John A. Tirpak
John A. Tirpak is Editorial Director of Air & Space Forces Magazine, with more than 25 years at the publication and more than 34 years in defense journalism. He has written for Aviation Week & Space Technology, Aerospace Daily, and Jane’s, reporting from all 50 U.S. states and 25 countries. He has been recognized with awards for journalistic excellence from the Society of Professional Journalists, the Aviation and Space Writer’s Association, the Association of Business Publications International, and was the recipient of the 2018 Gill Robb Wilson Award in Arts and Letters from the Air & Space Forces Association. He has lectured at the National War College and did postgraduate research at the Smithsonian’s National Air & Space Museum.
Recent stories by John A. Tirpak
Air Force Confirms Its F-35As Were Mission Capable About Half the Time in 2023
The F-35A mission capable rate for fiscal 2023 was 51.9 percent, or just over half the time, the Air Force reported. Officials attributed parts availability as the culprit, but the fighter’s MC rate has been declining since it peaked in 2020, and the Air Force ...
Col. Kenneth Cordier, Fighter Pilot and Vietnam POW, Dies at 87
Col. Kenneth Cordier, who served as a Vietnam fighter pilot and endured more than six years as a POW, died June 18 at age 87.
DARPA Announces a New Flying-Wing Reconnaissance X-Plane: XRQ-73
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has assigned the designation XRQ-73 to its newest “X-plane,” an autonomous flying wing reconnaissance aircraft prototype with extra-quiet propulsion that is expected to fly this year, the agency announced June 24.
Air Force to Make First of 13 HACM Hypersonic Tests This Fall
The Air Force expects to start test-flying the Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile starting this fall, according to a new report from the Government Accountability Office. Tests will iterate the design and continue until 2027, at which point HACM will transition to a major defense program ...
New Report: B-52J Initial Operational Capability Will Slip Three Years to 2033
Initial operational capability for the B-52J—the new designation for the bomber after extensive re-engining and upgrade programs—won’t be achieved until 2033. The three-year delay is due to issues both with its new engines and new radar, the Government Accountability Office said in a new report.
Lawmakers Want Briefing on Fund That Could Take Sentinel Off the Air Force Books
The Senate Armed Service Committee's mark of the 2025 defense policy bill includes 17 programmatic changes or demands for reports or assessments focused on strengthening the nation’s nuclear arsenal, as deterrence becomes a multipolar competition requiring new thinking.
Senators Want to Block F-22 and F-15E Retirements, Require Study on Air Superiority
The Senate Armed Services Committee finished its markup of the fiscal 2025 National Defense Authorization bill on June 14, with mandates on more than a dozen aircraft or related programs and a keen interest in the future of the Air Force fighter fleet.
Allvin Hedges on the Future of Next-Generation Air Dominance Fighter
Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David W. Allvin didn't offer certain support for the Next-Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) fighter at a June 13 Air & Space Forces Association event, saying the future air superiority platform is merely one choice among many the service will ...
House Appropriators Want to Cut Back on Sentinel in 2025, Study Mobile Basing
The House Appropriations Committee’s mark of the 2025 defense bill would strip $324 million from the Air Force's budget request for the Sentinel ICBM. The committee also wants longer tenure for program leaders and an evaluation of making at least some of the force road-mobile.
It’s Not Replicator, CCA, or Weapon, Yet. What Is the Enterprise Test Vehicle?
The Enterprise Test Vehicles being evaluated by the Air Force and Defense Innovation Unit are chiefly aimed at exploring modular technologies and rapid manufacturing approaches, not necessarily producing a weapon, Pentagon officials said. But the door is open to such an outcome if the program ...
Apollo 8 Astronaut, Ambassador, and Air Force Maj. Gen. William Anders Dies
Astronaut William Anders, who flew around the moon on Apollo 8 and took the iconic “Earthrise” photo, died in a plane crash June 7 at the age of 90. Across his life he was an Air Force pilot and general, an ambassador, head of the ...
First Operational F-15EX Arrives in Oregon; Milestone for Air Guard
The first F-15EX—and the first new-type aircraft to be delivered to the Air National Guard before the Active force—arrived at Portland Air National Guard Base, Ore. on June 6. It's the first of 18 that will be flown by the 142nd Wing.
The Need for Speed: Experts Say Ukraine Shows US Must Act, React Quickly in Acquisition
The Ukraine war has taught that speedy countermeasures, flexible funding and exploiting off-the-shelf commercial technology are crucial to equipping forces for modern conflict, policy veterans of the Pentagon and Congress said on a CNAS webinar.
Air Force Buys First Lot of Norwegian Joint Strike Missiles
The Air Force awarded Kongsberg Defense and Aerospace of Norway a $141 million contract on May 31 for the first lot of 48 Joint Strike Missiles, which will equip the service’s F-35A Joint Strike Fighters. It’s the first time the service has bought a tactical ...
House Appropriators Want to Add F-35s, Block U-2 and F-15 Retirements
The House Appropriations Committee released its version of the fiscal 2025 defense appropriations bill on June 4, an $833 billion bill that would increase funding for the F-35 and block the service from retiring the U-2 spy plane and some F-15s.