All United States Air Force articles – Page 6
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News‘Franken-bird’ project attempts to splice together damaged F-35s
Lockheed Martin and the US Air Force say the salvage mission represents the first-ever attempt to remove viable airframe sections from damaged aircraft and re-connect them into an airworthy jet.
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NewsUS Congress halts KC-135 replacement until USAF produces stealth tanker acquisition plan
The 2024 defence spending plan approved by lawmakers in Washington bars the US Air Force from issuing a formal strategy to phase out the ageing Boeing KC-135 tanker fleet, until the service produces an acquisition strategy for the Next Generation Air-refuelling System survivable tanker.
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NewsUS defence spending bill could expose new details of sixth-generation fighter development
Language included in the 2024 US defence spending plan will require the Pentagon to provide greater insight into how it plans to develop and field the next generation of combat aircraft, including sixth-generation fighters and autonomous support jets.
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NewsUS Congress approves nearly 12% reduction to A-10 fleet
For the second consecutive year, lawmakers who control US defence spending have approved the retirement of some Fairchild Republic A-10 attack jets, a move long-sought by US Air Force leaders.
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NewsUS grounds entire Osprey fleet following deadly crash in Japan
Both the US Air Force and US Navy say a preliminary investigation into the 29 November crash of a Bell Boeing CV-22 Osprey indicates a “potential materiel failure” caused the deadly mishap, but the underlying cause remains unclear.
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NewsBoeing no longer competing to build USAF’s new ‘Doomsday jet’
The withdrawal of Boeing from the contest to build a new airborne command centre capable of managing a nuclear exchange leaves Sierra Nevada Corporation as the only bidder to replace the current Boeing E-4B Nightwatch.
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NewsSearch 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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NewsPentagon 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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NewsPiasecki 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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NewsBoeing 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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NewsPratt & 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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NewsFlight 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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NewsFirst 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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NewsUSA 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 depthUS 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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NewsBeta 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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NewsNorthrop 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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NewsNorthrop 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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NewsPipistrel 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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NewsLockheed 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.