How the Air Force Launches a 10-Ship Tanker Sortie in 24 Hours
Moving 10 tankers to refuel six C-17s en route to a paratrooper drop in Australia took nearly 24 hours of work by a team of planners at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam.
Space Force Unveils New Dress and Appearance Policy as It Preps for Fresh Uniforms
Five and a half years in, the Space Force officially has its own dress and appearance policy. But a big revamp is likely coming soon.
Air Force Lays Out Process to Dismiss Transgender Troops
The Department of the Air Force has issued new guidance laying out the steps it will take to involuntarily separate transgender Airmen and Guardians from military service.
Outside Perspectives Shape Space Force’s Top Wargame
The Space Force’s premier wargame is expanding to include more enlisted, international, and commercial perspectives. The latest iteration of the Schriever Wargame started Aug. 10 at Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala., and runs through Aug. 21.
Radar Sweep
US Is Prepared to Use Airpower to Support Planned European Force in Ukraine
The Wall Street Journal
President Trump signaled on Aug. 19 that the U.S. is prepared to use airpower to support a European security force in Ukraine but ruled out deploying American ground troops. Planning of the multination force to be sent to Ukraine if a peace settlement is reached accelerated on Aug. 19, a day after Trump discussed the idea at the White House with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and other European leaders.
Space Force Demonstrates New Protected Tactical Waveform
Aviation Week
The U.S. military recently used its new Protected Tactical Waveform to successfully demonstrate some of the key elements of the modernized anti-jam waveform, U.S. Space Force Space Systems Command said Aug. 19.
Space Force Stands Up Third ‘System Delta’ Acquisition Unit, Plans to Activate Five More in 2025
DefenseScoop
As part of its ongoing effort to reorganize its acquisition arm, the Space Force has formed another unit under its new “system delta” structure—with plans to stand up at least five more in the coming months.
NATO Beware: Drones Can’t Replace Tanks, Experts Warn
Defense News
As armies scramble to learn the lessons of the Russia-Ukraine war, one question looms above all: Have drones replaced traditional weapons such as tanks and artillery? For NATO, the implications are more than tactical.
DARPA Wants to Hook Tomorrow's Quantum Gear into Today's Networks
Defense One
If the Pentagon is to harness the promise of quantum-powered devices, it needs ways to connect them to today's data networks. But networking has been the “black sheep” of quantum research, says the leader of a DARPA program that's attempting to bridge the gaps.
Army Seeks Tech to Dominate Drone-Filled ‘Air-Ground Littoral’ Domain
Breaking Defense
The U.S. Army’s forward-thinking Futures Command has put out a request to industry for any current tech that could help the service up its game in the Air-Ground Littoral, which it describes as the increasingly drone-filled area between the ground and a “few thousand” feet up.
New Ukrainian Cruise Missile with Claimed 1,800-Mile Range Breaks Cover
The War Zone
A new cruise missile called Flamingo, which reportedly has a range of 1,864 miles (3,000 kilometers), has emerged in Ukraine and is said to have already been used to strike targets in Russia. A weapon with this range, something Ukraine has been teasing for some time now, would allow it to hold targets at risk well beyond the reach of other missiles known to be in its arsenal.
Air Force Says Jets Did Not Exceed Mach 1 in Low Passes over Chicago
Task & Purpose
The Air Force’s Thunderbirds are known for precise flying maneuvers at high speeds. But last week, Chicago residents said that the demonstration team’s jets broke windows on some local skyscrapers by breaking Mach 1 during practice flights for an airshow. The Air Force insists the F-16s flown by the Thunderbirds did not go supersonic during their flights, and therefore could not have created window-shattering sonic booms.