Robbie Risner Dies
Retired Brig. Gen. Robinson “Robbie” Risner, who spent more than seven years as a prisoner of war in Vietnam, shot down eight MiG-15s during the Korean War, and served during World War II, died on Oct. 22 in Bridgewater, Va....
Global Market Wants More Fighter Capability, but F-16 Prices
US firms may be projecting a larger demand for the fifth generation F-35 strike fighter than the market can support in the near to mid-term, said Richard Aboulafia, the Teal Group’s vice president of analysis, on Thursday. The world market...
Cost Growth Likely in New Bomber Program
The Air Force’s Long Range Strike Bomber, one of the service’s recapitalization priorities, remains a low-profile program. LRS-B is supposed to be ready for operations by the mid 2020s, but much of its funding is beyond the Pentagon’s current five-year...
Bucking the Trend
If the current drawdown in US military spending were to follow historical trends, the Defense Department would be spending—for “the first time in modern history”—more money on developing new technologies than in procuring equipment, said Todd Harrison, senior analyst with...
Pratt & Whitney Receives F135 Lot VI Award
The Defense Department awarded Pratt & Whitney $508 million toward the F135 engine’s sixth lot of low-rate initial production. The F135 powers the F-35 strike fighter. This transaction, announced on Oct. 23, brings the total value of the LRIP 6...
Boeing Begins Assembly of Third KC-46A Tanker
Boeing has begun assembling the Air Force’s third KC-46A tanker at its plant in Everett, Wash., announced the company. “Our teams are maintaining their focus on quality and productivity as we move the first tankers through production,” said Scott Campbell,...
Faces of Barksdale
The 2nd Security Forces Squadron at Barksdale AFB, La., recently hand-picked an elite group of its airmen to form a guard section to man the base gates. The unit selected these 40 airmen because they exemplified professionalism and adherence to...