More than 1,000 Airmen have signed up for the new Space Force in the first two weeks of the month-long voluntary transfer window, Space Force Vice Commander Lt. Gen. David Thompson said May 12. The initial transfer period opened May 1 to allow Active-duty Air Force officers as well as enlisted members in existing space careers and certain other jobs to formally join the Space Force. Those who worked with Air Force Space Command before the Space Force was created in December were automatically assigned to the new service, but are not yet official members. “Not being exactly sure where we think we should be, we feel like we're in a good place in terms of those numbers," Thompson said during an AFA Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies event.

The Air Force no longer requires student pilots to conduct formation landings in T-38s, following a crash at Vance Air Force Base, Okla., that killed a student and instructor. The night before the Nov. 21, 2019, crash, the instructor and two supervisors in the training squadron discussed the fact that combat pilots no longer conduct formation landings—when more than one aircraft land at the same time—questioning whether it should still be a requirement for students in the aging T-38. Following a service-wide review, Air Education and Training Command in March halted the practice, which has long been a part of flight training. The family of 2nd Lt. Travis Willkie, the student pilot killed in the crash, told Air Force Magazine they are “relieved” the service is no longer requiring the “inherently dangerous maneuver,” but the service's decision to halt the practice, “substantiates the failure of Air Force leadership to discontinue an archaic and dangerous requirement, in a tired 58-year-old plane, before it took the life of our son Travis and his instructor pilot.”

A new Government Accountability Office report on the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter warns of potential further delay beyond the already-postponed full-rate production decision expected next March. The delays could stem from quality standards not being met and because alternative vendors for all parts once made by Turkey have not yet been established.

Air Force Special Operations Command is ordering a third A-29 Super Tucano to train foreign troops, aircraft manufacturer Sierra Nevada Corp. said May 11. The A-29 is one of two light attack platforms the Air Force bought for limited use after declining to turn the light attack experiment into a full-fledged procurement program. Super Tucanos are used for AFSOC’s combat aviation advisory mission, and Textron’s AT-6 is proving out the Airborne Extensible Relay Over-Horizon Network (AEROnet), the service’s prototype data-sharing network.

On March 23, the Air Force Association's Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies will host a virtual Nuclear Deterrence Series event featuring Scowcroft Group Principal Frank Miller. At a time when nuclear modernization programs are accelerating around the world, proposals to recapitalize the U.S. nuclear arsenal are at the forefront of debates over defense spending. Miller will share his insights into the prospects for U.S. nuclear modernization programs and the value of nuclear deterrence in today's competitive security environment. The think tank will post event video on its website and YouTube page after the live event.