All United States Air Force articles – Page 4
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News
Search crews find wreckage of US Osprey tiltrotor that crashed off Japanese coast
Dive teams have located the fuselage of a US Air Force CV-22 Osprey that crashed in water off the southern coast of Japan on 29 November, killing eight crew.
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Pentagon orders AC-130J strike in Iraq
The lethal action follows other strikes in Syria, which Washington says it ordered against Iranian-affiliated groups in response to aggression against American ground and naval forces in the region.
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Piasecki wins $37m AFWERX funding for tilt-duct aircraft
The multi-year funding through the AFWERX programme and Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) will see Piasecki showcase in flight its Aerial Reconfigurable Embedded System (ARES) tilt-duct unmanned air vehicle and a ZeroAvia fuel cell propulsion system.
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Boeing moves toward low-rate production of MH-139 nuclear patrol helicopter
With delivery of the sixth and final test aircraft, Boeing has completed the research and development phase of the MH-139A Grey Wolf programme, now moving toward low-rate initial production on the helicopter that will be used to patrol the silos housing the USA’s nuclear-armed intercontinental ballistic missiles.
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Pratt & Whitney lands contract to maintain B-52 and E-3 engines
Engine maker Pratt & Whitney (P&W) has won a Pentagon contract valued up to $870 million for sustainment of TF33 engines, which power Boeing B-52H heavy bombers and Boeing E-3 Sentry airborne early warning jets. The TF33 is the military designation for P&W’s JT3 commercial jet engine. The sustainment contract, ...
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News
Flight of the Raider: B-21 lifts off for the first time
The next-generation stealth bomber, under development by Northrop Grumman for the US Air Force, made its first flight on 10 November from the secretive Plant 42 industrial facility in the California high desert.
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News
First Boeing T-7A arrives at California air base for flight testing
The first example of Boeing’s T-7A Red Hawk has arrived at Edwards AFB in California, as Boeing and the US Air Force (USAF) progress through flight testing toward low-rate production of the new jet trainer.
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USA launches F-15 strikes and B-1 flights over the Middle East following MQ-9 downing
American air power is on full display across the Middle East, with a B-1 bomber flight and lethal strikes from F-15 fighters coming the same day a US Air Force MQ-9 UAV was downed by rebel fighters in Yemen.
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In depth
US strikes targets in Syria after attacks on American bases
Without revealing how the operation was carried out, the Pentagon says it has struck targets in eastern Syria, including sites used by Iranian military operatives, after militant groups in the area attacked American bases in the area, injuring more than 20 US personnel and killing one contractor.
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Beta delivers first electric aircraft to USAF
The Vermont-based aircraft manufacturer flew one if its conventional take-off variant Alia types from the northeastern USA to Eglin AFB in Florida, delivering the fully-electric platform to the US Air Force for evaluation.
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News
Northrop expects B-21 low-rate production contract by year-end
Defence contractor Northrop Grumman says it remains on track to fly the secretive B-21 Raider stealth bomber before the end of 2023, with the US Air Force expected to issue the company a low-rate initial production contract for the type shortly after that milestone.
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News
Northrop begins B-21 taxi testing ahead of first flight
The US Air Force confirms its next-generation stealth bomber is conducting ground taxi activities as part of a testing regimen leading up to the jet’s first flight by year-end.
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Pipistrel joins USAF electric aircraft effort
Textron subsidiary Pipistrel joins other electric aircraft manufacturers in the US Air Force’s Agility Prime initiative, which aims to explore potential military applications for battery-powered aviation.
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Lockheed Martin withdraws bid to produce new USAF aerial tanker
The military airframer’s withdrawal from the US Air Force’s tanker-fleet recapitalisation effort makes it all but certain the service will opt to procure more KC-46 refuellers from Boeing.
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News
Beta logs first electric aircraft flight to Washington, DC air force base
The flight to Andrews AFB near Washington, DC is part of a multi-leg trip from Beta’s headquarters in Vermont to Eglin AFB in Florida, where the company will deliver its all-electric Alia aircraft to the US Air Force for testing.
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Stratolaunch secures USAF funding for second reusable hypersonic vehicle
The US Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) will fund a second example of a reusable hypersonic flight vehicle built by American start-up Stratolaunch.
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USAF A-10s arrive in Middle East as part of US show of force
The iconic ground-attack jets are part of a surge in US air power to the region, which includes F-15s, F-16s, an aircraft carrier and four squadrons of F/A-18s.
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USAF battling surge of aircraft lasing incidents
The air force says the incidents, which involve commercially available laser pointers, pose a significant safety risk to aircraft and crew.
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US deploys aircraft carrier and land-based jet fighters to Middle East
US Central Command, which oversees operations in the Middle East, says the show of aviation power is intended to deter “any party” from entering the war between Israel and militant group Hamas.
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Kratos acquires autonomous fifth-generation fighter developer Sierra Technical Services
The sale of the start-up to Kratos, which Sierra’s founder calls both a competitor and teammate, comes soon after the company won a contract with the US Air Force to produce a fifth-generation-style aerial target jet.