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.

Watchdog Says Military Can Make Cyber Ops More Efficient

Sept. 17, 2025

The Government Accountability Office called for paring down the military's sprawling cyber enterprise in a recent report, amid renewed discussion about standing up a separate cyber force.

Planning an Air Show Is Hard. At Andrews, It’s Even Harder

Sept. 17, 2025

Joint Base Andrews opened its flightline this month to thousands of civilians, exposing a normally restricted airbase that regularly hosts the president and foreign dignitaries to a curious public eager to see current and historic military aircraft up close and in action.

Air Force Gets Ambitious with Yearlong Test of Autonomous Cargo Craft

Sept. 17, 2025

Fresh off its biggest test yet of an autonomous cargo plane, the Air Force is going bolder: deploying and operating another such aircraft for an entire year.

Tylenol or Paracetamol? How to Aeromedical Evac With Allies

Sept. 16, 2025

Differences in terminology, technology, training, and authority make integrating medics from two countries a challenge even when they speak the same language.

The Value of Integrated Air and Space Operations: Multidomain Solutions

Sept. 16, 2025

America faces the most severe security environment seen since World War II, and U.S. military leaders are working aggressively to develop new strategies, operational concepts, and technologies in response. As these efforts advance, it is imperative that new ideas and concepts be validated, designed with ample resilience and be flexible…

NATO Scrambles Fighter in Newest Response to Russian Drones

Sept. 16, 2025

NATO scrambled its first fighter Sept. 13 under its new plan to bolster its defenses against Russian air incursions that was put into place after an array of Russian drones flew into Polish airspace last week, the officials from the alliance’s military command said.

Raytheon Boosts AMRAAM’s Range ‘Significantly,’ Mostly with Software Changes

Sept. 16, 2025

RTX’s Raytheon unit was able to “significantly” extend the range of the AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile using mostly software changes in experimental tests last year, expanding the reach and lethality of the standard U.S. dogfighting weapon, company officials said Sept. 15.

Shave or Separate: New Pentagon Policy Limits Medical Waivers to 12 Months

Sept. 15, 2025

Unit commanders are being told to separate service members who can’t shave their cheeks and chin for medical reasons for more than a year, according to new guidance from Secretary of War Pete Hegseth.

US Military Blows Up Second Alleged Drug Boat in Caribbean

Sept. 15, 2025

The U.S. military conducted its second deadly strike on an alleged drug-carrying vessel off the coast of Venezuela, President Donald Trump announced Sept. 15, as his administration continues an aggressive military campaign in the Caribbean.

Related Content