The Air Force is asking Congress to retire 150 airplanes in its fiscal 2023 budget, including 33 of its advanced F-22 fighters, but it would also hand off 100 MQ-9 Reaper remotely piloted aircraft to another government agency and buy more than 82 other new ...
An Air Force F-22 and an Air National Guard F-16 crashed in separate incidents a day apart, March 22 and 23, respectively, service spokespeople said. The F-22 crashed at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., while the F-16 crashed in western Louisiana. The F-16 pilot ejected. ...
An F-22's landing gear collapsed upon landing at Eglin Air Force Base March 22, but the pilot is in good condition after a hospital check. The cause of the accident is under investigation, though landing gear issues have afflicted the F-22 in recent years.
Lockheed Martin thinks its 17-plus years of demonstrations with unmanned aircraft with various degrees of autonomy will give it a leg up as the Air Force seeks to build new classes of tactical and strategic uncrewed aircraft, company aeronautics vice president Greg Ulmer said in ...
John Clark will be the new head of Lockheed Martin's famed "Skunk Works" Advanced Development Programs unit, the company announced. Clark, who was Skunk Works' head of intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance and unmanned aircraft programs, is a 23-year veteran of the company. He succeeds Jeff ...
Defense acquisition must evolve to address changes in the threat environment, the rate of technological advancement, and the demand for connectivity, among other shifts—while preserving a commitment to core values, integrity, and transparency, said the Air Force’s uniformed acquisition chief, Lt. Gen. Duke Z. Richardson. ...
Ukrainian forces are making good use of their Russian-made air defense systems, and Russia’s slow progress in Ukraine is an indication of how important it is to have air superiority, said Air Combat Command boss Gen. Mark D. Kelly. However, the U.S. needs new weapons ...
New unmanned fighter and bomber projects won't unravel the Air Force's "4+1" combat aircraft roadmap, Secretary Frank Kendall said at the AFA Warfare Symposium. He provided broad outlines of the unmanned bomber and a cost target but said the project will be classified.
The Air Force Research Laboratory is looking for small businesses to help upgrade the F-22 Raptor. The stealth jet would get new helmet-mounted weapon cuing systems, artificial intelligence systems to help plot optimum intercepts and drive escort drones, and predictive maintenance gear, among a list ...
The Air Force trimmed 120 airplanes from its fleet in fiscal 2021, gaining the most aircraft among its F-35 fighter squadrons and giving up the most from its B-1 bomber units, according to data provided by the Air Force. With puts and takes, the Air ...
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 ...
The Air Force’s “4+1” fighter plan for the 2020s, unveiled in recent months, will leave the service with a fleet that’s too small and improperly configured to deal with peer threats. What’s needed is a plan that emphasizes stealth aircraft; rapidly retires non-stealthy and expensive-to-maintain ...