A KC-135 Stratotanker from the 121st Air Refueling Wing refuels a B-2 Spirit over the skies of Missouri, June 7, 2023. Airman 1st Class Ivy Thomas
Photo Caption & Credits
2023 USAF & USSF Almanac: Air Force Wings
June 22, 2023
Share Article
Audio of this article is brought to you by the Air & Space Forces Association, honoring and supporting our Airmen, Guardians, and their families. Find out more at afa.org
Audio of this article is brought to you by the Air & Space Forces Association, honoring and supporting our Airmen, Guardians, and their families. Find out more at afa.org
Repeated delays to critical F-35 upgrades helped drive the Air Force to more than double its planned fleet of F-15EX Eagle II fighters, a top official said May 12.
The Air Force plans to start buying thousands of advanced new handheld radios in 2027 for downed aircrew to communicate with search-and-rescue forces, a capability spotlighted earlier this year during the recovery of two aviators shot down in Iran.
The Air Force says it has formed a plan with Boeing to get key upgrades deployed across the KC-46 tanker fleet faster—but the service acknowledged it won't start fielding the refueler’s upgraded vision system until 2028, a slight schedule slip.
There's a growing consensus among experts, lawmakers, and Pentagon leaders that the Air Force should buy more than the planned minimum of 100 B-21 stealth bombers. Exactly how many more is a question USAF will likely answer in its 2028 budget request, the service’s top planner said May 13.
The Pentagon announced new long-term agreements with four defense companies May 13 to develop and produce large numbers of low-cost cruise missiles. And while the effort will focus mostly on the Army to start, it pairs with Air Force efforts to find more affordable munitions.
The Air Force wants to rapidly replace about two dozen MQ-9A Reaper drones lost during Operation Epic Fury against Iran, top service officials told lawmakers May 12.
The Air Force is placing Air Combat Command in charge of teaching combat tactics to fighter and remotely-piloted aircraft units, according to a May 12 announcement. Beginning this summer, the service will reassign the formal training units for the F-35, F-16, and MQ-9 from Air Education and Training Command to…