Retiring after 40 years of aerospace and defense journalism—31 years with Air & Space Forces Magazine—John Tirpak offers observations and advice on how to tell the Air Force’s continuing story. O ver the past few decades, the Air Force’s cumulative budget...
Operation Midnight Hammer
In a period of seven months, the United States executed two extremely different, yet equally devastating military operations on two sides of the world. In June’s Operation Midnight Thunder, seven U.S. B-2 bombers destroyed most of Iran’s nuclear production capacity...
Air Force leaders hail recent strike missions like Midnight Hammer as a shining example of operational readiness, but that success also highlights the challenges ahead should USAF need to mount an extended long-range strike campaign.
The Air Force Historical Foundation has recognized two Air Force B-2 Spirit bomber wings among the winners of its 2025-2026 prestigious annual awards, selecting both for their part in Operation Midnight Hammer, the daring raid on Iran’s fortified nuclear weapons sites.
The first F-47 Next-Generation Air Dominance fighter will be ready to fly by 2028 and the first airframe is already being built, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David W. Allvin announced during a keynote address Sept. 22 at AFA’s Air, Space & Cyber Conference.
Stealth was a gamble 50 years ago. It’s still a good bet. S tealth technology has given the U.S. military an air of near invincibility for the past 35 years. Overwhelmingly successful in the 1991 Gulf War, and heavily refined...
“Top Gun: Maverick” captured movie audiences with a plot built around the mission to destroy a fictional country’s uranium enrichment facility hidden deep in a remote mountain range. ... In June, we saw the remake: The Air Force executed the real thing as seven B-2 ...
S ixteen retired four-star generals joined Air & Space Forces leadership in a joint letter to Congress advocating for greater investment in F-35 fighters in fiscal 2026 and to fund the E-7 Wedgetail as an essential successor to the E-3...
An Iranian ballistic missile struck Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar during Iran’s attack on the base June 23, the Pentagon told Air & Space Forces Magazine July 11. Defense officials have touted the success of U.S. and Qatari Patriot anti-missile systems in blunting the missile ...
The U.S. military is maintaining a beefed-up presence in the Middle East, including fighters and air defense assets, following the U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities June 22 and subsequent retaliation by the Iranians against Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.
The U.S. strike on Iran's nuclear development facilities saw the first use of the GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator, a weapon specifically designed for such a mission more than 20 years ago. The Air Force B-2s were the only platform with the stealth and carrying capacity ...
