Todd South
Todd South served in the U.S. Marine Corps, deploying to Iraq during the Iraq War in 2003. He then attended the University of Georgia, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in journalism. He later worked at the Red & Black, the Anniston Star, the Chattanooga Times Free Press, The Record and Military Times. Todd earned his MFA in nonfiction writing from Goucher College and was named a Pulitzer Prize finalist in 2014 for local reporting.
Recent stories by Todd South
AFRL Takes Steps to Push Quantum Tech to the Field
The Air Force Research Lab has awarded quantum computing firm IonQ a $7.5 million follow-on contract to bridge the gap between the lab and the field for the highly advanced technology.
When Will US Transfer Operational Control to South Korea? Debate Rages
For years, U.S. and South Korean officials have said they want to reach an arrangement where, should war break out on the peninsula, Seoul’s military commanders would have operational control of American forces there. Such a setup would be unprecedented in modern times and what ...
US and Japan Finalize Agreement for AMRAAM Facility
At a high-profile meeting of defense ministers in the Philippines this week, U.S. and Japan leaders finalized an agreement to establish a production facility in Japan for the AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile, following a massive $20.7 billion Pentagon contract to expand production of the ...
F-16 Jets to Add Startup Castelion’s Hypersonic ‘Blackbeard’ Missile
The Air Force has awarded Castelion, a venture capital-backed defense startup founded in 2022, a contract to integrate its hypersonic Blackbeard missile onto the F-16 Fighting Falcon.
AFRL Targets New Hypersonic Engine Tech Prototypes Within 4 Years
The Air Force Research Laboratory wants industry to advance concepts for affordable hypersonic munition engines to prototype demonstrations within three to four years.
AFOSI Seeks Enlisted Airmen to Train as Special Agents
The Air Force Office of Special Investigations is looking for a few good Airmen to swap jobs and become special agents. No, they won’t get the 007 James Bond code—but they could learn to conduct counterintelligence and investigate procurement fraud and major crimes.
DUNE Project Aims to Unite Legacy and Cloud Tools in Air Ops Centers
After decades of building isolated, vendor-locked systems to run the Air Operations Centers that serve as the Air Force’s “combat brains,” the program office tasked with creating the next-generation AOC is working to fold those systems into a new cloud-based system.
What a Russian Satellite Stalking a Commercial Spacecraft Means for the Space Force
Over a two-week period beginning in late September and culminating in mid-October, a Russian satellite maneuvered dangerously close to a commercial Finnish satellite currently providing intelligence to the Ukrainian military. The apparent provocation has experts wondering why Russia made the move—testing new capabilities, collecting intelligence, ...
USAF Seeks More Processing Power for F-16 with Next-Gen Mission Computer
The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center is moving forward with a program to upgrade a quarter-century-old computing system for some F-16 fighter jets.
AI Adoption: Are Air Force and Space Force Ready and Willing?
Air Force and Space Force leaders are urging Airmen and Guardians to embrace AI tools, though experts warn of technical and cultural hurdles along the way.
Q&A: No Longer a Software Factory, What’s Next for Air Force’s Kessel Run?
Almost a decade ago, the Air Force created Kessel Run in 2017 as a military-commercial partnership and Airmen-led “software factory” in response to the service’s troubled rollout of the Air Operations Center 10.2. New leader Col. Brian Viola sat down recently with Air & Space ...
F-35 Drops 8 Bombs in Quick Succession During ‘Ripple’ Test
The Marine Corps recently conducted its first-ever “ripple” release of eight Small Diameter Bomb IIs from an F-35B, a key early step in proving out the capability for all F-35 variants.
Air Force Searching for Next-Gen Perimeter Air Defense Radars
The Air Force is looking to replace the three-decade-old radar warning system that protects the coastlines and borders of the United States and a few remote locations.
50 DAF Battle Network Programs Rolled into Single, $4.5B ‘Megatron’ Contract Vehicle
The Department of the Air Force is consolidating more than 50 programs supporting its efforts to create a vast battle network into a single $4.5 billion contract vehicle to streamline software and technology integration.
Long-Range Anti-Ship Missile Will Integrate onto B-52
The Air Force’s B-52 bomber may soon be able to carry up to 20 stealthy long-range anti-ship missiles to strike moving targets at sea, a key capability in a potential fight with China.