Eight Dead in B-52 Crash at Edwards
Eight people who were aboard a B-52H Stratofortress bomber died in a fiery crash shortly after takeoff June 15 at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., the base confirmed.
Operational Pilot Flies B-21 Bomber As Air Force Streamlines Testing
The B-21 Raider stealth bomber was recently flown, for the first time, by an operational pilot as part of its flight test process, the Air Force said June 11. And a top Pentagon official said the move to bring operational testing into the B-21 process earlier than normal shows the way to creating a new and more nimble system for acquiring major new weapon systems.
Next-Gen Airlifter Could Land and Take Off from Austere Airstrips
The Air Force is offering a few early hints of what it’s looking for in its next-generation replacement for the C-5 and C-17, including the ability to fly in and out of makeshift airfields on austere battlefields.
Boom Operator and F-22 Pilot Errors Combined in $10 Million KC-46 Mishap
Mistakes made by a KC-46 boom operator and an F-22 pilot combined to break off the refueling boom, leaving $10 million in damage as the boom plunged into the Atlantic Ocean, an Air Force investigation found.
Radar Sweep
Initial Deal to End US-Iran War Moves Toward Formal Signing Despite Lingering Questions
The Associated Press
An initial agreement between the United States and Iran to extend their shaky ceasefire inched toward a formal signing despite questions June 15 over the fate of Tehran’s nuclear program and an offensive by Israel in Lebanon that could prolong the fighting and scuttle the deal.
How the Commerce Crackdown on Anthropic Could Impact the Pentagon: Experts
Breaking Defense
The administration’s latest crackdown on Anthropic further complicates the AI titan’s already ambivalent relationship with the Pentagon, which had been simultaneously banning most Anthropic products while carving out an exemption for its latest model, Mythos, analysts told Breaking Defense.
UK Signals GCAP International Contract Due Soon
Aviation Week
The UK indicates a contract for the trinational Global Combat Air Program, or GCAP, will be signed by the end of the month amid uncertainty over the project because of political infighting in London.
DARPA Seeks Industry Ideas for ‘Rapid Reconstitution’ of Space Systems
Breaking Defense
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is turning to industry for help in identifying technologies and operational concepts to allow the reconstitution of space assets damaged or destroyed by adversaries, or on-orbit accidents.
Pentagon’s Use of JAGs in Civilian Roles Would Be Probed Under NDAA Provision
Defense One
The Trump administration’s use of military lawyers for civilian roles would be probed by Congress’ watchdog agency under language added to the 2027 defense policy bill.
Senator Questions Pentagon’s Plan to Revise Autonomous Weapons Policy
DefenseScoop
Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., is pressing the Pentagon to disclose how it’s confronting potentially serious operational risks to U.S. military personnel as insiders hustle to fulfill the Trump administration’s new 90-day mandate to rewrite the policy for deploying and safeguarding autonomous weapon systems in warfare.
SPONSORED: Where DAF Program Leaders Learn to Ship Software in the Age of AI
Rise8
The Air Force and Space Force have it in writing: move faster on AI. The executive orders are public. The mandates have deadlines. What’s missing is how to ship AI-powered software in high compliance environments, without compromising what already works.
Bunker Busters with Winged JDAM-ER Kits Could Allow for Near Horizontal Strikes on Fortified Targets
The War Zone
The U.S. military wants to see if it can enhance the capabilities of the 2,000-pound-class Joint Direct Attack Munition-Extended Range precision-guided bomb as a bunker-busting munition. ... Interest in expanding the role of the JDAM-ER as a bunker buster is tucked away in a section of the Pentagon’s proposed 2027 Fiscal Year budget covering requested funds for the Defense Threat Reduction Agency.
US Military to Stay in Middle East During Negotiations with Iran
The Hill
The U.S. military will maintain its current force posture in the Middle East during the 60-day negotiation period with Iran, according to senior Trump administration officials.
GM in Talks to Supply Weapons Parts to Lockheed Martin
The Wall Street Journal
General Motors is in talks with Lockheed Martin about making parts for the defense contractor’s weapons, according to people familiar with the matter.
Man Loses 200 Pounds to Enlist in the Air Force
Task & Purpose
When Ethan Cobb graduated from high school and started college, he felt that his life lacked purpose. Since his grandfather had served in the Air Force, he decided he wanted to enlist to find a sense of duty. But Cobb weighed 398 pounds at the time. In order to join the military, he needed to lose nearly half his body weight. He accepted the challenge, and over the course of two years he dropped about 200 pounds so he could ship to Air Force Basic Military Training at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas.