An artist’s concept of a Gulfstream G550, outfitted to carry the Compass Call’s upgraded communications, sensor, and radar equipment. Illustration: Gulfstream After a year-long analysis of its electronic warfare capabilities and requirements, the Air Force is still searching for answers....
April 2019
Vol. 102, No. 4
The base of the future is taking shape amid the wreckage left behind by Hurricane Michael.
In an effort to meet the 80 percent goal, set last fall by former Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, the Ai
Fighter Math
An F-15 will never be an F-35.
Life After JSTARS
The ABMS will test Roper’s vision for incremental development.
Swarms
Why they're the future of warfare.
The Vice Chief’s Challenge
An exclusive interview with Vice Chief of the Air Force Gen. Stephen "Seve" Wilson.
What’s in the 2020 Budget Plan—and What’s Not
How the 2020 Budget Request Stacks Up. The president’s 2020 budget submission for the Air Force is $9.8 billion greater than the enacted 2019 spending plan, not including pass through funding. But in an effort to make the base budget...
10 Things Every Airman Can Learn From … Mark Cuban
Mark Cuban, businessman, investor, and owner of the Dallas Mavericks basketball team, said anyone can be an entrepreneur if they try hard enough. Photo: Mike Tsukamoto/staff Shark Tank star, Dallas Mavericks owner, and serial entrepreneur Mark Cuban shared the stage...
The Looming Swarm
Drone swarms could become a reality on the battlefield sooner than you think.
Namesakes: Frank Lahm
Frank Lahm in WWI. Photo: San Diego Air & Space Museum Ever since 1948, the Mansfield, Ohio, airport has hosted an Air National Guard base. The place is important but not flashy. In that sense, Mansfield Lahm Airport resembles its...
Letters
Air Force Association President Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Bruce “Orville” Wright. Photo by Mike Tsukamoto/staff JOIN THE FIGHT It is the honor of a lifetime to follow Gen. Larry Spencer as your new AFA President. General Spencer has done a tremendous...
The Drone Zappers
Directed-energy weapons emerge as a key to base defense—and possibly more.
Pegasus Takes Flight
Airmen start sizing up the future of aerial tanking.
Bring ‘Em Back Alive
Combat search and rescue’s golden era was Vietnam. The world changed after that.
Faces of the Force
MSgt. Jonathan Maas, of the 52nd Fighter Wing at Spangdahlem AB, Germany, won the 2019 Spark Tank competition at the Air Force Association’s 2019 Air Warfare Symposium. Photo: Mike Tsukamoto/staff MSgt. Jonathan Maas, of the 52nd Fighter Wing at Spangdahlem...
Climbing Out of the Munitions Hole
To fix the bomb shortage, USAF is making record buys, while the Pentagon moves to preserve component v
Time to Update NC3
The Mitchell Institute makes the case for replacing the aging command and control pillar of the nuclea
AFA Emerging Leaders
AFA began an Emerging Leaders Program in 2013 as an avenue to secure AFA’s future.
F-15EX: Careful What You Don’t Ask For
Be careful what you don’t wish for... New F-15s, T-X, and the cost of ownership....
Verbatim
DOD Cloud Strategy. Photo: DODFORECAST: CLOUDY “The Department has never built or implemented an enterprise cloud solution and therefore recognizes the importance of finding a commercial partner to help begin the process. … The magnitude of effort required to stand...
World
A C-130J takes off from Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan. USAF saw a huge increase in airdrops over Afghanistan in 2018—most flown by Super Hercules crews and airmen from Little Rock AFB, Ark. Photo: SSgt. Benjamin Gonsier NEED FOR AIRDROPS SKYROCKETS IN...
Next Generation Munitions
Air Force SSgt. Taylor Bechtol, a 90th Aircraft Maintenance Unit weapons load crew chief, loosens the straps on a GBU-32 Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) during the quarterly load competition at JB Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, on Oct. 26, 2018. Photo by...
