July 21, 1961

July 21, 1961

Capt. Virgil I. “Gus” Grissom becomes the first Air Force astronaut in space. He attains an altitude of 118.3 miles on the second Mercury mission.

Experts: Affordable Munitions Could Help USAF in Taiwan Conflict, but More Is Needed

Sept. 22, 2026

A new think tank report calls for a buildup of U.S. drones and munitions needed for a potential fight against the Chinese military over Taiwan, thought other experts argue the report is missing some nuance in the munitions equation.

Investigators Blame F-16 Thunderbird Crash on Turned Fan Blade Deep in Engine

Sept. 22, 2026

A misaligned vane in an F-16 engine that field-level maintainers cannot see to inspect caused one of the U.S. Air Force's Thunderbird jets to crash last December, a new report concludes. The same problem led another F-16 to crash 20 months earlier.

Space Force Seeks Maneuverable Spacecraft for On-Demand Launch

Sept. 22, 2026

The Space Force may invest in a maneuverable space vehicle that can be available for an on-demand launch in response to “emerging threats,” according to a new industry notice.

8,000 Airmen and Guardians Still Have Medical Shaving Waivers After Policy Changes

Sept. 22, 2026

Around 8,000 Airmen and Guardians currently have medical waivers exempting them from shaving—thousands less than just a few years ago but still about half of all the waivers across the U.S. military. The revelation comes shortly after the Department of the Air Force started directing commanders to consider separating those…

F-16 Crashes in Germany; Pilot Successfully Ejects

Sept. 22, 2026

A U.S. Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon crashed on a local mission in Germany on Sept. 22. The pilot ejected safely and is receiving medical care, Air Force officials said. The fighter was assigned to the 52nd Fighter Wing at Spangdahlem Air Base. The jet went down on base property…

Air Force to Get First Next-Gen Tactical C2 Centers By Year’s End

Sept. 21, 2026

A single-pallet-sized tactical operations center is slated to begin shipping to 70 Air Force units by the end of the year following a recent announcement by the company that made it and the Air Force entity responsible for its development.

Massachusetts Guard Gets First F-35 to Replace Departed F-15s

Sept. 21, 2026

The Massachusetts Air National Guard’s 104th Fighter Wing received its first F-35A Joint Strike Fighter on Sept. 13, becoming the latest unit to get its hands on the new fifth-generation jet.

SDA Seeks to Expand Ground Architecture for Future Missile Tracking Satellites

Sept. 21, 2026

The Space Development Agency is opening a competition to expand its ground architecture to support a growing fleet of missile warning, tracking, and defense satellites.

Software for New F-35 Logistics System Starts Going Live

Sept. 21, 2026

The rollout of new hardware to replace an old, troubled maintenance and logistics system for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter is complete, a Lockheed Martin spokesperson told reporters Sept. 14, and software upgrades are next.

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