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 ...
F-22 Raptors are leaving Europe after a four-month deployment, U.S. Air Forces in Europe said. The stealth fifth-generation fighters were sent to NATO's Eastern Flank in July and mainly operated out of Poland, conducting air policing missions in response to Russia's renewed invasion of Ukraine. ...
The Air Force is experimenting with a new pod expected to sharply improve fleet predictive maintenance and mission data and to accelerate software fixes across the entire Combat Air Forces. The pod miniaturizes and encapsulates a test rig previously too large and expensive for use ...
A KC-46A Pegasus flew a 36-hour nonstop mission that covered more than 16,000 miles. Crews traveled from Pease Air National Guard Base, N.H., over North America, Hawaii, and Guam, before retracing their path and landing back at their home base. The flight was the longest ...
The Air Force has awarded Northrop Grumman a contract to outfit two more E-11A Bombardier business jets with the Battlefield Airborne Communications Node (BACN) system. The service already operates three such aircraft, which are used to improve tactical communications for joint and coalition forces. The ...
F-22s from Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska, will initially fill in for F-15Cs as they begin to leave Kadena Air Base, Japan, but the Air Force is eyeing a later and longer deployment of F-16s from Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany, to reinforce the island base. ...