Budget Calls for More Airmen, More Guardians in 2027
The Air Force and Space Force would both expand their ranks next year under the Pentagon's proposed $1.5 trillion 2027 budget.
U-2 Fleet, Half of A-10s Would Retire; Air Force Plans to Add 108 Planes in ’27
The Air Force wants to divest 149 older aircraft and buy 108 new ones in fiscal 2027, continuing a trend that shrinks the overall fleet. Among the planes to be divested are the last 23 U-2 Dragon Lady spy planes in the inventory and nearly half of the remaining A-10 Thunderbolt IIs.
Space Force Seeks Bigger Operational Footprint With 4 New Ops Centers
The Space Force is requesting $1 billion in fiscal 2027 to build four space operations centers around the country, part of a broader push to build up the service to match growing demand for space capabilities.
Air Base Defense Would Get $1.4 Billion in ’27 USAF Budget
The Air Force wants to funnel $1.4 billion into air base defense with new weapon systems designed to protect homeland installations and forward-deployed airfields against drones and missile threats, Air Force budget officials said April 21.
Air Force Budget Plan Seeks to Boost Munitions
The Air Force’s fiscal 2027 budget request would invest $15 billion in its munitions portfolio, with $10.8 billion earmarked for weapons purchases and another $4.3 billion for research, development, test, and evaluation of new arms.
Radar Sweep
Trump Extends Ceasefire with Iran Indefinitely, Until ‘Discussions Are Concluded’
CBS News
President Trump is extending the ceasefire in the war with Iran until talks between the U.S. and Iran are "concluded," he announced April 21, despite previously saying he wouldn't extend the deadline.
Air Force Eyes Massive Boost for F-15EX Fleet
Breaking Defense
The Air Force now plans to buy a total of 267 F-15EX Eagle II fighter jets in the coming years, more than doubling previous projections of the fleet, amid a massive surge in military spending under the Trump administration.
Northrop to Invest $2.5B to Hasten B-21 Production
Breaking Defense
Northrop Grumman will invest $2.5 billion of its own cash to accelerate production of the B-21 stealth bomber, with $200 million in investments slated to be executed this year, its chief executive said April 21.
US Southern Command Stands Up Autonomous Unit
Defense News
U.S. Southern Command is standing up a new element aimed at connecting tactical missions to long-term outcomes with unmanned systems, the command announced April 21.
DOD Moves to Make Its Largest-Ever Investment in Drones and Anti-Drone Weapons
DefenseScoop
The Trump administration’s spending plan for next year allocates more than $70 billion for military drones and counter-drone weapon systems, according to two senior defense officials who said that proposed funding surge would mark the Pentagon’s most substantial investment in the technologies to date.
Northrop Defends Ability to Build F/A-XX 6th Gen Naval Fighters if Selected
The War Zone
Northrop Grumman CEO Kathy Warden says she is confident in her company’s ability to deliver next-generation carrier-based fighters to the U.S. Navy if it is picked as the winner of the F/A-XX competition. The U.S. Navy’s top officer said April 20 that the goal was to award the F/A-XX contract by August of this year, but also that one unnamed contractor in the running “really can’t deliver in the timeframe we need it.”
Military Budgets $57 Billion to Fix Bases and ‘Substandard’ Barracks
Task & Purpose
The Pentagon’s proposed $1.5 trillion budget for next fiscal year includes funding to fix longstanding problems with barracks, defense officials told reporters on April 21. The budget calls for spending $57 billion on U.S. military bases and other facilities, of which a “major portion” would go toward “critical updates” identified by the Pentagon’s barracks task force established by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Space Force Lt. Gen. Steven P. Whitney, director of force structure, resource, and assessment for the Joint Staff, said at a Pentagon news briefing.
Hegseth Ends Mandatory Flu Vaccine for Service Members
The Hill
The Pentagon is ending mandatory flu vaccines for service members, phrasing the change as giving troops “medical autonomy” and “freedom to express their religious convictions,” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced April 21.
Trump Taps Raytheon Executive for Top Military Space Acquisition Post
SpaceNews
President Donald Trump on April 21 nominated Raytheon executive Erich Hernandez-Baquero to serve as assistant secretary of the Air Force for space acquisition and integration, a position that oversees how the U.S. military buys and fields space systems.
US Operations Against Iran Expand to Indian Ocean with Tanker Capture
The Washington Post
U.S. naval operations against Iran have expanded beyond the Middle East, as U.S. forces on April 21 seized a tanker ship suspected of smuggling oil in the Indian Ocean and escorted at least one other vessel off India’s western coast, officials said.
US at Risk of Running Out of Missiles if Another War Breaks Out After Depleting Stockpile in Iran Operations
CNN
The US military has significantly depleted its stockpile of key missiles during the war with Iran and created a “near-term risk” of running out of ammunition in a future conflict should one arise in the next few years, according to experts and three people familiar with recent internal Defense Department stockpile assessments.
X-BAT Autonomous VTOL ‘Fighter’ Looks Dramatically Different
The War Zone
Shield AI and General Electric have revealed more details about X-BAT, the jet-powered autonomous stealth ‘fighter’ drone designed to take off vertically and land the same way, tail first, after completing its mission. With the extremely ambitious aircraft concept planned to start vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) testing before the end of this year, the companies have also shown off a roughly half-size model that includes significant design changes.