There’re still far more questions than answers when it comes to operationalizing and defining cyberspace, said Air Force Space Command boss Gen. William Shelton. Addressing the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association conference in Vienna, Va., on Oct. 11, Shelton...

Long-term budget stabilization and modernization of the Air Force’s bomber, fighter, and tanker fleets would be key White House priorities under a Romney Administration, said campaign defense and foreign policy advisor Roger Zakheim. Repeated rounds of budget cuts have hampered...

Air Education and Training Command is blocking all social networking sites from government computers at Basic Military Training at JBSA-Lackland, Tex., since officials believe that the majority of high-profile sexual misconduct cases between military training instructors and trainees began on...

Gen. William Shelton, head of Air Force Space Command, has ordered an accident investigation board to determine why a Delta IV RL-10B-2 upper-stage engine failed to perform as expected during the Oct. 4 launch of a GPS IIF navigation satellite. Despite the anomaly, the Delta IV did deliver the GPS satellite "into its proper orbit," states the command's Oct. 11 release. However, "while the launch was ultimately successful, the time-honored rigor and earnest process of an AIB will serve us well as we attempt to determine the root cause of this anomaly," said Shelton. He added, "In the end, our objective is continued safe and reliable launch for our nation." The Air Force's launch-manifest schedule is currently under review while the root cause is determined, states the release.

The Obama Administration says it’s revitalizing efforts to end the production of fissile materials for nuclear weapons by way of a multilateral, verifiable agreement: the Fissile Material Cut-Off Treaty. The State Department announced the renewed push for the treaty in...

The Air Force awarded Boeing a $2 billion contract to continue support for the C-17 transport fleet through Fiscal 2017, announced the company. Since 1998, Boeing has managed C-17 fleet services and support under a performance-based logistics initiative called the...

Air Force Reserve Command reassigned the 924th Fighter Group at Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz., to the oversight of the 944th Fighter Wing at Luke AFB, Ariz., announced command officials. The 442nd Fighter Wing at Whiteman AFB, Mo., had been responsible since...

The Air Force’s B-2 stealth bombers will begin receiving new high-speed processing subsystems under a $108 million low-rate initial production contract awarded to Northrop Grumman, announced the company on Oct. 11. This work is part of the first increment of...

In a recent series of trials at Edwards AFB, Calif., two C-17s probed the fuel-savings potential of long-distance formation flying using automated control software to maintain position. This Air Force Research Lab-sponsored project is known as Surfing Aircraft Vortices for Energy, or $AVE, states an Oct. 11 AFRL release. It "involves two or more aircraft flying together for a reduced drag effect like what you see with a flock of geese," explained Donald Erbschloe, Air Mobility Command's chief scientist, in an Oct. 10 command release. The software allow pilots to "surf" the vortex of a lead airplane for long distances, thereby conserving energy, according to AFRL. "The autopilot held the position extremely well, even close to the vortex," noted test pilot Capt. Zachary Schaffer. The tests ran from Sept. 6 to Oct. 2. Analysis of initial data indicates that the trailing C-17 cut fuel burn by almost 10 percent while flying no closer than 4,000 feet from the lead aircraft, according to Edwards officials. This type of formation flying holds the promise of reducing fuel consumption by "millions of gallons" annually, according to AFRL.