Greg Hadley

Space Systems Command has awarded a massive $2.29 billion contract to SpaceX for the “backbone” of its new Space Data Network, a constellation of satellites in low-Earth orbit that will provide connectivity for the entire joint force.

The YFQ-42A Collaborative Combat Aircraft has resumed flight testing after a six-week pause initiated when one of the drones crashed in early April. 

Air Force Global Strike Command tested an unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile early May 20, launching the ICBM from Vandenberg Space Force Base, Calif.

With a shrinking fleet and growing operational demand, Air Force Special Operations Command sees the new OA-1K combat scout aircraft as key to a “new era,” officials say. 

Depot-level maintenance took longer than expected for nearly three-quarters of Air Force aircraft from fiscal 2019-2024, according to a new report, as unplanned repairs rise across the aging fleet. The report, from the Government Accountability Office, also found that the extent of the delays has been masked because officials often revise their target timelines after unplanned work occurs.

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.

A U.S. Air Force T-38 training jet crashed in Alabama on May 12, after its two pilots safely ejected.

The T-7A Red Hawk’s Ground-Based Training System promises to blend the gap between simulators and actual flying.

At Air Education & Training Command, where new pilots get their start, the next wave of flight simulators is continuing. 

The Air Force’s BACN may be cooked—the service plans to retire its entire E-11A Battlefield Airborne Communications Node fleet in fiscal 2028 and equip aircraft to use satellite communications instead.

Lockheed Martin’s aeronautics division is getting new leadership, with president Greg Ulmer retiring and Skunk Works general manager O.J. Sanchez tapped to succeed him. 

Air Force fighters, tankers, and intelligence aircraft contributed “defensive overwatch” for the U.S. military effort to guide commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, senior officials said.

The Air Force has finished modifying and testing the new VC-25B Bridge aircraft that will serve as a temporary Air Force One, the service announced May 1. All that’s left now is to finish painting the jet before it starts flying this summer.

The Air Force wants to replace at least some of the aircraft it has lost during Operation Epic Fury against Iran through a supplemental budget request to Congress, Chief of Staff Gen. Kenneth S. Wilsbach indicated April 30.

The Air Force plans to finalize an acquisition strategy for its new Looking Glass nuclear command, control, and communications program by September—part of a prelude to a significant increase in the service’s NC3 spending in the coming years.