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
First CCA Takes Flight: General Atomics Drone Is First to Fly
The Air Force announced the first flight of General Atomics’ YFQ-42A on Aug. 27, a major milestone in the service’s effort to build semi-autonomous drones that can fly alongside manned fighter jets.
Collaborative Combat Aircraft First Flights are Imminent, Sources Say
The two Collaborative Combat Aircraft prototypes are expected to fly very soon, as Anduril Industries and General Atomics Aeronautical Systems conclude ground tests. The two aircraft will fly from commercial airports in the desert areas north of Los Angeles, California, not far from Edwards Air ...
Air Force’s 500th F-35 Now on Duty with Florida Air Guard
The 500th F-35A built for the U.S. Air Force is on duty with the Florida Air National Guard, the service and contractor Lockheed Martin confirmed Aug. 21. It's the latest big number for the F-35 fleet. In September 2024, Lockheed delivered its 1,000th F-35 fighter, ...
HACM Flight Tests Expected in Fiscal ’26 After Yearlong Delay
The Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile will have its first test flight this fall, a yearlong delay from previous plans, according to Air Force budget documents. A possible plan to delete some test flights to save time and money seems to have been dropped.
F-15C Fighter That Downed MiGs Arrives at Smithsonian for Display
The F-15C Eagle flown by Cesar “Rico” Rodriguez when he downed two Iraqi MiGs in the 1991 Gulf War has been delivered to the Smithsonian’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va., where it will go on permanent display in the coming weeks. It’s the ...
Two New Electronic Warfare Squadrons Standing Up at Robins
Two new electronic warfare squadrons are standing up at Robins Air Force Base, Ga., with the mission of helping combatant commanders and Air Force leaders understand and prosecute electromagnetic systems operations. Now detachments, the units are expected to become squadrons in the coming months but ...
Sentinel’s Second Stage Test Results Show Digital Models Are Accurate: Officials
The Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile's second stage rocket performed largely as predicted by digital models in a recent vacuum chamber test, the Air Force and Northrop Grumman said, laying the groundwork for further testing that will allow the company to finalize the stage’s design in ...
Bombers Should Be Ready for Continuous Ops, 2-Star Says
The U.S. can’t assume that exercising long-range airpower will always mean one-off strikes such as the recent Midnight Hammer operation against Iran, the two-star general overseeing the Air Force bomber fleet said Aug. 7, arguing that the military must invest now in options for high-tempo ...
Hydraulic Failure Led to Fire That Destroyed B-2 Bomber in 2022, Air Force Says
A hydraulic system failure is to blame for the December 2022 accident that sparked the fire that torched a B-2 Spirit stealth bomber beyond repair at Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo., the Air Force said in an accident investigation report published Aug. 5.
Facing Retirement, U-2 Flies Record Mission to Celebrate 70 Years of Flight
A year away from its likely retirement—and 70 years to the day after the first U-2 flight—a two-seat version of the Dragon Lady from the 9th Reconnaissance Wing at Beale Air Force, Calif., set records for distance covered and endurance on a single mission, demonstrating ...
Pentagon Awards $7.8 Billion in Contracts for Hundreds of New Missiles
In a pair of major contracts announced July 31, the Pentagon awarded a combined $7.8 billion for new missiles, including JASSM and AMRAAM.
No Slowdown in Demand for Air Force Bombers, 4-Star Says
Bomber taskings are at a modern high, Air Force Global Strike Command head Gen. Thomas Bussiere said in a recent interview. The level of effort is so intense that he's willing to pull more aircraft out of the boneyard to replace any bombers lost in ...
Global Strike Command to Grow as B-21 and Other New Systems Come Online
Air Force Global Strike Command has a “detailed” plan in hand for how new B-21 Raiders will replace existing bombers in the coming years, boss Gen. Thomas A. Bussiere said. And while many details are classified, he did reveal that the command’s personnel numbers will ...
Air Force Global Strike Boss: Second B-21 to Fly ‘Shortly’
A second B-21 bomber will fly soon, and production increases are a recognition of a changing global environment and the important of long-range strike, according to Gen. Thomas A. Bussiere, head of Air Force Global Strike Command.
GE Urges Pentagon to Keep Up with Adaptive Engine Tech
GE Aerospace CEO H. Lawrence Culp is urging the Pentagon to press on with the Navy F/A-XX fighter program, arguing that it will further the development of adaptive engine technology—which faces delays in the Air Force’s latest budget.
