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Air Force Research Laboratory

New Liquid Rocket Engine Flight Test Shows Promise for Affordable Hypersonic Missiles

March 20, 2026 | By Todd South
A recent supersonic test flight conducted at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio could pave the way for affordable, maneuverable hypersonic missiles by leveraging advances in a decades-old technology. The Air Force Research Laboratory and Ursa Major, an aerospace and defense company, achieved supersonic flight ...

US Bets on On-Orbit Satellite Servicing with 4 Missions in 2026

Dec. 24, 2025 | By Shaun Waterman
Four satellite missions will launch in the coming year to demonstrate on-orbit refueling, servicing, and repair capabilities to extend the lives of military satellites. Funded by different Department of Defense entities, each will also entail commercial efforts. 

Air Force Shutting Down AI Chatbot NIPRGPT

Dec. 22, 2025 | By Greg Hadley
NIPRGPT, the Air Force’s generative artificial intelligence chatbot, will shut down Dec. 31—making way for the Pentagon’s new GenAI.mil system.

SBIR Contracts, On Hold During Shutdown, Face Long-Term Risk 

Nov. 8, 2025 | By Shaun Waterman
The $4.26 billion Small Business Innovation Research contracting program widely used by the Air Force went into hibernation as the government shut down Oct. 1, but unless lawmakers strike a deal on reforms, the program could reach an abrupt end.

Air Force Officials Say They’re Poised to Solve the Longstanding ‘Valley of Death’

Aug. 28, 2025 | By Shaun Waterman
The Air Force is finally poised to deal with the “Valley of Death” problem—the gulf between the invention of an innovative new technology and its deployment at scale to warfighters— leaders of the department’s science and technology enterprise told defense industry executives Aug 27. 

New Vulcan Rocket to Launch With Experimental Satellite That Could Boost Future GPS

Aug. 11, 2025 | By Greg Hadley
The Space Force hopes to celebrate a pair of major milestones with a single mission Aug. 12: its first launch with the new Vulcan Centaur rocket, and the first launch of an experimental navigation satellite in nearly 50 years. 

Lockheed Reveals Second Low-Cost Cruise Missile ‘Truck’ and Successful Flight Tests  

July 16, 2025 | By John A. Tirpak
Lockheed Martin has revealed a second version of its Common Multi-Mission Truck vehicle, and both types have recently been tested successfully, the company said.

Air Force Fighters Control Semi-Autonomous Drones in ‘Crucial’ Test

July 7, 2025 | By Chris Gordon
The U.S. Air Force recently took a significant step in its push to integrate crewed fighters with semi-autonomous drones, the service says. Pilots of an Air Force F-16C and an F-15E each controlled two XQ-58A Valkyrie drones in an “air combat training scenario,” the Air Force ...

General Atomics Designing Long-Range Stealth ‘GHOST’ Recon Drone

May 28, 2025 | By John A. Tirpak
The Air Force has awarded General Atomics a $99.3 million contract for a stealthy, ultra-long-range surveillance aircraft design to be ready by 2028. The plane, nicknamed "GHOST," would also have a strike mission.

Can Spacecraft Sweat? New Tech Could Make Them Reusable

May 21, 2025 | By Shaun Waterman
Building spacecraft that can survive the heat of reentry by "sweating" a thermally protective layer of gas has been a dream of aerospace engineers for 50 years. Now an Air Force Research Laboratory grant aims to make that a reality.

Researchers: US Bombs May One Day Use Chinese GPS Signals

March 4, 2025 | By Shaun Waterman
One day, U.S. military personnel might target smart weapons using location data from Chinese or Russian versions of GPS, researchers from the Air Force and Space Force said at the AFA Warfare Symposium on March 4. 

USSF Paused AI Adoption in ’23; Now It’s Looking to Automate Ops

Feb. 26, 2025 | By Greg Hadley
Less than 18 months after telling Guardians to quit using ChatGPT and other emerging artificial intelligence tools while the service examined the risks and opportunities they posed, a Space Force leader said Feb. 26 the service has “done so much” to explore and expand AI ...

Latest News

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MacDill Remains on Alert as Indictments Drop in Failed Bomb Attack

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Air & Space Forces Magazine is the official publication of the Air & Space Forces Association, 1201 S. Joyce St., C6 / Second Fl., Arlington, Va., 22202. Copyright 2025

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