Stephen Losey
Recent stories by Stephen Losey
General Atomics Offers First Glimspe of Wildfire Drone, Eyed as MQ-9 Successor
General Atomics has unveiled the first renderings of its Wildfire drone, which it plans to pitch for the Air Force’s hunt for a new, low-cost Massed Modular Aircraft.
Air Force Speeding Up New Low-Cost Drone Program after Heavy MQ-9 Losses Against Iran
The Air Force is accelerating its plans to field an MQ-9A replacement in the wake of heavy Reaper losses in operations against Iran, top officials said Sept. 3, and they’re targeting a price point of just $10 million per aircraft.
What Each F-35 Variant Really Costs Right Now
The base cost of an F-35A, the Air Force variant of the Joint Strike Fighter, is going up 11.5 percent from $82.5 million to $92 million for the latest lots of the fifth-generation aircraft, Air & Space Forces Magazine has confirmed.
Doubling of F-15EX Fleet Comes with Risks for USAF to Manage: New Pentagon Report
The Air Force’s decision to more than double its purchase of F-15EX Eagle II jets may bolster the service’s fighter fleet, but it also comes with risks and questions officials will have to manage in the years ahead, a new Pentagon report warns.
Air Force Pulls ICBM Testing Device After Finding Likely Carcinogen
The Air Force has pulled a piece of testing equipment for its Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles after discovering some appeared to be contaminated with a possible carcinogen.
F-35 Price Rising due to New Upgrades, Inflation, More
Inflation and rising costs for critical upgrades are swelling the price of the F-35 fighter, according to a newly released acquisition report on the fifth-generation jet.
What the Eye-Popping $131B F-15 Contract May Mean For the Air Force
The Air Force awarded a sweeping—and potentially massive—F-15 contract to Boeing this week, one that a top aviation expert said could provide a new approach to major program acquisitions and greater stability for the defense industry.
USAF Gives Raytheon, Boeing $766M in Contracts for B-52 Radar Upgrades
The Pentagon on Aug. 25 announced a pair of Air Force contracts to Raytheon and Boeing, totaling more than $766 million, for advance work on adding new radars to the B-52H Stratofortress.
Air Force Plans Support Contract That Could Keep RQ-4s Flying Into 2030s
The Air Force is planning to award Northrop Grumman a contract that could allow the RQ-4 Global Hawk to keep flying into 2033. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center posted a presolicitation notice Aug. 17 saying it plans to award Northrop a sole-source contract ...
General Atomics Plans ‘Wildfire’ Drone for Pentagon’s Low-Cost MMA Program
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems predicts the new drone it plans to pitch for the military’s “Massed Modular Aircraft” program will exceed many of the military’s requirements for a successor to the MQ-9 Reaper.
Minot, Andersen Facilities Deteriorating as Military Building Repairs Lag, GAO Says
Vital infrastructure at Minot Air Force Base, N.D., and Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, is suffering due to years of deferred maintenance and climate-related stressors, government auditors said in a new report—two prominent examples of larger issues affecting bases worldwide.
Seymour Johnson Will Get F-15EXs to Replace Some Strike Eagles
The Air Force plans to put new F-15EX Eagle II fighters at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C., to replace older F-15E Strike Eagles that will move to Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo.
Over a Year in, Experimental Ops Unit Matures CCA Concepts and Gets a New Commander
The Air Force’s Experimental Operations Unit hosted a change of command ceremony recently, another sign of how the CCA concept is maturing and becoming entrenched in the Air Force’s structure, to the point where exercises have generated multiple sorties in a single day to simulate ...
Air Force Tests Portable Ground Stations for Commanding and Controlling CCAs
The Air Force said Aug. 13 it recently tested prototypes for a portable ground station for commanding and controlling semi-autonomous Collaborative Combat Aircraft.
KC-135s Battle Damaged in Iran War Arrive at Tinker for Repairs
The KC-135 Stratotanker that lost part of its vertical stabilizer in a deadly midair collision over Iraq in March is among a group of damaged tankers that have returned to Tinker Air Force Base, Okla., to be fully repaired.
