April 12, 1959

April 12, 1959

The Air Force Association’s World Congress of Flight is held in Las Vegas, Nev.-the first international air show in US history-with 51 foreign nations participating. NBC-TV telecasts an hour-long special, and Life Magazine gives it five pages of coverage.

Air Force Funds New External Pylons for B-1, Eyeing Loadout Gains and Hypersonic Testing

July 15, 2025

The Air Force plans to add external weapons pylons on the B-1B bomber, both to increase the number of aircraft that can test hypersonic missiles and expand the Lancer’s loadout as USAF transitions to the B-21 bomber.

B-52s Escorted by Korean and Japanese Fighters as Defense Chiefs Meet

July 15, 2025

The U.S., South Korea, and Japan flew an unusual trilateral flight with two U.S. B-52H Stratofortress bombers escorted by two Japan Air Self-Defense Force F-2s, and two ROK Air Force KF-16 fighters—both countries’ respective variants of the F-16—July 11. That same weekend, the top military officers of the three nations…

Lawmakers Push Space Force to Invest in New, Commercial Surveillance

July 15, 2025

Space Force leaders have touted their “surveillance-as-a-service" TacSRT program as a success story, leveraging commercial firms to deliver information to users on timelines far faster than typical space intelligence assets. Now, lawmakers want the service to put more heft behind the effort—starting with actually funding the program in fiscal 2026.

House Makes Moves to Block Pentagon from Canceling E-7 Wedgetail

July 15, 2025

House lawmakers are moving to keep the Air Force’s E-7 Wedgetail development program alive after the Pentagon announced plans to wind it down in the coming years.

Space Force Unit that Tracked Iranian Missiles Earns New Honor

July 14, 2025

The Guardians of the 11th Space Warning Squadron were honored as the top U.S. Space Force unit for 2024 for their role in thwarting Iranian missile barrages last year.

Carlyle ‘Smitty’ Harris, Vietnam POW Who Originated ‘Tap Code,’ Dies

July 14, 2025

Retired Col. Carlyle "Smitty" Harris, known for introducing the "tap code" by which American POWs in North Vietnam could surreptitiously communicate with one another, died July 6. Harris was brutalized by the North Vietnamese over almost eight years of captivity.

F-15EX Fighters Deploy to Japan for Training as Kadena Prepares for New Jets

July 14, 2025

Two F-15EX Eagle II fighters arrived for training at Kadena Air Base, Japan, July 12 as the base gears up to receive a permanent fleet of the jets.

Air Force: Test B-21s Could Fly Combat Missions, Northrop Can Expand Production at Plant 42

July 14, 2025

Expanded production of the B-21 bomber can be accomplished at Northrop Grumman's existing Palmdale, Calif., facilities, the Air Force said. The service also stated that test aircraft will be so similar to the production version that early examples could be used in combat if necessary.

House, Senate Unveil Competing Proposals for 2026 Budget

July 11, 2025

Lawmakers from the House and Senate laid out competing versions of the annual defense policy bill on July 11, with vastly different potential outcomes for some of the Air Force’s most embattled programs.

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