November 07, 1945

November 07, 1945

Nov. 7, 1945

Royal Air Force Group Capt. Hugh Wilson sets the first post-war recognized absolute speed record and breaks the 600 mph barrier at the same time, as he flies a Gloster Meteor F.4 to a speed of 606.26 mph at Herne Bay, England. This also marked the first time the absolute speed record is held by a jet powered aircraft. The flight broke the previous record, set in 1939, by 137 mph.

Take Sentinel Off the Air Force Books? ‘Doesn’t Create New Money,’ Kendall Says

Jan. 14, 2025

Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall doesn’t see great value in trying to break the Sentinel ICBM program off as a separate budget item the way the Navy has with its ballistic-missile submarine program, saying such a move wouldn’t create any new money for the Air Force to spend on other…

Last D-Day C-47 Pathfinder Pilot Dies at 102

Jan. 14, 2025

Lt. Col. David Hamilton, the last surviving C-47 pilot who flew pathfinding paratroopers into France during the 1944 D-Day invasion passed away Jan. 5 at the age of 102.

Hegseth Vows to ‘Look Under the Hood’ of NGAD, Review Air Force Capacity

Jan. 14, 2025

Pete Hegseth vowed to review plans for the future of the Air Force during a contentious three-and-half-hour confirmation hearing Jan. 14 on his nomination to serve as the next Secretary of Defense. Perhaps the most significant Air Force decision Hegseth will face, if he is confirmed by the Senate, will be…

Air Force 2050: Kendall Forecasts Bigger Space Force, More Standoff Strike

Jan. 13, 2025

Much more Space Force enabling all aspects of the Joint force, but perhaps still crewed fighters and stealthy transports are among the forecasts outgoing Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall made in a new report to Congress.

VIDEO: Watch an Air Force C-130 Crew Fly Low to Fight LA Fire

Jan. 13, 2025

U.S. Northern Command and the National Guard posted a video to Facebook on Jan. 12 which presents an over-the-shoulder view of a C-130J crew with the California Air National Guard's 146th Airlift Wing as they drop lines of fire retardant on the mountains above the Pacific Palisades neighborhood on Jan.…

Guard F-35s Deploy from Vermont to Kadena

Jan. 13, 2025

F-35 Lightning II fighters from the Vermont Air National Guard deployed to Kadena Air Base, Japan, on Jan. 13, in the latest rotation of fighters to the strategic U.S. outpost in the western Pacific.

Space Force Honor Guard Faces Milestones with ‘Two of the Largest Ceremonies Possible’

Jan. 13, 2025

The Space Force Honor Guard is in the thick of a busy three weeks, checking off historic firsts for Guardians, having supported its first-ever state funeral for former President Jimmy Carter and preparing to participate in its first presidential inauguration for President-elect Donald Trump.

USAF’s ‘Aircraft Shelter Gap’ with China Creates a Flaw in Deterrence: Report

Jan. 13, 2025

Pouring concrete to make hardened shelters for aircraft on the ground may not be as sexy as building next-generation fighter jets, but it may be just as important for the U.S. in a potential conflict with China, according to airpower scholars.

Accelerating B-21 Production Would ‘Make Some Sense’—If It’s Affordable: Kendall

Jan. 11, 2025

Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall, on the verge of leaving the Pentagon, said he would accelerate production of the B-21 bomber if there was money to do so. But even so, it couldn’t happen right away, he said in an interview with Air & Space Forces Magazine.

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