Several lawmakers on the House Armed Services Committee were disappointed in their effort to force the Air Force into a competition for its KC-Y "bridge tanker." Their proposed amendment failed to make it into the committee’s markup of the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act. The panel ...
Air
The Air Force is trying to strike a balance between fight-tonight readiness and future capabilities, and the current situation offers the most favorable conditions to focus more on investment, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. said in a think-tank presentation. “This ...
JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii—Just behind the F-22 maintenance shop at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, a tall chain-link fence blocks access to a lengthy roadway leading to 13 sunshades, each standing more than 30 feet high. Their corrugated metal roofs protect both maintainers and ...
The new “Splinter” camouflage on F-35s assigned to aggressor duty at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., shouldn't negate or interfere with their low observability, meaning they can truly play the role of a stealthy sparring partner for USAF fighters, according to a Nellis spokesperson. The ...
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 ...
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 ...