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
‘Angry Kitten’ EW Pod Tested on Search-and-Rescue HC-130
The Air Force recently tested its “Angry Kitten” electronic warfare pod on an HC-130J during Exercise Bamboo Shield, showing the pod can turn the rescue platform into a command-and-control node and protect it from enemy radars.
Extra $475 Million Puts Hypersonic Interceptor Program Back on Track
A recent injection of $475 million has reversed delayed delivery timelines for the Pentagon’s hypersonic missile interceptor by several years, Air Force Lt. Gen. Heath Collins, director of the Missile Defense Agency, told congressional leaders in an April 15 hearing.
Air Force Graduates Final Class of New A-10 Pilots as Aircraft Retirement Looms
The final class of new A-10C Thunderbolt II pilots graduated from training this month, signaling another step in the Air Force’s goal of retiring the venerable close air support aircraft in the coming years.
What Are Chinese Media Outlets Saying About the F-47?
Chinese media outlets are attempting to dismiss the U.S. Air Force’s planned sixth-generation fighter jet, the F-47, by criticizing the cost, downplaying the technology, and reporting that the U.S. won’t be able to effectively produce the air dominance platform.
Guard Leaders Tell Congress the Air Force Needs 100 New Fighters a Year
National Guard adjutants general from nearly two dozen states have signed a letter to Congress seeking multiyear funding for the Air Force to purchase between 72 and 100 new fighter jets per year to modernize the total force.The letter, sent to Congress last week, stresses ...
AFCENT to Spend up to $270 Million on Ultra-Long Range ISR Drones
U.S. Air Forces Central has awarded an indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contract worth up to $270 million to a California-based company to provide an ultra-long range, solar-powered drone capable of 75 hours of flight.
Air Force Awards Contract to Develop Small, Disposable Engines for Missiles and Drones
The Air Force has awarded a $29.7 million contract to engine startup Beehive Industries to complete work on a new disposable jet engine meant to power drones and munitions. The contract is just the latest step in the service’s effort to massively scale up production ...
A New Device Gives the A-10 Warthog Another Way to Refuel
The Air Force has developed a probe refueling adapter that could give the aging A-10 Thunderbolt II more options for refueling. The Air National Guard Air Force Reserve Command Test Center led the effort, along with multiple other organizations, to provide the A-10 with probe-and-drogue ...
Air Force Wants a New, Affordable Standoff Attack Missile by 2033
The Air Force wants a new, affordable, air-launched standoff cruise missile ready to field in 2033. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center announced April 6 it will hold an industry day event to conduct market research on the Standoff Attack Weapon, or SoAW, on ...
KC-135 Crews Receive Distinguished Flying Crosses for Combat Missions
More than a dozen Airmen with the 92nd Air Refueling Wing received decorations for “flying complex and dangerous missions in contested airspace,” the Washington-based unit announced April 1. The 15 airmen were honored for providing critical refueling that enabled other Air Force aircraft to continue ...
Pentagon Plans Major Boost in Spending and Research on Mass-Producing Munitions
The Pentagon's research labs are ramping up their search for munitions that can be mass-produced—an effort likely to be buoyed by billions of dollars in the department's new fiscal 2027 budget request and tens of billions in the upcoming years. While the topline information shared ...
Space Force Wants More Testers, Looking at Own Test Center to Deliver Faster
New approaches to testing Space Force equipment are speeding up delivery to operators, but the service needs more testers and perhaps its own space-focused test center, officials said April 1. Those are key pieces of the fledgling force’s testing methods and future moves that will ...
A-10 Fleet in Middle East Poised to Double as Jets Cross the Atlantic
The U.S. military is poised to double its A-10 presence in the Middle East, as the venerable close air support plane plays a key role in combating Iranian boats and Iranian-backed militias in Iraq as part of Operation Epic Fury against Iran.
Guard, Reserve Leaders Flag Concern over Recapitalizing Fighter Fleet
Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve leaders warn that the Air Force must modernize their fighter fleets along with the Active force, or they risk losing combat-tested talent and making the reserve forces irrelevant in future operations.
First USAF F-35s Permanently Based in Japan Arrive at Misawa
Misawa Air Base welcomed its first permanently assigned F-35A fighters March 28, marking the first time the Air Force has based F-35s in Japan.
