Air Force’s Experimental Ops Unit Flies and Maintains Anduril CCA
The Air Force put its semi-autonomous Collaborative Combat Aircraft in the hands of operators, not just engineers or test pilots, for a groundbreaking exercise last week.
Space Force Kicks Off Effort to Build Airborne Targeting Satellites by Selecting Vendor Pool
The Space Force has selected an initial pool of vendors that will compete to build sensors and satellites that track airborne targets, as Pentagon officials push to transform the capability from a prototyping effort to an operational one.
Air Force Seeks $3.2 Billion Plus-Up to Improve Aircraft Readiness
The Air Force is asking Congress for an additional $3.2 billion for spares as part of a larger push to increase aircraft readiness, Vice Chief Gen. John D. Lamontagne told Congress on April 15.
Air Force Recruits Most New Airmen Since 2004, Making Goal Early
The Air Force achieved its goal of recruiting 32,750 Active-Duty enlisted Airmen for 2026 five months ahead of schedule, military officials said this week—its biggest recruiting year in more than two decades.
Air Force Seeks Massive Budget Boost for Fund That Helps Manage Spare Parts
The Air Force is asking Congress for a major infusion of cash into a little-known fund that manages spare parts In its 2027 budget request, as the service focuses on improving aircraft readiness.
Boeing, Millennium Roll Out Mid-Sized Satellite amid Space Force Production Push
Boeing and its subsidiary Millennium Space Systems are rolling out a new mid-class satellite bus they say will provide commercial and defense customers flexibility at a time when the Pentagon is pushing for more production and speed.
Extra $475 Million Puts Hypersonic Interceptor Program Back on Track
A recent injection of $475 million has reversed delayed delivery timelines for the Pentagon’s hypersonic missile interceptor by several years, Air Force Lt. Gen. Heath Collins, director of the Missile Defense Agency, told congressional leaders in an April 15 hearing.
Radar Sweep
US Military Will Target Iran-Linked Ships Worldwide, Broadening Scope Beyond Blockade
The Associated Press
The U.S. military has widened its efforts beyond the blockade of Iran’s ports to allow its forces around the world to stop any ship tied to Tehran or those suspected of carrying supplies that could help its government, from weapons to oil, metals, and electronics.
US Launches ‘Operation Economic Fury’ to Obstruct Iran’s Revenue Streams amid Blockade
DefenseScoop
The United States’ naval blockade of maritime traffic entering and leaving Iranian ports is disrupting Iran’s sea-based economic trade, according to senior defense officials who said April 16 that at least 13 ships have retreated and turned back since the military operation was initiated on April 13.
Trump Says Israel and Lebanon Have Agreed to a Ceasefire
POLITICO
Israel and Lebanon have reached a ceasefire, President Donald Trump announced on Truth Social on April 16, after Israel’s continued bombing of its neighbor emerged as a major sticking point in U.S. talks with Iran over the broader conflict.
Russian Strikes Kill at Least 18 in Biggest Barrage on Ukrainian Cities in Months
The New York Times
Russia launched a vast missile and drone attack across Ukraine overnight and early April 18, killing at least 18 people and destroying any thought that the temporary Easter truce announced by President Vladimir V. Putin meant anything more permanent.
A Private Equity Billionaire Mounts His Biggest Takeover Yet: the Pentagon
The Wall Street Journal
On Wall Street, Steve Feinberg had a well-oiled sales pitch for investors thinking of betting billions on his corporate turnarounds. Now the Pentagon’s No. 2 official, the former private-equity boss faces the biggest sell of his career: persuading Congress to bless the Trump administration’s $1.5 trillion military budget.
Combat Search and Rescue’s Uncertain Future: As A-10s Phase Out, US Air Force Faces Questions of What Comes Next
Defense News
As the Air Force accelerates plans to retire the A-10 Thunderbolt II by fiscal year 2029, the service faces a growing set of unanswered questions about what replaces it in combat search and rescue, one of the military’s most specialized mission sets.
COMMENTARY: The Doolittle Raid Legacy—Buy the Air Force We Need to Fight And Win
Forbes
“April 18 marks 84 years since then-Lt. Col. Jimmy Doolittle and his Raiders launched 16 B-25s from the deck of the carrier USS Hornet to strike Japan. Their mission delivered a badly needed jolt of hope in one of the darkest moments of World War II. We honor them because they proved that courage, innovation, and audacity can achieve what many thought was impossible. But the deeper lesson of the Doolittle Raid is that while America can always count on heroism to overcome combat challenges in the moment, the nation should never put its warfighters in a position where heroism is an essential ingredient to offset chronic, known capability, and capacity shortfalls.” writes retired Lt. Gen. David A. Deptula, dean of the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies.
Space-Based Missile Defense May Cost Too Much for Golden Dome’s 12-Figure Spending Plan
Defense One
Space-based interceptors may be too costly even for the massively budgeted Golden Dome missile defense system, the program’s leader said April 15. Acknowledging what many analysts have said ever since President Trump ordered up orbiting interceptors in one of the first executive orders of his second term, Space Force Gen. Michael Guetlein told the House Armed Services Strategic Forces subcommittee on Wednesday that building and deploying satellites armed to down enemy missiles early in flight may never be affordable.
Cheap Interceptor Drones Proven in Ukraine Protected US Troops Against Iranian Shaheds
The War Zone
The Army’s top official pointed to low-cost interceptor drones first sent to Ukraine as one defense against Iranian barrages of Shahed-136 one-way attack munitions. During Congressional testimony on April 16, Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll lauded the Merops interceptor and the process to get it quickly into the hands of troops in the Middle East.
Is the US Military’s Most Important Island in the Pacific Ready for War?
Task & Purpose
As America’s westernmost territory, the island of Guam is the logistical heart of any large-scale military build-up in the western Pacific. It has long runways, a deepwater port, huge fuel storage and weapons depots, and it’s about 2,000 miles closer to China than it is to Hawaii. The island is also U.S. soil, so the military does not need permission from a foreign government to operate there.
Army Plans Initial Contract for HADES ‘Ultra Long-Range’ Effects in Coming Months
Breaking Defense
The Army plans to award vendors contracts in the next few months to experiment with “ultra long-range” launched effects that will ultimately outfit spy planes like the future High Accuracy Detection and Exploitation System, or HADES, an Army senior official told Breaking Defense.
Utah Air Force Base Cancels Popular Air Show in a ‘Small but Telling Sign of World Uncertainty’
Utah News Dispatch
A northern Utah Air Force base is canceling its June air show, saying it needs to “prioritize resources for critical, ongoing operations.” Hill Air Force Base representatives didn’t elaborate on the nature of the operations or reference the ongoing Iran war in a Tuesday news release. They said it was decided to postpone the popular Warriors Over the Wasatch event for a year after a “thorough review of operational commitments.”