Final F-22 Makes 1st Test Flight

March 14, 2012

The Air Force’s final F-22 Raptor—tail No. 4195—conducts its first test flight in Marietta, Ga., flown by company test pilot Bret Luedke. No. 4195 is the last of 187 production F-22s. Lockheed delivered 4195 to USAF on May 2, 2012.

WATCH: Deptula Unpacks the Aging Aircraft Crisis in ‘Year of Readiness’

Feb. 25, 2026

Lt. Gen. David Deptula, USAF (Ret.), Dean of the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies, unpacks the keynotes and headline sessions from AFA’s 2026 Warfare Symposium to break down why Department of the Air Force leaders are calling this year the...

AMC Still Open to Wide Range of Options for New Tanker, Including Family of Systems

Feb. 25, 2026

Air Mobility Command has not ruled out a family of systems strategy for the service’s Next-Generation Air Refueling System.

Air Force Expanding ‘Airminded’ Exercises from New BMT to Tech Schools

Feb. 24, 2026

The Air Force has restructured its tech schools to ensure new service members don’t forget that they are Airmen first despite their specialty—the primary lesson of the service’s recent transformation of basic military training.

Space Force Moving to Upgrade Its Elements of Long-Range Kill Chains

Feb. 24, 2026

The Space Force is moving to bolster its contributions to the long-range kill chains that industry and government officials agree the U.S. will need in a large-scale conflict, leaders said Feb. 24 at AFA’s Warfare Symposium.

SPACECOM Offering Bonuses to Staffers Who Make the Move to Alabama

Feb. 24, 2026

U.S. Space Command will offer “significant relocation bonuses” to its civilians who choose to move to the command’s new home in Huntsville, Ala., after President Donald Trump ordered the headquarters to relocate last September. “We are trying to do everything we can to incentivize our workforce,” Gen. Stephen N. Whiting…

New ‘Ringleader’ Exercise Series to Test DAF Battle Network

Feb. 24, 2026

The Air Force and Space Force are preparing to kick off a series of exercises called “Ringleader” aimed at testing the services’ ability to integrate the troves of data collected by ground, air, and space sensors, and use it to track and engage enemy targets.

Lohmeier: Next Budget Will Fund ‘Year of Readiness’ in Fiscal ’27

Feb. 24, 2026

Fiscal 2027 will be the “year of restoring our foundational readiness accounts,” Air Force Undersecretary Matthew Lohmeier promised Feb. 24, with billions of dollars going to spare parts, flying hours, facility maintenance, and more.

Meink Suggests E-7 Program Remains Unresolved

Feb. 24, 2026

Air Force leadership needs to have a "discussion" with Congress on the long-term future of the E-7 Wedgetail, Secretary Troy Meink said, after lawmakers blocked a Pentagon plan to cancel the program in 2026. Meink's remarks leave open the possibility that the Defense Department will try to curtail the airborne…

Air Force Eyes Small Engines for Future CCAs with New Contracts

Feb. 23, 2026

The Air Force has awarded multimillion contracts to two industry teams to design small prototype engines for the service’s future Collaborative Combat Aircraft, according to Feb. 23 announcements.

Final F-22 Makes 1st Test Flight

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