The Air Force and Lockheed Martin announced their first test of a new reentry vehicle that is planned to go atop the Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile. The operational test launch of an unarmed Mk21A took place late June 17 at Vandenberg Space Force Base, Calif. ...
Newly-built F-35s that have been stacking up in storage could start to be delivered as soon as July, assuming a “truncated” Tech Refresh 3 software package is stable and safe enough for operational crews, the Joint Program Office said.
An Air Force pilot was at the controls when an F-35B in short takeoff mode crashed at Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M., on May 29. The pilot ejected and suffered serious injuries but is in stable condition.
So many new F-35s have piled up waiting for TR-3 upgrade testing to conclude that it will take a year to deliver them all once deliveries get the green light to resume, according to a new Government Accountability Office report. That go-ahead isn't likely to ...
Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III rebuffed criticism that the F-35 program has proved too costly and unreliable to serve as the viable backbone of America’s and allies' future fighter fleet on April 30. “I would not categorize the F-35 as a paperweight,” Austin ...
While none of the major aircraft contractors were selected to develop the Collaborative Combat Aircraft, all three say they are seeking further autonomous aircraft work for the Navy, foreign partners, or in the classified arena, and maybe future versions of the CCA itself.
The full-up Tech Refresh 3 for the F-35 won't be delivered until 2025, Lockheed Martin officials said April 23. A "truncated" version will be delivered this fall so users can start taking delivery of their jets, and then be able to exploit the full capabilities ...
The final version of the fiscal 2024 appropriations bill includes three additional F-35As for the Air Force, along with a hefty amount for additional engine spares, even though the extra jets didn't appear on USAF’s Unfunded Priorities List.
Retired Lt. Gen. Burt Field has been appointed President & Chief Executive Officer of the Air & Space Forces Association. A 1979 graduate of the Air Force Academy, Field was an F-16 pilot and Weapons School graduate—and former Commandant—who served 35 years in uniform.
The Air Force may have just flown the last test of the AGM-183A Air-Launched Rapid Response Weapon, its only hypersonic missile that may be ready for production. The Air Force zeroed the program in fiscal 2025, but won't say if the project is over.
A delivery hold on F-35 fighters is hurting the Air Force, denying it the operational advantages it needs while causing it to spend money on extending older fighters, Secretary Frank Kendall said.
The Space Development Agency plans to finish two major demonstrations of its low-Earth orbit satellites—and get started on a rapid series of launches—before the end of 2024, its director said March 6. The series of milestones outlined by SDA boss Derek M. Tournear represent the ...