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
With NATO Membership Looming, Sweden and US Sign New Defense Cooperation Deal
The U.S. and Sweden signed a bilateral Defense Cooperation Agreement on Dec. 5 that will strengthen military ties between them and likely lead to U.S. troops and prepositioned gear on Swedish soil. Swedish Defense minister Pal Jonson said the war in Ukraine prompted Sweden's joining ...
Vice Chairman Says JROC Shifting to Top-Down, Portfolio Requirements Approach
Adm. Christopher Grady, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs and head of the Joint Requirements Oversight Council, is pushing a “portfolio” approach to requirements and wants his position to have “more teeth” so he can enforce it.
Air Force Announces Not One, But Two Bonus Programs to Retain Aviators in 2024
The Air Force is renaming its traditional aviation bonus program in 2024 and continuing a new, experimental second program, ordered by Congress, aimed at getting aviators to extend their commitment sooner and for longer. While the programs can’t be doubled-up, aviators may be able to ...
Latest KC-46 Lot Contract Award Leaves Only Three More to Go
Boeing’s receipt of the 10th lot contract award for the KC-46 Pegasus this week leaves just three lots left to complete the Air Force’s buy of the tanker, although a further buy of 75 additional aircraft as a “bridge” to the Next-Generation Aerial-refueling System (NGAS) ...
Airpower Experts: US Needs More than 100 B-21s to Meet Future High Demand
More than 100 B-21s will be needed if the nation is to avoid creating a high demand/low capacity capability, panelists said on a Hudson Institute webinar. The B-21's flexibility, stealth, range and payload will be in high demand for a wide range of missions, both ...
F-35 Program Will Give Pratt Sole-Source Engine Upgrade Work
The F-35 Joint Program Office has officially announced plans to issue multiple sole-source contracts to Pratt & Whitney to upgrade the fighter’s F135 engine—a widely expected move after Pentagon officials indicated they would do so earlier this year instead of developing an entirely new engine.
F-35 Updates: TR-3 Ramps Up, Talks on Future Lots Continue, Logistics Contract Stalls
New F-35s are coming off the production line with the TR-3 upgrade and going right into storage because testing is incomplete. Next lot negotiations are continuing, but talks over a performance-based logistics contract have stalled.
12 Things We Learned From the New B-21’s Taxi Tests and First Flight
The B-21's first flight revealed or confirmed many details about the new bomber's shape, size, equipment, and flight controls, while continuing to keep some details hidden.
Group of Lawmakers Urge Kendall to Speed New F-16 Jets, Upgrades for Taiwan
It's urgent the Air Force speed the delivery of new F-16Vs and upgrades to older ones in Taiwan, given the rising provocations by China in the Taiwan Strait, 24 Republican members of Congress wrote in a letter to Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall.
New EC-37B Gets a Designation Change to EA-37B
The Air Force has changed the designation of the EC-37B to the EA-37B, the better to describe its mission of electronically attacking enemy systems. The 10 new aircraft will replace 14 EC-130H Compass Call aircraft, which are going into flyable storage.
Getting Ready for the New Test Surge
Kendall has posited a force of at least 1,000 CCAs, with the first ones ready for duty within the next six years. That timeline demands a robust and fast-paced test program.
NATO Picks E-7 as Its New AWACS; Six Aircraft to Start
NATO has selected the Boeing E-7 Wedgetail as its next Airborne Warning and Control aircraft, and will replace its Boeing E-3 Sentries with the new aircraft by 2035. NATO will buy six E-7s, but may acquire more if other parts of its future surveillance and ...
New Report: US Must Modernize Nuclear Posture for Tri-Polar World
A new report from a bipartisan commission urges the U.S. to redraw its strategy to deal with not just one, but two nuclear peers, and urges Congress to support an urgently-needed modernization of the nuclear weapons enterprise. The report also said the U.S. can no ...
Kendall Reveals Secret X-Plane Program Paved the Way for NGAD
There was a secret, multi-agency X-plane program to explore future fighters that paved the way for the Next-Generation Air Dominance program, Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall revealed at the POLITICO Defense Summit on Nov. 14.
New Sentinel ICBM ‘Struggling’ Due to Complexity, Kendall Says
The new Sentinel ICBM program is “struggling a little bit” because of its complexity, involving system development, a new communications system, civil engineering, and real estate, Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall said. He has more optimism about the B-21 bomber than the Sentinel, he added.