The six-week government shutdown did not affect the hours flown by Air Force pilots, a service spokesperson told Air & Space Forces Magazine—avoiding what could have been a major blow at a time when flying hours are already lower than they have been in decades.
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The successful second flight of Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket on Nov. 13 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Fla., also included a first for the company—the launcher’s booster stuck its landing on a barge in the Atlantic Ocean.
Tell us who you think we should highlight here. Write to letters@afa.org Virginia Air National Guard’s 192nd Wing recently welcomed its first full-time chaplain, Capt. KMarie Tejeda, marking a milestone in its commitment to the spiritual well-being of Airmen. Beyond...
The time is now to rebuild our northern tier defenses. Modern adversaries like Russia and China spent the past three decades developing and fielding advanced weapons capable of striking the U.S. homeland. Today, their advanced nuclear and nonnuclear missiles have...
The Air Force Heritage Memorial to Memorial (M2M) Bicycle Ride continues to pick up speed—both on the road and in its impact. On Sept. 18, 2025, hundreds of Airmen, Guardians, Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, and civilians gathered at the Wright Brothers...
The blueprint is coming into focus; the road map remains cloudy. Golden Dome is one of the most ambitious defense projects ever mounted. It seeks to develop a missile defense shield for the entire continental United States (CONUS) against ballistic,...
A New Kind of CCA? Meet the Supersonic X-BAT By John A. Tirpak Shield AI has entered the increasingly crowded field of Collaborative Combat Aircraft, announcing Oct. 23 its “X-BAT” vehicle that stands out from others by having both vertical takeoff...
Fail Today, Win Tomorrow: Reflecting on Pacific Wargames By David Roza The Department of the Air Force swung for the fences this summer with a massive six-week exercise stretching from Japan to New Mexico where more than 12,000 Airmen and 700...
Collaborative Combat Aircraft Missions Come into Focus By John A. Tirpak Air Force Secretary Troy Meink is leaning toward a less costly, less sophisticated concept for Increment 2 of the Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) autonomous fighter escort program. Yet it...
