Boeing rolled out its first production T-7A advanced trainer at ceremonies in St. Louis, Mo., touting the jet's digital design and calling it the start of a new era of Air Force pilot training. The ceremonies were cloaked with tributes to the Tuskegee Airmen, as the T-7A has been named the "Red Hawk" and the initial example bears a red tail in recognition of the P-51 Red Tails flown by the 99th Pursuit Squadron of WWII.

The Air Force is accelerating the B-21 Raider program, seeking to "overlap" the development and production phases, Northrop Grumman president and CEO Kathy Warden said in a quarterly earnings call with reporters. The Air Force apparently permitted the company to discuss more of the highly classified program’s progress than in recent years. Warden was not able to discuss production rates, however, due to classification.

The F-35’s troubled sustainment enterprise is getting better but is still falling short of the services’ goals for the program, officials told Congress. And lawmakers are running out of patience. “The message for me—and I hope from my committee, and I know I'm going to raise hell in the full committee—is we're not going to buy more planes until we figure out how to maintain them,” warned House Armed Services Committee readiness panel chair Rep. John Garamendi (D-Calif.). “It is a fool's errand. It is a waste of money by the taxpayers. It's a bright, shiny machine until it doesn't work.”

Leaders of the Space Force reinforced their idea to depart from the typical military component structure of separately organized Active and reserve forces in favor of a single hybrid component structure they called the “Space Component.” Chief of Space Operations Gen. John W. "Jay" Raymond described the plan as “bold and transformational,” saying the hybrid structure is the service’s “No. 1 legislative proposal.” 

President Joe Biden called on Congress to pass a supplemental aid package worth $33 billion to replace the nearly-exhausted $3.5 billion Ukraine aid package passed in March. The multi-faceted replenishment includes weapons and humanitarian and economic assistance, and it would deliver $16 billion to the Department of Defense in support of the Ukraine war effort. “The cost of this fight is not cheap, but caving to aggression is going to be more costly, if we allow it to happen,” Biden said from the White House, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.

A contract award for U.S. Special Operations Command’s Armed Overwatch program is likely coming before the end of the summer, the head of Air Force Special Operations Command told Congress. Lt. Gen. James C. “Jim” Slife also countered opposition to the platform, saying it will be significantly cheaper to fly and include a "modular capability" that allows it to adapt to various scenarios.

President Joe Biden has nominated Brig. Gen. Caroline M. Miller to be the next deputy chief of staff for manpower, personnel, and services. If confirmed, Miller would completely skip the two-star rank and pin on her third star, becoming just the third actively-serving woman in the Air Force to wear three stars.