A Lightning First

A combat-coded F-35A assigned to Hill AFB, Utah, dropped a GBU-12 laser-guided bomb over the Utah Test and Training Range last week, marking another first on the way to initial operational capability for the Air Force variant of the Joint...

In Defense of Cost-Plus

The Air Force went with a cost-plus contract for the engineering, manufacturing, and development of the B-21 Long-Range Strike Bomber because of the risks involved, Lt. Gen. Arnold Bunch told the House Armed Services Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee on...

Back to Old Bases in Europe

US European Command is “renewing conversations” with NATO member countries to use additional bases, such as Keflavik, Iceland, to permanently place air assets, Air Force Gen. Philip Breedlove, EUCOM and NATO Supreme Allied Commander, Europe, told Senate legislators on Tuesday....

Herculean Concerns

Several House members on Tuesday expressed concerns about the size and modernization of the C-130 fleet, saying they worry the Air Force has been forced to choose between capability and capacity even though it needs both. “The Air Force has...

A Quiet Supersonic Passenger Jet

NASA awarded Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company a contract for preliminary design of a “low boom” flight demonstration aircraft, the first in a series of “X-planes” in NASA’s New Aviation Horizons initiative, according to a press release. Lockheed Martin will receive...

Getting Serious About Hypersonic Weapons

Hypersonic weapons can break through the most advanced air defenses and get inside the military decision-making cycle, providing a crucial warfighting advantage, according to a new study from AFA’s Mitchell Institute. With China and Russia working intensely to field hypersonic...

Hypersonic Technology Achievable, Inevitable

Advanced air defenses being fielded by potential adversaries can threaten America’s long-held military advantage of being able to strike any target anywhere in the world with conventional weapons. But hypersonic weapons, which are capable of prolonged flight at over five...

Meeting the ISR Need

Even though US European Command has seen an uptick in the amount of intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance available in its area of operations, the increase still falls far short of the command’s requirement. Air Force Gen. Philip Breedlove, commander of...

NATO Falling Short of Spending Goals

While some NATO countries are slowly increasing their share of defense spending, several others are falling short of the minimum spending goal. Since the 2014 summit in Wales, six NATO member nations have stopped a decline in their defense spending,...