B-1 Bombers Jet to South Korea for Training, Flyover
B-1Bs from Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, flew over South Korea with U.S. and Korean fighters on April 15, adding to the already robust USAF bomber presence in the Indo-Pacific.
F-35 Cues Ground Artillery in ‘Minutes’ with New Data Gateway at Major NATO Exercise
F-35s passed targeting information to ground artillery in a demonstration of a new open-systems communications gateway, during the recent Ramstein Flag 2025 exercise, Lockheed Martin said. It’s the first time the secure system has been demonstrated outside the U.S.
Pentagon Looks to Ground Radars to ‘Fill Gaps’ in Space Domain Awareness
As the Space Force looks to expand its ability to track objects in orbit, a series of ground-based radars coming in the next few years could help fill gaps in coverage.
Air Force Piloting Hydrogen Energy Tech for Agile Combat Logistics
Hickham Air Force Base in Hawaii is trialing novel energy technology to provide electrical power and hydrogen fuel in the kind of isolated and austere outposts the Air Force will need in the Pacific theater for its new Agile Combat Employment way of warfare.
Radar Sweep
Hamas Rejects Israeli Ceasefire Disarmament Proposal, Palestinian Official Says
BBC News
Hamas is said to have rejected an Israeli proposal for a six-week ceasefire in Gaza which called for the armed group to give up its weapons. A senior Palestinian official familiar with the talks said the plan gave no commitment to end the war or for an Israeli troop pull-out—key Hamas demands—in exchange for releasing half of the living hostages which it holds.
OPINION: It’s Time to Fully Fund the Air Force’s Collaborative Combat Aircraft
Defense News
“As Defense Department leaders build their fiscal 2026 budget request, they must prioritize Air Force modernization. ... Top leaders will only be able to successfully deter and, if necessary, defeat adversaries if they have sufficient and capable forces to do both. Collaborative combat aircraft (CCA) will be a key part of that force mix, given their ability to empower enhanced concepts of operation, field at scale and dynamically evolve as required to meet new threats,” write Douglas A. Birkey and Heather Penney of the Mitchell Institute.
Hegseth Adviser Put on Leave amid Leaks Probe
The Hill
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s adviser was escorted out of the Pentagon on April 15 and put on administrative leave amid a probe into information leaks at the department. Dan Caldwell, one of Hegseth’s senior advisers, was placed on leave after being identified during an ongoing investigation into the leaks at the Pentagon, a defense official told The Hill.
Pentagon’s ‘SWAT Team of Nerds’ Resigns en Masse
POLITICO
Under pressure from the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency, nearly all the staff of the Defense Digital Service—the Pentagon’s fast-track tech development arm—are resigning over the coming month, according to the director and three other current members of the office granted anonymity to discuss their job status freely, as well as internal emails.
MQ-28 Ghost Bat Is of ‘Strong Interest’ to the US Navy
The War Zone
The U.S. Navy is touting the U.S.-Australian MQ-28 Ghost Bat ‘loyal wingman’ type drone program as a model for future industrial partnerships, while confirming continued U.S. military interest in the drone.
Top Enlisted Leader of Air Force Special Operations Command Fired amid Investigation
Task & Purpose
The top enlisted leader for the 20,000-person Air Force Special Operations Command was relieved of duty for “loss in confidence in his ability to fulfill his duties,” according to a statement released by AFSOC officials.
Key Details Still Missing on Why Biden Made Final Call on Space Command’s HQ, New Report Details
Military.com
A watchdog investigation released April 15 into the back-and-forth decision on where to headquarter U.S. Space Command revealed uncertainty behind the scenes and several major holes, likely extending lawmakers’ push for answers.
Startups to Demonstrate New Spacecraft Docking Technique
SpaceNews
Katalyst Space, an Arizona-based startup, partnered with the European startup LMO Space to demonstrate a technique for spacecraft docking known as “assisted rendezvous and proximity operations.”
F-35 Nations Prize Spare Parts, as US Dismisses Kill-Switch Angst
Defense News
Norway became the first F-35 partner nation to fulfill its program of record with the delivery of the last two F-35A airframes this month, marking the completion of the Scandinavian country’s order of 52 aircraft, manufacturer Lockheed Martin said.
Air Force Research Lab Awards PsiQuantum $10.8M for Experimental Quantum Chips
Breaking Defense
As the U.S. and China race to build the first practical quantum computer, the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) has issued a $10.8 million contract to quantum chip-maker PsiQuantum, the company announced this morning.
Pentagon Seeks Feedback on How to Structure $48B Tech Research Recompete
Defense One
The Defense Department is moving early to give industry a first glimpse at how it will conduct the recompete of one of its main contract vehicles for broad technology research-and-development services. A total of 44 companies hold prime positions on the potential $48 billion vehicle called IAC-MAC, which opened for business in 2018 to help DOD components and other federal agencies acquire customized technical and analytical support.
Joint Staff Pursues ‘Major Step Forward’ to Enhance ORION Force Management Platform with AI
DefenseScoop
The Joint Chiefs of Staff recently moved to modernize its military intelligence platform that supplies high-stakes data analytics, predictive capabilities, and real-time visualization and collaboration tools to decision-makers across the Pentagon’s Joint Planning and Execution Community — with support from BigBear.ai.
Air Force Pilots Get a New Way to Pee at 30,000 Feet
Task & Purpose
For decades, many military pilots who heard nature’s call—particularly those who fly fighters and especially women in those planes—faced an unpleasant reality: use the decades-old ‘piddle packs’ or other devices designed for mid-flight peeing, hold it the whole way, or risk dangerous dehydration by drinking so little water that you never need to go. But a new device, dubbed the Advanced Inflight Relief Universal System or AIRUS, developed through an Air Force innovation incubator program, may make it easier going for, well, going.