February 2018
Vol. 101, No. 2
INFOGRAPHIC
A dozen years after the F-22’s operational debut and two years after the F-35 was declared ready for c
Rare-Earth Uncertainty
A long list of obscure elements are vital for advanced electronics and military systems. China has cor
Life on the Line
PICTORIAL | USAF is probably buying fewer aircraft than you think. Here’s a look at what’s actually in
USAF Has Too Many Missions and Not Enough Airmen
Then-1st Lt. Duston O’Brien, a pilot with the 71st Fighter Training Squadron, boards a T-38 at JB Langley-Eustis, Va. A1C Tristan Biese In congressional testimony and speeches over the last few years, senior Air Force leaders have gotten almost rote...
Develop, Borrow, Steal: The Race for Tech
EDITORIAL | USAF is developing the next generation of revolutionary capabilities. Can it field them fi
In Pursuit of the Bismarck
Swordfish torpedo bombers crippled the German battleship. British battleships cruised in to finish the
Forward Deployed
Then-A1C Cody Linholm (right, USAF) observes as German air force crew chiefs prepare a Eurofighter Typoon. SrA. Abby Finkel BLUE FLAG IN ISRAEL US airmen in November had the chance to work with airmen from seven other nations during Blue...
Electronic warfare isn’t going away—but EC-130Hs will
An EC-130H Compass Call taxis at an undisclosed location in Southwest Asia. The aircraft type has been flying nonstop in the region for more than 15 years. Photo: TSgt. Jonathan Hehnly Transplanting the innards of the Air Force’s Compass Call...
Aperture
The Waverider hypersonic Scramjet just before its second test flight, in June 2011. Photo: Boeing Dec. 15, 2017— A PEEK AT THE NEW WORLD ORDER A new era of “great power competition” is underway, and the US will have to...
Replacing Minuteman
The Air Force is finally moving forward with a program to develop a next generation ICBM.
