F-35 Price Rising due to New Upgrades, Inflation, More
Inflation and rising costs for critical upgrades are swelling the price of the F-35 fighter, according to a newly released acquisition report on the fifth-generation jet.
Wilsbach Meets with Top Israeli Military Leaders in Middle East Visit
U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Kenneth S. Wilsbach visited Israel in recent days as the conflict with Iran hit six months, meeting with the heads of the Israel Defense Forces and the Israeli Air Force.
Q&A: The Future of Air Force Cyber Systems and Warfighter Comms
Just over a year ago, in July 2025, the Air Force established a dedicated office on the Air Staff for communications/cyber functions, separate from the intelligence directorate it had long been attached to. Brig. Gen. Jeffrey A. Phillips, Deputy Chief of Staff for Warfighter Communications and Cyber Systems, recently sat down with Air & Space Forces Magazine to discuss his goals and priorities.
New Report: Space Force Spent $124M on Commercial Data, Services over Nearly 3 Years
The Space Force spent nearly $124 million on commercial space data and services between 2023 and 2025—and a little known interagency working group could help facilitate even more data buys going forward.
From Huey to Whiskey: How Andrews Is Starting a ‘Significant’ Helicopter Transition
The iconic “whup-whup-whup” of the 1st Helicopter Squadron’s UH-1N Hueys still echoes in the skies of the Washington D.C. area. But on Aug. 27, a new helicopter that first flew half a century after the Huey sat beside the stage for the activation of a squadron that’s a full 57 years younger than the 1st. It was the beginning of the end for the UH-1N—though there is still much to do before the true finale, officials say.
Radar Sweep
US Strikes Iranian Rocket Launchers on the Strait of Hormuz in First Military Action in Weeks
The Associated Press
U.S. forces struck Iranian rocket launchers on the Strait of Hormuz in their first military action in a month on Aug. 30, breaking a lull in fighting during an intermittent war that has lasted more than six months. Vowing to retaliate for what it called a deadly attack, Iran later said it had launched missiles at U.S. sites in Jordan.
After Back-to-Back Airspace Blunders Earlier This Year, Border Task Force Shoots Down ‘Cartel-Linked’ Drones with AV Laser
DefenseScoop
The military task force assigned to the U.S.-Mexico border zapped three “cartel-linked” drones using a high-energy laser developed by AeroVironment, according to industry and military officials.
With AI Hackers in Mind, Air Forces Cyber Develops Defensive ‘Campaign Plan’
Breaking Defense
In the face of emerging cyber threats posed by artificial intelligence, the Air Force’s cyber organization has developed what it calls a defensive cyber operations “campaign plan” to ensure networks are hardened, its commander said this week.
A Pacific Conflict May Not Look Like Conventional War, SOCPAC Commander Says
Defense One
The better the U.S. gets at fighting in conventional ways, the more likely it is that adversaries will avoid a conventional conflict, the head of Special Operations Command Pacific said.
‘Let’s Get to Work:’ New Commander at Air Force Life Cycle at Wright-Patterson
Dayton Daily News
History is a “harsh teacher,” and future American military dominance is not guaranteed, the new commander of the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center cautioned listeners at his assumption-of-command ceremony at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base on Aug. 27.
PODCAST: Sanctuary Denied—Defending Air Bases from the Small UAV Threat
The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies
In this episode, Heather “Lucky” Penney and Brig. Gen. Houston Cantwell, USAF (Ret.) discuss the small UAV threat and how the Air Force is fighting back with Col. Alfred Rosales, Commander of the 319th Reconnaissance Wing, and Lt. Col. Cody Moore, ACC Directorate of Operations A35 division chief.
Air Force ‘Immediately’ Stops Use of Minuteman III Communications Testers After Chemical Exposure
Task & Purpose
The Air Force’s Global Strike Command ordered Airmen to stop using a communications test kit at one of its intercontinental ballistic missile bases after a review found potential residue of a carcinogenic chemical in it.
US Expanding B-52 Bomber Capacity at Moron Air Base in Spain
The War Zone
The U.S. military is planning to revamp Moron Air Base in Spain, including creating new parking spaces for as many as nine additional B-52 Stratofortress strategic bombers. This effort comes even after Spain denied permission to use the base, and its naval station in the country, for direct strike operations on Iran during Operation Epic Fury.
OPINION: America’s Systemic Munitions Shortfall
The Wall Street Journal
“The Pentagon announced on Aug. 17 a seven-year, $22.9 billion contract with Raytheon to increase Tomahawk production from roughly 60 missiles a year to more than 1,000. Washington, it seems, is ready to address the reality that the U.S. has been consuming advanced munitions faster than its industrial system replaces them,” writes William Schneider Jr. and retired Lt. Gen. David A. Deptula.
Military Leaders Warn Hegseth Against Extending Iran War Operations
The Washington Post
Several U.S. military leaders have advised Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that prolonging large-scale operations against Iran is unsustainable and risks weakening their ability to confront threats elsewhere, including the U.S. homeland, according to people familiar with a recent assessment prepared for the Pentagon chief.
Gripen F Flies for the First Time
The Aviationist
Saab has announced the successful first flight of the Gripen F, the twin-seater variant of the Gripen E fighter jet, on Aug. 28, 2026. The aircraft took off at 09:40 local time from Saab’s airfield in Linköping, Sweden, and remained airborne for 40 minutes, said the company.
NASA Launches Its Roman Space Telescope to Explore the Hidden Universe
CBS News
NASA's $4.3 billion Roman Space Telescope was launched atop a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket on Aug. 30, kicking off a three-month voyage to a point in space a million miles from Earth where it will map the large-scale structure of the cosmos with a wide-field 300-megapixel camera.