As futuristic aviation programs gain priority, the F-35—the only in-production, fifth-generation American fighter—is facing new headwinds. Fresh debate over its challenges and its potential in the coming months will shape its future role in the force.
As innovative as Ukraine's drone attack on Russia's bomber fleet was, it's not a template for how the U.S. should conduct air wars, two experts said.
The “first priority” for President Donald Trump defense team to deliver "peace through strength" should be a major cash infusion to revitalize the Air Force and ensure the Space Force can deliver for all the other military branches, according to a new report from AFA’s Mitchell ...
The Air Force’s capability to carry out long-range strikes can play an important role in defending Taiwan against a Chinese attack but must be carefully managed to reduce the risk of triggering a nuclear conflict, according to a new study by the RAND Corporation.
The U.S. military conducted an unusual exercise recently during which a U.S. Air Force B-2 Spirit stealth bomber helped sink a decommissioned U.S. warship in the Pacific using relatively inexpensive GPS-guided bombs.
The future U.S. bomber force could provide a way for the Pentagon to simultaneously deter conflict with peer adversaries in two geographically disparate theaters, said Mark Gunzinger, the director of future concepts and capability assessments at AFA's Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies, during a March ...
The Air Force is boosting its munitions buy in fiscal 2023, marking another modest step in the migration away from direct-attack munitions with priority going to standoff capability, such as the AGM-158 Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile-Extended Range series and its variant, the Long-Range Anti-Ship Missile.
The two-war force-sizing construct should be restored in the next National Defense Strategy being developed by the Biden administration, according to a new paper from the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies. The authors argued that a one-war capacity invites adversaries to take advantage of U.S. ...
The proliferation of long-range strike options under development across all the U.S. armed forces should prompt a comprehensive review by civilian leaders, a new report by two influential think tanks concludes. Titled “Understanding the Long-Range Strike Debate,” the report by AFA's Mitchell Institute for Aerospace ...
Bombers are a better bet than standoff weapons for managing combat at long range, according to a new Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies report, released June 18. While standoff weapons are needed for key targets inside a well-fortified enemy's air defenses, only bombers can provide ...
The Air Force isn’t well-structured to carry out the National Defense Strategy, and in order to deter a major war, it must add more and stealthier aircraft, expand its use of unmanned systems, accelerate the development of new technology, and learn to operate from more ...
Cutting needed capabilities to pay for modernizing the force is a management tactic that has failed every time the Air Force has tried it, according to a new paper from AFA’s Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies. Authors Mark Gunzinger and Carl Rehberg said the Air ...