September 20, 1951

Sept. 20, 1951

The Air Force makes the first successful recovery of animals from rocket flight when a monkey and 11 mice survive an Aerobee flight to 236,000 feet.

NATO Cancels Plan to Buy E-7 Wedgetails

Nov. 13, 2025

NATO is abandoning its effort to buy E-7 Wedgetails to replace its aging E-3 AWACS, the Netherlands Ministry of Defense announced Nov. 13—a blow to the uncertain future of the new airborne early warning and control aircraft. The alliance announced...

Air Force Issues Guidance on Shutdown Backpay, Telework for Returning Workers

Nov. 13, 2025

With the 43-day government shutdown officially over, Air Force and Space Force civilian workers are no longer furloughed, but it may take time to get every employee paid and back in the office, service officials advise.

F-15E Aircrews Who Shot Iranian Drones Honored With Mackay Trophy

Nov. 13, 2025

The crews of the two-ship F-15E formation that stared down the leading edge of Iran’s massive aerial assault against Israel in April 2024 were presented with the Mackay Trophy last week, further cementing their place in Air Force history.

Air Force’s New Fighter Math Doesn’t Add Up for Critics

Nov. 13, 2025

A new way of counting the Air Force's fighters gives a better idea of how many are available for action but could undercut how comprehensively they're funded, experts said.

Air Force Using AI to Plan Storage for Munitions

Nov. 13, 2025

When lawmakers and outside experts turn their attention to how the U.S. military can use of artificial intelligence, they tend to focus on weapons systems—the most consequential and risk-laden use cases—and on generative AI. But behind the scenes, the Air Force is already using machine learning algorithms to help solve…

Record Government Shutdown Ends, Pentagon Employees to Return

Nov. 12, 2025

President Donald Trump signed legislation reopening the federal government late Nov. 12, ending the longest shutdown in U.S. history. The move sets the stage for tens of thousands of defense civilians to return to work and guarantees troops will be paid in a few days’ time.

Air Force Chief OKs Daily Callsign Nametags, Friday Morale T-Shirts

Nov. 12, 2025

Air Force Chief of Staff Kenneth S. Wilsbach is allowing Airmen to wear unit pride T-shirts on Fridays and aircrew to wear nametags with their callsigns daily. The morale-boosting gesture is one of his first official acts as Chief and comes at a time when the Pentagon is cracking down…

Solar Storms Delay Launch Space Force Needs to Certify New Rocket

Nov. 12, 2025

The second launch of Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket, which could clear a path to military certification, is delayed due to severe solar storms.

B-52 Bombers Deploy to Spain, Train with Nordic and Baltic Allies

Nov. 12, 2025

Multiple B-52 Stratofortresses landed at Morón Air Base, Spain, on Nov. 8 for the Air Force’s first Bomber Task Force rotation of fiscal 2026 in Europe.

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