In Grassroots Effort, Airmen Worldwide Come Together to Grieve SrA Roger Fortson

In a grassroots effort, Airmen around the world are coming together to remember Senior Airman Roger Fortson, 23, who was killed by a sheriff’s deputy in Florida on May 3. On the social media platform Discord, Airmen from locations as distant as Osan Air Base, South Korea; Travis Air Force Base, Calif.; and Ramstein Air Base, Germany shared advice for talking with base leadership, traded tips on setting up memorial events, and directed each other to legitimate fundraising efforts. 

What Will USAF Do With the Money It Saves from Retiring a B-2?

After the Air Force recently revealed it will divest one of its 20 remaining B-2 bombers, deeming it uneconomical to fix after a December 2022 mishap, a service spokesperson said the projected savings associated with the move—some $176 million in operations and maintenance over the next five years—won’t be poured into the rest of the fleet.

F-22s Practice Dogfights over the Korean Peninsula with ROK F-35s

A pair of U.S. F-22s practiced dogfighting with South Korean F-35As on May 16, making a rare appearance over the peninsula's inland airspace. Four Raptors arrived earlier this week at Kunsan Air Base, South Korea. The F-22s, assigned to the 19th and 199th Expeditionary Fighter Squadrons of Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Hawaii, have been operating out of Kadena Air Base in Japan since mid-April.

Radar Sweep

Russia Launched Research Spacecraft for Antisatellite Nuclear Weapon Two Years Ago, US Officials Say

The Wall Street Journal

Russia launched a satellite into space in February 2022 that is designed to test components for a potential antisatellite weapon that would carry a nuclear device, U.S. officials said. The satellite that was launched doesn’t carry a nuclear weapon. But U.S. officials say it is linked to a continuing Russian nuclear antisatellite program that has been a growing worry for the Biden administration, Congress and experts outside the government in recent months.

Mystery in the Alps: A Chinese Family, a Swiss Inn, and the World’s Most Expensive Weapon

The Wall Street Journal

The Hotel Rössli, a century-old lodge in this Alpine valley village, enjoys a spectacular view from its front. The lace-curtained windows stare out into a crop of mountains capped with snow that melts into the nearby waterfall where Sherlock Holmes, in one of the novels, plummets to an untimely death. But it is the view from the back that caught the attention of American intelligence agencies. About 100 yards from the rear of the rustic, wood-paneled inn, just past a child’s swing set, cuts the runway where the Swiss military had agreed to base several F-35s, the world’s most advanced jet fighter.

A 7th-Gen Fighter? BAE Has Thoughts on What That Could Look Like

Breaking Defense

BAE Systems hasn’t finalized its sixth-generation fighter, but company execs are already talking about a “seventh-generation” combat air platform—even though they say that term will probably be out of date by the time it rolls around. Discussing the future of combat air at a media roundtable on May 14 at its manufacturing and assembly site in Warton, Lancashire, BAE Systems’ Combat Air Strategy Director, Mike Baulkwill said he “didn’t know where 7G aircraft development is heading,” but added, “We need to lose the generational name because aircraft are going to be evolving all the time.”

Inversion Space Targets Military Market with ‘Warehouses in Space’

SpaceNews

Inversion Space, a startup founded in 2021, is setting its sights on revolutionizing military logistics with its concept of “warehouses in space.” The company envisions deploying reusable reentry capsules to store cargo in orbit, and delivering it to any point on Earth within an hour. A pathfinder mission dubbed “Ray” is scheduled for launch as early as October on the SpaceX Transporter-12 rideshare mission.

F-35s Are Piling Up on Lockheed Tarmacs, Presenting ‘Unique’ Risks to the Pentagon

Defense One

The Pentagon has refused delivery of so many F-35s that Lockheed Martin is running out of places to put them, according to a new report from a government watchdog agency. Last July, the government stopped accepting new F-35s because of hardware and software delays with Technology Refresh-3, a $1.8-billion effort to enable new capabilities for the jet. The number of jets stacking up on the tarmac is “grossly delinquent,” Rep. Rob Wittman, R-Va., chairman of the House Armed Services tactical air and land forces subcommittee, told reporters May 15.

Aid for Gaza Will Soon Flow from Pier Project Just Finished by US Military, Pentagon Says

The Associated Press

The Pentagon said May 16 that humanitarian aid will soon begin flowing onto the Gaza shore through the new pier that was anchored to the beach and will begin reaching those in need almost immediately. Sabrina Singh, Pentagon spokeswoman, told reporters that the U.S. believes there will be no backups in the distribution of the aid, which is being coordinated by the United Nations.

Air Force Expanding Cloud as Operational, Tactical Lines Blur

Federal News Network

The Department of the Air Force’s chief information officer’s strategy to increase the capabilities of its Airmen and Guardians is centered on increasing the use of cloud services. Venice Goodwine, the Air Force’s CIO, said the cloud cannot be thought of as just for business applications. The lines between the back office and the tactical edge have blurred, she said.

House Bill: Time to Put Air Force’s ‘Flying Car’ Concept into Action

Defense News

House lawmakers want the Air Force to start seriously thinking about how to make its electric “flying car” concept a reality. A subcommittee’s section of the House Armed Services Committee’s proposed fiscal 2025 National Defense Authorization Act would require the Air Force and the Pentagon to set up a working group dedicated to transitioning its Agility Prime concept into programs that can be used operationally.

One More Thing

VIDEO: Watch This Air Force BMT Graduate's Tears of Joy When Her Husband Taps Her Out

USA Today

When Airman Noah Keaton told his wife, Danielle, that he couldn’t make it to her Air Force BMT graduation ceremony in San Antonio, Texas, she understood as he was stationed overseas in England. However, waiting to tap out at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas was bittersweet without her husband there, until she got the best surprise of her life.