A Lockheed Martin F-35B short takeoff and vertical landing test aircraft last week achieved an impressive milestone, according to Warren Boley, Pratt & Whitney military engines president. “For the first time,” Boley said in an interview, “a pilot pushed a button and the [air]plane landed autonomously.” Boley joked that the pilot could fold his hands behind his head or “read the paper” while the airplane safely settled down to a vertical landing from hover. The flight was the 74th vertical landing of the F-35 test program, and the fact that the Marine Corps was willing to allow the test indicated high confidence in the airplane and its Pratt-supplied F135 engine, Boley told the Daily Report April 8.
Pentagon Releases Cost of Living, BAH Rates for 2026
Dec. 30, 2025
The Pentagon will pay cost of living allowances to 127,000 service members in the continental U.S. in 2026, an increase of 66,000 members in 2025. Airmen and Guardians across the U.S. will also receive an average increase of 4.2 percent for their Basic Housing Allowance, compared to the 5.4 percent…

