A pilot was killed late June 30 when an F-16CM crashed upon landing during a routine training mission at Shaw Air Force Base, S.C. The crash occurred at the base around 11:30 p.m., with videos posted online showing emergency crews attempting to put out a large fire on the flightline. Col. Larry Sullivan, commander of the 20th Fighter Wing, in a video posted on the wing’s Facebook page, said the next of kin notification process is ongoing, and asked for privacy for both the pilot’s family and the squadron. The cause of the crash is not yet known, according to the base.

Discussions on race relations, including disparities in the application of military justice and promotions as well as Airmen's own experiences, can’t end when the country shifts its focus onto other issues, such as the election in the fall, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David L. Goldfein said. With just one month left in his tenure as the leader of the Air Force, Goldfein said the service is making strides, but it has come late, noting progress must continue after he's gone. “We were doing a lot of work towards becoming a more diverse force, but we have an opportunity in front of us right now to put our foot on the gas and really move forward in the ways we need to move,” Goldfein said during a virtual Brookings Institute event on July 1.

The Air Force awarded contracts to 18 additional companies this week to develop and connect a plethora of technologies as part of the Advanced Battle Management System, after the first round of 28 contracts went out May 29. The ABMS network looks to connect the Air Force’s aircraft, cameras and sensors, computer systems, and other technologies into a more responsive warfighting web. For example, some will offer software to let different systems communicate or to visualize combat data, while others could pitch hardware that collects intelligence in new ways.

Bigger fleets of aircraft are easier and less costly per aircraft to manage than small ones, but that may change as the Air Force moves toward the new Digital Century Series, Air Force Materiel Command chief Gen. Arnold W. Bunch Jr. said July 1. The move toward small fleets only kept for a decade or so will require a mindset change, he said, but it won't lead to a major change in how AFMC does business on older systems that will be around for years to come. Bunch also talked about how the Air Force is now thinking about mission capability rates, and keeping aircraft available.

Congress wants to pump the brakes on U.S. Special Operations Command’s effort to buy a new plane for armed overwatch in remote areas, after many lawmakers recently supported a similar Air Force program. Lawmakers call on Pentagon leadership to describe why SOCOM would need such an aircraft, and whether there’s another way to get the benefits of a new plane without buying one. Members in the House and Senate, who are pushing to cut the program's funding, worry that SOCOM doesn’t have a valid requirement for the platform and that the purchase wouldn’t be cost-effective.

The Air Force formally accepted delivery of Lockheed Martin’s F-35 Distributed Mission Training capability, following a capstone event at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., where four Joint Strike Fighter pilots flew alongside F-22s, F-16s, and an E-3 Sentry virtually for the first time. The DMT system connects F-35 full mission simulators to other training systems across the Air Force over a network to be able to fly together in large-scale events. F-35s at Nellis connected with other trainers from different bases bases to fly a virtual mission in a simulated contested environment during the June 18 final test.

A new division within the Air Force Personnel Center will provide better, more streamlined customer service to the families the Air Force Exceptional Family Member Program serves. “Your voices were heard,” said Kimberly Schuler, who heads up humanitarian, Exceptional Family Member Program, and expedited transfer reassignments policy at the center, in a June 30 release. “Integrating all EFMP components under one division prevents families from having to navigate through a complex process and engage multiple organizations to respond to a singular EFMP request.”

General Electric's F110-129 engine will power the first batch of F-15EX fighters for the Air Force, under a $101.4 million contract announced June 30. The first batch was not competed because of the urgency of getting F-15EX testing underway, and the GE engine is the only one certified for "advanced" F-15s. However, subsequent batches will be open for competition. Pratt & Whitney plans to offer its F100-229.

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.