All United States Air Force articles – Page 15
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NewsNorthrop RQ-4B trials Dragon Lady’s SYERS-2 sensor
The US Air Force's Northrop Grumman RQ-4B Global Hawk unmanned air vehicle has successfully flown one of the Lockheed Martin U-2’s most prized sensors in an aerial demonstration from Northrop’s Palmdale, California site.
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AnalysisANALYSIS: Defence firms get creative at Air Warfare Symposium
The Air Force Association’s annual gathering in Orlando, Florida has convened again, and the turnout this week reflects an ambitious US Air Force that is reaching for the future while also searching for new and inventive ways to boost the destructive power of its legacy aircraft.
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NewsTrial F-35A deployment smooths path for first combat squadron
Six F-35A of 31st Test Evaluation Squadron have deployed to Mountain Home AFB in Idaho this month for an “operational deployment test” that will clear the way for 10 operational jets from the first combat-coded squadron, which will follow this summer.
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NewsUSAF ditches Black Hawk revival in search for Huey replacement
The US Air Force needs $2.5 billion to replace its 62 outdated Bell UH-1N Twin Hueys and is now considering whether to sole-source a portion of that 72-aircraft requirement for security operations around its 450 Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile silos.
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NewsF-22 Raptors in South Korea as warning to 'provocative' North
American F-22 Raptors have joined locally based F-16s and F-15K Slam Eagles in South Korea for a show of force following “provocative actions” by the North.
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NewsSYERS-2 integrated on Global Hawk ahead of first flight test
Northrop Grumman has completed integration of the UTC senior year electro-optical reconnaissance system (SYERS-2) on board its RQ-4 Global Hawk unmanned air vehicle, ahead of an imminent first flight test with the type.
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SINGAPORE: F-15SG, AH-64D to perform joint aerial display
This year’s aerial display at the Singapore Airshow will include a unusual joint performance between a Republic of Singapore Air Force Boeing F-15SG fighter and AH-64D Apache attack helicopter.
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NewsUSAF calls for nuclear debate as fiscal realities set in
The US Air Force has called for a national debate on how best to modernise America’s nuclear arsenal, with one official saying funding levels become “unmanageable” in budget year 2022 and beyond as an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) replacement project ramps up.
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USAF explains budget reduction for LRS-B
The US Air Force’s funding profile for development of the Northrop Grumman long-range strike bomber (LRS-B) has come down by $2.8 billion in the service’s latest budget proposal, which was submitted on 9 February.
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NewsPentagon curtails aircraft procurement in 2017 budget plan
The Pentagon has reduced aviation procurement by 7.2% to $45.3 billion in its fiscal year 2017 budget submission compared to the $48.8 billion requested last year.
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NewsNew report recommends White House kill B61-12 and LRSO
The Centre for American Progress has proposed sweeping cuts to the US nuclear arsenal including the elimination of the B61 consolidation and new standoff cruise missile as a way of realising $120 billion in savings over 30 years.
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NewsUSAF considers defensive lasers for future fighters
The dawn of the combat laser era might begin in 2021 when the US air force hopes to begin demonstrations of a podded electric laser system for fifth and sixth-generation fighter jets that can destroy incoming missiles, not just dazzle them.
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NewsF-35A cost and readiness data improves in 2015 as fleet grows
The cost of operating the Lockheed Martin F-35A has come down 37.6% compared to last year and is now $17,000 cheaper to fly per hour than its fifth-generation cousin, the Lockheed F-22 Raptor.
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NewsDOD reveals ‘arsenal plane’ and microdrones in budget speech
The Pentagon is building an repurposed “arsenal plane” that would carry large volumes of bombs and missiles into battle alongside modern combat aircraft like the Lockheed Martin F-35.
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NewsRaytheon and Northrop to receive JSTARS radar contracts
The US air force is poised to award sole-source contracts to Raytheon and Northrop Grumman for the development of their competing active electronically scanned array radars as part of its Northrop Grumman E-8C JSTARS recapitalisation effort.
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NewsTaiwanese F-16A crashes in Arizona desert
A Taiwanese F-16A operating from Luke AFB in Arizona has crashed and the pilot is presumed dead, according to a base spokesman.
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NewsUS general says B-52 overflight caught North Korea’s attention
North Korea did not shrug off the recent overflight of a 55-year-old B-52H bomber near Seoul that was escorted by US and South Korean combat jets, according to vice chairmen of the US joint chiefs of staff Gen Paul Selva.
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NewsDOD official: World faces ‘Terminator conundrum’ on AI weapons
The US military faces “the Terminator conundrum” when it comes to artificially intelligent killing machines, including unmanned aircraft and loitering munitions.
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Reviving F-22 Raptor production a ‘non-starter’
The secretary of the air force has become the latest official to douse hopes of restarting Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor production, which was capped at 187 aircraft and closed in 2011.
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NewsUSAF faces cost conundrum with F-35, KC-46 and LRS-B
In 1986 during the so-called Reagan Build-up, $12 billion delivered 387 new combat aircraft to the US military. Today, that amount buys fewer than 80.