The Weapons School Way

About three weeks after it was removed on Jan. 29, Air Force Handbook 1 reappeared on Feb. 19, albeit missing several sections regarding diversity, inclusion, cognitive bias, and COVID-19.

The U.S. Air Force is used to operating from large, fixed bases in the Middle East. But recently, Air Forces Central tested its ability to disperse to smaller, unfamiliar locations in an Agile Combat Employment exercise—while flying combat missions.

Engines from GE Aerospace and RTX’s Pratt & Whitney have cleared the Air Force’s “Detailed Design Reviews” for the Next-Generation Adaptive Propulsion program, paving the way for the engine-makers to build prototype ground demonstrators, the two companies announced separately. The...

President Donald Trump raised the possibility of major changes to the “Air Force One” replacement program the Air Force is pursuing in the face of persistent and growing delays. 

Two U.S. Air Force B-1 bombers led a joint aerial exercise between the U.S. and South Korea over Korean airspace on Feb. 20, as officials emphasized the importance of training to counter the likes of North Korea.

RTX's Pratt & Whitney got a $1.5 billion Air Force contract for three more years of sustainment of the F119 engine, which powers the F-22 Raptor. The company is also looking at capability upgrades for the engine, should they be needed.

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has ordered a swift and sweeping review of the defense budget, seeking cuts worth 8 percent of total spending over the next five years that he intends to shift to fund higher-priority defense projects.

The Space Development Agency will rescind a contract for 10 satellites awarded to Tyvak Nano-Satellite Systems last summer and reopen the competition, Air & Space Forces Magazine has confirmed—though uncertainty continues to swirl around the organization. 

A workshop designed to test the Space Force’s “Competitive Endurance” theory for dealing with the likes of Russia and China exposed “unintended consequences” that will hurt the service in the long run, experts from AFA’s Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies said this week.