John A. Tirpak

John A. Tirpak is Editorial Director of Air & Space Forces Magazine, with more than 25 years at the publication and more than 34 years in defense journalism. He has written for Aviation Week & Space Technology, Aerospace Daily, and Jane’s, reporting from all 50 U.S. states and 25 countries. He has been recognized with awards for journalistic excellence from the Society of Professional Journalists, the Aviation and Space Writer’s Association, the Association of Business Publications International, and was the recipient of the 2018 Gill Robb Wilson Award in Arts and Letters from the Air & Space Forces Association. He has lectured at the National War College and did postgraduate research at the Smithsonian’s National Air & Space Museum.   


Recent stories by John A. Tirpak

Lawmakers Say Shutdown Has Delayed Secretive New JATM Missile

Members of the House Armed Services Committee say the AIM-260 Joint Advanced Tactical Missile program has been set back three months due to the ongoing government shutdown. The comment is noteworthy because the JATM's status has been kept tightly under wraps.

B-1 Bomber Task Force Deploys to Japan

A quartet of B-1Bs from Dyess Air Force Base, Texas have landed at Misawa AB, Japan, likely for a series of exercises with Japanese, U.S. and Australian forces.

Navy CCA Program’s Shape Coming into Focus

In announcing its Navy Collaborative Combat Aircraft contract, General Atomics has provided some clues as to where the service is heading with its version of an armed, autonomous fighter escort. It will likely be quite different from the Air Force version.

Air Force Dropping Integrated Capabilities Command

A year after announcing the creation of a provisional Integrated Capabilities Command, the Air Force is dropping the plan, and intends to move all modernization planning to the Air Force Futures organization. Maj. Gen. Christopher Niemi, director of concepts and strategy, will oversee the restructure ...

New ‘Nomad’ VTOL Drone Family Could Boost Air Force’s Plans for Agile Ops

Lockheed Martin’s Sikorsky subsidiary is introducing a new “Nomad” family of autonomous uncrewed aerial systems that needs no runways and could be applied to missions complementing the Air Force’s Agile Combat Employment model, including resupply, armed combat, and potentially, combat search and rescue, company officials ...

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