The most up-to-date version of the AIM-120 AMRAAM will be deployed this year, and the Air Force is pursuing a multiyear procurement strategy for the missile, according to manufacturer Raytheon and Air Force senior leaders and budget documents. The production profile suggests when the secret ...
The Air Force plans only very modest spending on the B-1 and B-2 bombers through the future years defense plan, shifting its focus to the brand-new B-21 and the upgraded B-52.
Formal developmental flight testing of the Boeing T-7A Red Hawk will likely get underway this summer, as recent ejection seat tests appear to have been resolved, company and USAF sources said. The developmental testing will support a Milestone C low-rate initial production decision in the ...
The Air Force has settled on B-52J as the new designation of the 61-year-old Stratofortress once it's equipped with new Rolls Royce F130 engines. B-52s with new engines and radars are expected to be operational before the end of the decade.
Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III wishes “wish lists” would just go away. Asked by Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) whether he would favor repealing the law requiring service leaders to provide Congress with a list of unfunded priorities at a Senate Armed Services Committee hear, ...
The Department of the Air Force has identified 50 programs that will make up the core of its contribution to the Pentagon’s joint all-domain command and control effort, branding them part of the “DAF Battle Network,” according to newly-released budget documents. The DAF Battle Network programs ...
While Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall said he's “comfortable” with the amount of spending in the Air Force’s fiscal 2024 budget, Rep. Rob Wittman (R-V.) said it’s not big enough, arguing for funding that at least matches the rate of inflation.
The Air Force is asking for about $6 billion to develop Collaborative Combat Aircraft over the future years defense plan, up from a get-started amount of nearly $400 million in fiscal 2024. One of the first types of CCAs will be for “spectrum warfare,” but ...
The Chinese spy balloon may have popped, but funding to protect against similar threats is inflating, according to the Department of Defense. The high-attitude surveillance balloon that traversed the U.S. in late January and early February prompted last-minute additions to the Pentagon's budget of around ...
The Air Force upped its buy of F-15EX Eagle IIs in part to fulfill the homeland defense mission and ensure the Air Force reached a goal of 72 new fighters a year, top Air Force leaders said March 15. But...
The Biden administration is requesting $185.1 billion for the Air Force in 2024, slightly less than its $185.5 billion proposal for the Army, and well behind the $202.5 billion requested for the Navy. But the Air Force, Space Force, and Navy are gaining investment while ...
At $886 billion, the Pentagon’s 2024 budget request is “first and foremost ... a procurement budget,” assistant defense secretary Kathleen H. Hicks said March 13—a shift from the first two budget requests of the Biden administration, which emphasized investments in research and development.