Neptune Takes Flight

April 21, 1950

Piloted by Lt. Cmdr. R.C. Starkey, a Lockheed P2V-3C Neptune weighing 74,668 pounds becomes the heaviest aircraft ever launched from an aircraft carrier. The Neptune is flown off USS Coral Sea (CV-43).

US Evacuates Personnel from Al Udeid Air Base as Trump Weighs Military Action Against Iran

Jan. 14, 2026

Some U.S. personnel are evacuating Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, America’s main military base in the Middle East, as President Donald Trump is weighing military action against Iran in response to its crackdown on protestors, people familiar with the matter told Air & Space Forces Magazine.

Space Force’s Newest Weather Satellite Feeding Data to NOAA Forecasters

Jan. 13, 2026

As the Space Force moves forward with plans to modernize its weather satellite architecture, it’s working closely with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to share data and leverage the agency’s modeling and validation tools, officials told lawmakers in a Jan. 13 hearing.

Pentagon Sets New Body Composition Standards Matching Existing Air Force Policy

Jan. 13, 2026

Airmen and Guardians preparing to take updated physical fitness assessments this year won’t be surprised by the Pentagon’s updated body composition standards that all service members will have to meet; the Air Force worked up similar standards three years ago.

How Air Force Leaders See T-7A Feeding into Sixth-Gen Aircraft

Jan. 13, 2026

With the first operational T-7A trainer jet in hand, Air Force leaders are already looking ahead to how the Red Hawk will fit with the service’s plans for sixth-generation aircraft.

Pentagon Investing $1 Billion in L3Harris Solid Rocket Motor Business

Jan. 13, 2026

The Pentagon is investing $1 billion in L3Harris’ solid rocket motor business in a bid to shore up the U.S. government’s supply chain for a range of munitions.

At F-35 Factory, Hegseth Makes Acquisition Reform Case and Says Lockheed Will ‘Step Up’

Jan. 12, 2026

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth foot-stomped the Pentagon's push for acquisition speed and contractor accountability in a Jan. 12 speech at Lockheed Martin’s production hub in Fort Worth, Texas—the heart of the department’s biggest acquisition program, the F-35.

Air Force Clamps Down on Airmen Walking with Phones

Jan. 12, 2026

The Air Force is clamping down on digital multitasking while on duty, ending a previous policy that allowed Airmen to use phones and other digital devices while walking in uniform.

SpaceX Sweeps Another Round of Space Force’s More Commercial-Like Launch Orders

Jan. 12, 2026

The Space Force recently awarded SpaceX $739 million to launch nine missions for the Space Development Agency and National Reconnaissance Office over the next three years. Five of the awarded launches will be to build out SDA’s constellation of missile warning and tracking satellites in low-Earth orbit.

F-15Es, A-10s Launched Wave of Strikes on ISIS in Syria

Jan. 12, 2026

U.S. aircraft launched airstrikes against forces identified with the Islamic State group Jan. 10 as part of Operation Hawkeye Strike, a retaliatory campaign in response to the killing of three American troops last month.

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