March 31, 1911

March 31, 1911
Congress makes the first appropriation for Army aeronautics, $125,000 for Fiscal Year 1912, with $25,000 to be made available immediately. Chief Signal Officer James Allen quickly orders five new aircraft at a cost of approximately $5,000 each.

Related

Space Force Budget Cuts SDA’s Data Transport Funding

April 23, 2026
The new Space Force budget request omits funding for future tranches of the Space Development Agency’s data transport layer, teeing up a potential debate in Congress about the future of the organization and the service’s plan for managing both tactical and enterprise communication needs. 

Pentagon Zeroes Out E-7 in Budget, Leaving Its Future Uncertain

April 22, 2026
The Pentagon did not include any funding for the the E-7A Wedgetail in its 2027 budget request, setting up another round in its fight with Congress over the future of the Boeing-built successor to the E-3 Sentry Airborne Early Warning and Control jet.

Pass-Through and Classified Spending: What’s Hidden in the ’27 Budget

April 22, 2026
For 2027, so-called “pass through” accounts—money that funds other agencies and is never actually touched or used by the Air Force—will top $52.3 billion. That's 13.4 percent of the total department spending plan. But proportionally, that $52.3 billion accounts for a smaller share than in past years, when it has sometimes exceeded 20 percent.