WORLD: Air

Nov. 14, 2025
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...

WORLD: CCA

Nov. 14, 2025
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...
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...

WORLD: Combat Air Forces

April 4, 2025
The F-47: Next Generation Air Dominance  Boeing Wins Contest to Build the Next Manned Fighter. By Chris Gordon and John A. Tirpak  When President Donald Trump announced March 21 that Boeing would build the Next-Generation Air Dominance fighter, he unleashed a...
The Air Force’s first two collaborative combat aircraft are fighters, the first uncrewed aircraft to carry such a designation, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David W. Allvin unveiled in a keynote address at the AFA Warfare Symposium March 3. General Atomics’ CCA will be ...