All United States Air Force articles – Page 17
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NewsUSAF Global Strike chief seeks beefed-up bomber force
The head of US Air Force Global Strike Command has called for a beefed-up bomber force of “175 to 200” bombers and will make a formal recommendation to the service chief of staff and major command leaders next month.
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NewsUSAF reveals Northrop's B-21 long-range strike bomber
The US Air Force has revealed its bomber for the 21st century, the Northrop Grumman B-21 long-range strike bomber.
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NewsEnhanced MQ-9 carries out maiden flight
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems has carried out the maiden flight of an enhanced endurance variant of its MQ-9 Reaper unmanned air vehicle at its Palmdale, California facility.
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NewsNorthrop preparing German Euro Hawk to fly again
The Northrop Grumman-built “Euro Hawk” unmanned air vehicle will fly again after the Germany Air Force decided to resume testing of the aircraft and its Airbus Defence & Space signals intelligence payload.
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NewsUS Air Mobility Command readying for KC-46A introduction
The head of US Air Mobility Command says he is not overly concerned about the Boeing KC-46A’s eight-month development delay and legacy KC-10 and KC-135 aerial tankers will not start retiring until the next-generation tanker is ready for combat.
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NewsUS fighter and bomber chiefs embrace Pentagon's 'arsenal plane' plan
The US Air Force’s top fighter and bomber commands are actively pushing for the introduction of so-called arsenal planes as they seek to “fling” long-range weapons into future warzone guarded by sophisticated enemy air defence systems as a compliment to front-line stealth fighters.
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NewsUSAF reveals slimmed-down SACM air-to-air missile concept
The US Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) says it has begun early research into a miniature air-to-air missile that would be carried on the next-generation of advanced fighter jets.
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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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News
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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News
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.
