The Air Force is reconsidering how it gains air superiority—and whether it needs a manned sixth-generation fighter to achieve it, acquisition boss Andrew P. Hunter said.
Operational Imperatives
Ground-based battle managers want to compress six C-17 Globemasters’ worth of gear down to a single C-130, thanks to a new system with a fitting name: Tactical Operations Center-Light. The 752nd Operational Support Squadron at Tinker Air Force Base been designated as the “pathfinder” for Air ...
A military exercise earlier this month saw 9th Reconnaissance Wing Airmen do something completely different: command and control fighter and transport aircraft as part of a massive exercise across the western U.S.
The U.S. Air Force’s plan to operate from an expanded network of bases around the Pacific is facing a familiar but fundamental challenge: how to protect those locations from a Chinese missile attack. The Air Force and Army say they are working on a solution.
Northrop Grumman has wrapped up initial flight tests with its EMRIS multi-function sensor system, which could be applied to "crewed or uncrewed" platforms, the company said. The tests were flown on an unidentified government aircraft and demonstrated rapid software reconfiguration in-flight.
The Air Force has ordered its first E-7A Wedgetail battle management and command and control aircraft, announcing Aug. 9 it has agreed to a deal with Boeing worth $2.56 billion for two platforms. The service says the deal is for “operationally representative prototype E-7A weapons ...
Advances in artificial intelligence and software development will be key to two of the Air Force’s top programs: the DAF Battle Network, which connects sensors and shooters around the globe, and Collaborative Combat Aircraft autonomous drones, service acquisition executive Andrew Hunter said Aug. 7
The Air Force has started using a new Boeing pylon—the Load Adaptable Modular (LAM) pylon—which should help streamline testing new weapons, particularly hypersonic weapons, as other kinds of testing consume B-52 test assets.
Tim Grayson, who heads the Department of the Air Force's new Integrated Capabilities Office, has a mandate to tear up the department's acquisition playbook in order to get new technologies into warfighter hands more quickly, he explained July 31.