Top U.S. defense officials dismissed the notion that the U.S. would provide aircraft—manned or unmanned—anytime soon to Ukraine in Congressional hearings March 28 and 29. While Kyiv has repeatedly asked for F-16 fighters and MQ-9 drones, the Biden administration has refrained from providing them and ...
The conflict in Ukraine is increasingly emerging as a test bed for new American unmanned aerial systems (UAS). Since neither Russia nor Ukraine’s air force has been able to achieve air superiority, both sides have turned to drones to augment their capabilities.
Air Mobility Command boss Gen. Mike Minihan generated international headlines when a memo to his Airmen in which he suggested the U.S. “will fight in 2025” with China leaked to the media. In the days that followed, national security experts and even Airmen themselves have ...
Ukraine is stepping up its appeals for modern fighter jets now that the U.S and NATO allies have agreed to send main battle tanks to help counter Russia’s stepped up ground attacks, a Ukrainian official said. “Until today, the major focus in the discussions have been ...

World: Readiness

Dec. 2, 2022
Fifth AF without F-15s; Collaborative Combat Aircraft; Layered missile defense in Guam.
Retired Lt. Gen. David A. Deptula, dean of the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies, moderated a discussion on "Air & Space Warriors Now & Tomorrow" with Lt. Gen. Brian S. Robinson, commander of Air Education and Training Command; Maj. Gen. Shawn N. Bratton, commander of ...
Retired Lt. Gen. David A. Deptula moderated a discussion on "Long-Range Strike: Fielding Tomorrow's Bomber" with Maj. Gen. Jason R. Armagost, director of strategic plans, programs, and requirements, Air Force Global Strike Command; Melissa A. Johnson, acting director of the DAF Rapid Capabilities Office; Thomas ...
The Air Force’s internal analysis has left Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. confident in the capacity of the service’s combat aircraft fleet—especially when considering what the U.S.’s partners and allies can bring to the fight. Speaking with reporters at AFA’s Air, Space ...
Air combat is “a real team sport” requiring agile thinking, persistence, and a willingness to sometimes disregard the rules, retired Col. Charles B. DeBellevue, the highest-scoring Air Force Vietnam ace, said at a seminar held to commemorate the 50th anniversary of his last air-to-air kills.