The Air Force is looking to adapt the laser-guided rocket pods it currently mounts on fighter aircraft for targeting swarms of small drones from the ground.
Air Force
A recent Air Force contract to buy up to $50 million worth of small drones from Anduril Industries may soon allow the service’s special operations command to transform its MQ-9 Reapers into drone-launching motherships.
When Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth rolled out an expansive acquisition reform agenda earlier this month, he promised aggressive implementation and reorganization aimed at transforming the way the Pentagon develops and fields weapons and platforms. The plan appears to have been well-received by past administration officials and ...
The Air Force is poised to begin evaluating a new class of low-cost missiles needed to defeat the rapid growth of aerial threats it’s likely to face in the next conflict.
America’s Air Force today is smaller and older than it was in my day, but what worries me more than size or age is just how ready we are to fly, fight, and win in a future war. I graduated...
We love letters! Write to us at letters@afa.org. To be published, letters should be timely, relevant and concise. Include your name and location. Letters may be edited for space and the editors have final say on which are published. Blending...
Tell us who you think we should highlight here. Write to letters@afa.org Virginia Air National Guard’s 192nd Wing recently welcomed its first full-time chaplain, Capt. KMarie Tejeda, marking a milestone in its commitment to the spiritual well-being of Airmen. Beyond...
A New Kind of CCA? Meet the Supersonic X-BAT By John A. Tirpak Shield AI has entered the increasingly crowded field of Collaborative Combat Aircraft, announcing Oct. 23 its “X-BAT” vehicle that stands out from others by having both vertical takeoff...
Collaborative Combat Aircraft Missions Come into Focus By John A. Tirpak Air Force Secretary Troy Meink is leaning toward a less costly, less sophisticated concept for Increment 2 of the Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) autonomous fighter escort program. Yet it...
From the President to returning hostages, the 89th Airlift Wing hauls some of the nation’s most precious cargo. JOINT BASE ANDREWS, Md. The 89th Airlift Wing is best known for its fleet that transports leaders to red carpet arrivals around...
Peace, Not War From this moment forward, the only mission of the newly restored Department of War is this:warfighting, preparing for war and preparing to win, unrelenting and uncompromising in that pursuit not because we want war, no one here...
Reflections on a 39-year career. Gen. David W. Allvin completed two years as Chief of Staff, half the statutory tour length, but long enough, he says, to have made a mark on the Air Force. “We can’t always pick...

