Life or Death Over Yemen: How 2 F-16 Pilots Survived a Houthi SAMbush
About 15 seconds separated F-16 “Wild Weasel” pilots Lt. Col. William “Skate” Parks and Maj. Michael “Danger” Blea from life or death in the night skies over Yemen.
Last A-10 to Leave Depot, Maintenance Squadron to Deactivate
The Air Force will send off its final A-10 Thunderbolt II from depot maintenance this month and deactivate the unit that performs overhauls, upgrades, and rebuilds on the venerable close air support jet.
DARPA’s New X-Plane: Meet the X-68A LongShot Drone
The Air Force has a new X-plane: The X-68A LongShot from General Atomics is an air-launched drone intended to carry additional air-to-air munitions. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has been developing LongShot since 2021, and announced on Feb. 17 that flight testing could begin “as early as the end of 2026.”
Boeing Adds Production Line to Boost Space Force’s Missile Warning Push
Boeing announced Feb. 20 it has opened a new production line dedicated to building electro-optical infrared sensors for the Space Force and other customers.
DIU Eyes First Launch for Its Commercial Hypersonic Testbed
The Defense Innovation Unit is gearing up for the first flight of its commercially developed hypersonic testbed as soon as the end of February—part of a larger project to quickly increase the cadence of the Pentagon’s hypersonic flight testing and field advanced, high-speed systems and components at scale.
Radar Sweep
US Military Strikes Another Alleged Drug Boat in Eastern Pacific, Killing 3
The Associated Press
The U.S. military said Feb. 20 that it has carried out another deadly strike on a vessel accused of trafficking drugs in the Eastern Pacific Ocean. U.S. Southern Command said on social media that the boat “was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations.” It said the strike killed three people.
Air Force to Approve T-7 Trainer Production Within Days
Breaking Defense
The Air Force is preparing to declare its T-7 Red Hawk training jet ready for production in days, following years of delays, an Air Force official overseeing the program told Breaking Defense in an exclusive interview.
All Eyes on Air Force Leaders After a Year of Chaos and Change
Defense One
Last March, the customarily lively halls of the Air Force's largest warfighting conference felt more like a ghost town. Military attendance at the Air & Space Forces Association’s Warfare Symposium just outside of Denver had dwindled after a travel ban was put in place to curb federal spending. Air Force initiatives aimed at competing with China were frozen by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. ... Now, as the conference returns to Colorado this week, all of that has changed.
Space Force’s Role in Iran, Venezuela Raids Fueling Push for More Resources
DefenseScoop
Space Force Guardians provided critical support during high-profile U.S. military operations in Iran and Venezuela—experience that underscores the need for additional resources to prepare the service for future conflicts, a senior official told DefenseScoop in an exclusive interview.
Inside Iran’s Preparations for War and Plans for Survival
The New York Times
In early January, as Iran faced nationwide protests and the threat of strikes by the United States, the nation’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, turned to a trusted and loyal lieutenant to steer the country: Ali Larijani, the country’s top national security official. Since then, Mr. Larijani, 67, a veteran politician, a former commander in the Revolutionary Guards Corps and the current head of the Supreme National Security Council, has effectively been running the country.
F-16s Heading to Middle East Equipped with Angry Kitten Electronic Warfare Pods
The War Zone
A group of Block 52 F-16CJ Vipers belonging to the South Carolina Air National Guard was recently spotted heading east across the Atlantic as part of a huge build-up of U.S. forces ahead of potential strikes on Iran. Each of the Vipers was notably seen carrying an Angry Kitten pod, a new electronic warfare system that helps defend against anti-air threats, and that may now be headed for its first use in real combat.
The US Is Hunting the Shadow Fleet. This Is What It’s Up Against.
The Wall Street Journal
Layers of Western sanctions and a recent rash of ship seizures represent the toughest suite of measures brought to bear against the so-called shadow fleet of vessels smuggling illicit oil across the globe.
Forthcoming US Arm Sales Changes Leave Unanswered Questions
Breaking Defense
When US President Donald Trump issued a new executive order on foreign arms sales two weeks ago, he ordered the Defense, State, and Commerce Departments to conduct a series of reviews, with the goal of a large-scale restructuring of how America sells weapons abroad. But it also left industry and analysts with a myriad of questions about the long-term ramifications on international sales.
Joe Scott Is Out as Air Force Basketball Coach. The School Was Investigating His Treatment of Cadets
The Associated Press
Joe Scott is out as the Air Force basketball coach, the academy said on Feb. 20, a month after he was suspended pending an investigation into his treatment of cadets. The school said it was “a mutual parting of ways.” Assistant coach Jon Jordan had been serving as the interim coach.
