Purchases of new F-35 fighters, KC-46 tankers, and C-130 transports in recent years have made only a small dent in the age of the Air Force’s fleet, down to 29.1 years across all types after hitting 30.55 years in 2020. But the service operates eight ...
After gaining ground in fiscal 2020, the Air Force's fighter fleet saw a drop in readiness in fiscal 2021. Most fighters saw declines of two or three percentage points, but the F-35A's mission capable rate fell about eight percentage points after a big uptick the ...
Images of a new, two-seat version of China's J-20 stealth fighter, circulated on the internet, raise questions about the jet's purpose. It could be meant as a trainer, as a ground-attack variant, or as a platform for managing unmanned aircraft flying in coordination with other ...
U.S. Air Forces in Europe-Air Forces Africa is conducting its agile combat employment capstone exercise at Larissa Air Base, Greece. “We've really been working hard to refine how we execute agile combat employment, particularly in coordination with our partners,” USAFE-AFAFRICA commander Gen. Jeffrey L. Harrigian told ...
U.S. aircraft are increasing the pace of airstrikes targeting the Taliban in Afghanistan after nearly all American troops have left the country, as the level of violence continues to rise. More than 95 percent of the U.S. withdrawal process is complete—a number that has stayed ...
F-15s from the 493rd Fighter Squadron at RAF Lakenheath, England, have deployed to Iceland to take up the NATO Air Policing mission there for the second time in less than a year. The three F-15C/Ds, plus an F-15E from the 493rd’s sister unit, the 494th ...
U.S. Air Force F-15E and F-16 aircraft on June 27 struck three facilities on the Syria-Iraq border, where the Pentagon said Iranian-backed militias were building and storing the small drone weapons used to attack U.S. and partner bases in recent months. The strikes hit buildings ...
The Air Force's fighter fleet generally saw an uptick in mission capable rates in fiscal 2020. The most dramatic improvement was the F-35's. Its rate jumped from 61.6 percent in fiscal 2019 to just over 76 percent in fiscal 2020. The F-15D's and E's MC ...
Sharply rising support costs among aging fleets are devouring money the Air Force needs to spend on new technology and new hardware, service Vice Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. David S. Nahom said. The Air Force has to figure out how to divest old hardware ...
The 85th Test and Evaluation Squadron at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, loaded five AGM-158 Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles onto an F-15E, more than doubling the Strike Eagle's normal JASSM load. The test comes about two months after the wing demonstrated that the Strike Eagle ...
F-15Es deployed to the Middle East on April 25 proved their ability to move bombs in a “tactical ferry mission” just two months after the concept was originally tested. Six Strike Eagles flew to Al Dhafra Air Base, United Arab Emirates, from another deployed location ...
The first F-15EX landed at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., March 11, a day after the Air Force officially took delivery of the jet. Air Combat Command boss Gen. Mark D. Kelly will deliver the second airplane to Eglin the week of April 6.