services may want to pause buying the F-35 fighter until the Block 4 version is available and possibly curtail the program from reaching planned buys, House Armed Services chairman Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.) told defense reporters. Meanwhile, lawmakers should take a hard look at ...
