June 20, 2012

June 20, 2012
The Air Force and its industry partners successfully launch a National Reconnaissance Office payload into space aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket, marking the Air Force’s 50th successful launch of a national security payload aboard an evolved expendable launch vehicle.

Related Content

Space Force Is an ‘Equal Partner’ in CENTCOM, Commander Says

March 27, 2023
The Space Force's top commander for the Middle East faces a two-fold resource problem, he said March 27. But with the support of U.S. Central Command and the Space Force, Col. Christopher Putman hopes to grow his team to confront the myriad of challenges presented to the U.S. in the…

Military Pilots Avoid Health Care to Keep Flying, New Study Suggests

March 27, 2023
U.S. military pilots avoid health care or misrepresent and withhold health information from their flight surgeon at greater rates than civilian pilots out of fear they might lose their flying status, according to a new study conducted by Air Force and civilian medical experts. Though the population size of 264…

Part-Time Wingmen: CCAs Won’t Always Be ‘Tethered’ to Crewed Platforms

March 27, 2023
Though touted as “loyal wingmen,” Collaborative Combat Aircraft may not always be paired with crewed aircraft and may function only in concert with one another or weapons in “swarms,” the better to complicate an enemy’s ability to track and counter them, senior Air Force CCA developers said. One of the…

CyberPatriot XV Crowns New National Champions

March 27, 2023
CyberPatriot XV launched last fall with 5,266 teams from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Canada, U.S. overseas territories, and military dependent schools in Europe and the Pacific. Just 28 earned a ticket to the National Finals in Bethesda, Md., and just one team from each of three divisions…

PHOTOS: Tinker Practices ‘Weather Flush,’ Conducts E-3 Elephant Walk

March 27, 2023
More than a dozen E-3 Sentry airborne warning and control, or AWACS, aircraft lined up on the runways at Tinker Air Force Base, Okla., on March 21. The crews of the distinctive E-3, with rotating radar domes perched above the fuselage, were practicing one of their more perilous missions: getting…

Details Murky as ARRW Falls Short in Second Test

March 24, 2023
The second all-up flight of the AGM-183A Air-Launched Rapid Response Weapon on March 13 fell short of a fully successful test, but the Air Force isn’t saying what went wrong with the Lockheed Martin-built hypersonic missile. The defense giant's Missiles and Fire Control division recently said the ARRW is "ready…