Billions of dollars for U.S. military operations in the Middle East, where American troops have been under consistent fire from Iran-backed militants since October, are on the line as lawmakers bicker over U.S. border politics. A long-awaited bipartisan Senate agreement to provide funding for the conflicts in Israel and Ukraine in exchange for U.S. immigration reforms includes $2.4 billion to support American military operations in the Central Command region.
When Ural Airlines Flight 1383 to the Siberian city of Omsk suffered a technical fault with its hydraulics last September, the pilots decided to divert to a different airport. Then they discovered the defect meant the aircraft was rapidly running out of fuel and needed to land quickly.
The Pentagon expects Iran-backed militias to continue their attacks despite dozens of United States airstrikes on targets in Iraq, Syria, and Yemen, a spokesman said Feb. 5. “It would not be surprising to anyone if they attempt to conduct attacks in the future,” Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters, as he answered multiple questions about whether the White House considered its efforts to deter Iranian-proxy aggression successful.
Who is winning the quantum race? By many measures, that would be China. But if quantum physics holds just one lesson for daily life, it’s that reality is hard to measure. ... It turns out that “quantum” is really a whole array of related technologies, with different applications and potential, rather than a single thing. The U.S. and China are prioritizing different aspects—and Washington is betting that Beijing’s bets are bad ones.
F-16 Fighting Falcon jets from the D.C. Air National Guard’s 113th Wing have joined American forces in the Middle East, as the U.S. military strikes back against Iranian-linked military infrastructure in retaliation for a recent drone attack that killed three Soldiers and wounded dozens of other troops. The wing, based at Joint Base Andrews, Md., and nicknamed the “Capital Guardians,” departed for U.S. Central Command Jan. 17, according to a news release.
Boeing’s new training jet for the U.S. Air Force is facing a fresh delay due to what the company is calling supply chain woes, putting new pressure on a T-7A Red Hawk schedule that is already approximately two years late. The company Feb. 5 revealed that unspecified “challenges” with particular parts have delayed plans to deliver two remaining test jets to the Air Force, with three already in the service’s hands. Additionally, Boeing said Feb. 5 that the T-7A’s production line should be up and running around the middle of this year, a few months later than previous plans to have it operational in early 2024.
Since its establishment last spring, the U.S. Space Force’s Commercial Space Office has been busy making connections with industry and creating pathways to deliver off-the-shelf capabilities and services to users. The office is the service’s hub for commercial engagement, overseeing a slew of initiatives, including SpaceWERX—the Space Force’s innovation arm—and Space Systems Command’s Front Door, an online portal companies can use to connect with the acquisition community. It’s also leading the establishment of a Commercial Augmentation Space Reserve, an effort to scale up its use of commercial capabilities during a conflict.
An undisclosed type of air-launched cruise missile with a range of up to 300 miles will be among the munitions delivered to Ukraine alongside its long-awaited F-16 fighters, according to Lt. Gen. Serhii Naev, the commander of the Joint Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
A lack of available infrastructure and insufficient means to collect data has impacted the Air Force’s testing campaign for the Air-launched Rapid Response Weapon (ARRW), according to the Pentagon’s test and evaluation office.
BAE Systems has lifted the lid on a new configuration for its attritable autonomous collaborative platform (ACP) that could operate alongside future and current-generation combat aircraft. The latest design features a new diamond-delta shaped wing and more low-observable features, that take into consideration new approaches for wing assembly and production and the use of electrical rather than hydraulic actuation systems.
We have seen some great photos of the F-117 Nighthawks that continue to operate in developmental test and training roles. These images have improved incrementally since their use as aggressor and for test support became openly discussed by the Air Force, with the locales they could operate from expanding along with it. Now, one set of images, taken by aviation photographer James Reeder, is the best we've ever seen.
