April 24, 1986

One of General Atomics Aeronautical Systems’ prototype Collaborative Combat Aircraft drones crashed shortly after takeoff April 6, and the company has paused its test flights while it investigates the incident.

The Space Force is requesting $71 billion for fiscal 2027 in the White House's newly released budget proposal, a topline that would bring with it major funding increases for missile warning programs, launch procurement, and end strength.

More than a dozen Airmen with the 92nd Air Refueling Wing received decorations for “flying complex and dangerous missions in contested airspace,” the Washington-based unit announced April 1. The 15 airmen were honored for providing critical refueling that enabled other Air Force aircraft to continue their mission and return home…

The second crew member of the Air Force F-15E shot down April 3 has been rescued from Iran. U.S. forces recovered the aviator alive and all American forces involved in the operation are believed to be safe, U.S. officials told Air & Space Forces Magazine.

The Pentagon's research labs are ramping up their search for munitions that can be mass-produced—an effort likely to be buoyed by billions of dollars in the department's new fiscal 2027 budget request and tens of billions in the upcoming years. While the topline information shared about the President’s defense budget…