U-2s were able to fly above a high-altitude Chinese spy balloon and collected valuable imagery. One of the pilots took a selfie to prove it.
In comments aimed at reassuring the American public and setting the stage for future diplomatic engagements with Beijing, President Joe Biden said Feb. 16 the three aerial objects the U.S. recently shot down were not part of China’s spy balloon fleet.
Lt. Gen. Alexus G. Grynkewich, commander of Air Forces Central, supports the Pentagon’s broad shift in focus toward countering China, but sees a role for his command to help reassure regional allies and enhance the U.S. military capabilities in the region, he said Feb. 13.
U.S. Air Force fighters shot down three separate airborne objects over North America in three days this weekend—one over Alaska, one in Canada, and one above Michigan—but unlike the Chinese balloon that transited the continental U.S. before being shot down by an F-22 off the ...
Some of the most telling information about the Chinese spy balloon was gathered from U-2 flights over the continental U.S.
Recordings of radio transmissions, synced up with video, shed new light on how an F-22 shot down a Chinese spy balloon. Flight trackers and ordinary citizens were able to monitor radio frequencies and air-tracking services as the F-22 Raptor scored its first known air-to-air kill,
Chinese balloons have previously entered U.S. airspace but went undetected by the Pentagon, revealing a gap in American air defenses, NORAD and NORTHCOM commander Gen. Glen D. VanHerck said.
The U.S. will step up its military exercises with South Korea to include expanded use of air assets such as fifth-generation fighters and strategic bombers, Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III said during a visit to Seoul on Jan. 31.
A contingent of F-16CM multirole fighters has arrived at Kadena Air Base, Japan, to help substitute for F-15C/Ds rotating stateside for eventual retirement, the Air Force reported. The service said a permanent F-15 replacement at Kadena hasn't been determined yet, but will be an aircraft ...
The Department of the Air Force is making strides on its contribution to the Department of Defense’s ambitious joint all-domain command and control effort, according to a report from the top government watchdog released Jan. 13. However, questions remain about whether the Air Force will ...
American nuclear-capable bombers and U.S. and South Korean stealth fighters flew exercises in the skies around the Korean Peninsula on Dec. 20—the latest joint show of force by the allies after recent North Korean tests of missiles and a claimed spy satellite. B-52 Stratofortresses from ...
The military services are leaving capability gaps as they divest of older aircraft but aren't coordinating their tactical aviation spending plans to minimize risk, the Government Accountability Office said in a new report. While the Pentagon agrees that it needs a portfolio approach to fighter ...