How Air Force Generals Avoid ‘Awkward First Dates’ With Foreign Leaders
The Air Force GOPAC program arms senior leaders with historical context and etiquette for meeting key allies and partners overseas.
B-21 Begins Taxi Tests in Last Step Before First Flight
The first B-21 bomber is conducting taxi tests at Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, Calif., the service confirmed, meaning that first flight is likely fast approaching.
Ukrainian Pilots Start Training on the F-16 in Arizona
The U.S. has begun training Ukrainian pilots to fly F-16s, the U.S. Air Force announced Oct. 25. A small number of Ukrainian pilots began training with the 162nd Wing of the Arizona Air National Guard earlier this week in “F-16 fundamentals,” according to a service spokesperson. “The training curriculum will align with the foundational knowledge and skills of each pilot and is expected to last several months,” a U.S. Air Force spokesperson said in a statement provided to Air & Space Forces Magazine.
New Charge Pushes Boeing’s Air Force One Losses to $1.3 Billion
With a $482 million third-quarter charge against its Air Force One/VC-25B, Boeing is now up to $1.3 billion in losses on the project. It also lost $350 million on an unnamed satellite program and $136 million on the Navy's MQ-25 refueling drone.
PACAF Leaders Visit South Korea Bases and Talk Readiness
Pacific Air Forces leaders conducted readiness inspections and spoke about quality of life concerns with Airmen during a sweep of the U.S. Air Force’s two bases in South Korea last week.
Radar Sweep
Biden Warns of Response If Iran Attacks US Troops
POLITICO
President Joe Biden warned Iran’s supreme leader on Oct. 25 that the U.S. would respond if Iran or its allied proxies attacked U.S. service members stationed in the Middle East. Speaking at a joint news conference with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at the White House, Biden said: “My warning to the Ayatollah was that if they continue to move against those troops, we will respond. And he should be prepared.”
US Wants to Build More Arms with Pacific Allies
Defense One
The United States will work with Japan to develop a new interceptor to hit hypersonic missiles. And it will work with Australia to produce Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System rockets, or GMLRS. It’s all part of a new strategy to bring partners into the process of manufacturing key weapons to ensure a steady supply of arms in the event of a major conflict, and to deter China from military action, Pentagon acquisition chief Bill LaPlante said Oct. 25.
1s and Many 0s: RTX to Sell Cybersecurity Unit for $1.3 Billion
Breaking Defense
Defense firm RTX has decided to sell off its cybersecurity and intelligence unit for more than a billion dollars to a mystery buyer, the latest reorganization for the company formerly known as Raytheon. Along with its third quarter 2023 earnings, on Oct. 24 on RTX said it “has entered into a definitive agreement to sell its Cybersecurity, Intelligence and Services business within its Raytheon segment,” adding that the sale price is “approximately $1.3 billion” and subject to regulatory approvals.
Space Force Planning $8 Billion Satellite Architecture for Nuclear Command and Control
SpaceNews
The Space Force is gearing up for a major procurement of strategic communications satellites that provide nuclear-survivable communications for the U.S. military and national command authorities. The Space Systems Command expects to issue a request for proposals in early 2024 for the Evolved Strategic Satellite Communications System (ESS) constellation, a program estimated to be worth $8 billion.
Give Guardsmen and Reservists the Same Parental Leave as Active-Duty Troops, Lawmakers Tell Defense Bill Negotiators
Military.com
A push to give National Guardsmen and reservists the same parental leave benefits as their active-duty counterparts is brewing as lawmakers negotiate a compromise defense policy bill. Four lawmakers from both parties and chambers of Congress sent a letter this week to the leaders of the House and Senate Armed Services committees urging them not to drop a proposal for expanded parental leave for reserve components from the negotiated version of this year's National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA.
Atlas, Other ‘Troubled’ Space Force Programs to Miss 2023 Deliveries
C4ISRNET
The Space Force will not meet its target to deliver three long-delayed programs by the end of this year, despite a push from the service’s top acquisition official. The projects include the Next Generation Operational Control Segment, or OCX, an in-demand ground system designed to operate modern GPS satellites; the Advanced Tracking and Launch Analysis System, dubbed ATLAS, a key space command-and-control system; and the Military GPS User Equipment program, MGUE, which is developing cards that enable anti-jam capabilities for GPS receivers.
US, Australia Eyeing Deeper Drone Technology Cooperation with Japan
DefenseScoop
Senior officials from the United States and Australia are poised to explore new opportunities for trilateral cooperation with Japan explicitly focused on making and deploying drones for military operations, according to an announcement the White House published Oct. 25 ahead of Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s official visit and state dinner in Washington.
US Air Force Activates Units Dedicated to Electronic Warfare
Air Force Times
The U.S. Air Force has activated two detachments at Robins Air Force Base in Georgia dedicated to electronic warfare and its future applications. The green light, given Oct. 25 at a ceremony inside an aviation museum, marks a step toward the realization of the 950th Spectrum Warfare Group, tasked with assessing the effectiveness of electronic warfare across dozens of aircraft while improving jamming and spoofing capabilities in large military exercises.
US Space Force’s 1st Official Painting Shows Military Space Plane Intercepting Adversary Satellite
Space.com
The United States Space Force has unveiled an official painting depicting a space plane intercepting an adversary satellite, perhaps illustrating a hint of what we can expect if orbital warfare is in our future. Space Operations Command (SpOC), which provides orbital warfare and intelligence capabilities to the U.S. Space Force, unveiled the painting during a ceremony at Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado on Oct. 20. The artwork, titled "High Ground Intercept," was commissioned with artist Rick Herter and is SpOC's first official painting.