2024 in review: Air Force

Air Force announces major shakeup to prep for war with China
Space Force also lists changes, including a futures command.
Audrey Decker, Staff Writer

China’s new stealth bomber ‘nowhere near as good’ as US’s, intel official says
U.S. could win a war with China today, but would suffer heavy losses, the official told reporters.
Audrey Decker, Staff Writer

Another US precision-guided weapon falls prey to Russian electronic warfare, US says
A U.S. defense official would not provide specifics, but is likely referring to Boeing’s Ground-Launched Small Diameter Bomb.
Sam Skove, Staff Writer

Air Force merges ICBM program management offices
The new Intercontinental Ballistic Missile Systems Directorate will handle work on the decades-old Minuteman III and the wildly over-budget Sentinel.
Nick Wakeman, Editor-in-Chief, Washington Technology

Air Force fires head of Sentinel ICBM program
Spokesman says Col. Charles Clegg's removal "is not directly related" to the program's ballooning costs.
Audrey Decker, Staff Writer

Meet the Air Force’s secretive long-range drone that flies for days
The robot surveillance aircraft can fly for 80 hours without refueling.
Audrey Decker, Staff Writer

How the Air Force is preparing for the new administration
“I don't have angst. Quite frankly, I am ready to understand and adapt the force,” service chief says.
Audrey Decker, Staff Writer

What will happen to the Air Force’s next-gen fighter jet?
The service may be waffling on NGAD because it’s dealing with a “truly miserable choice,” one analyst said.
Audrey Decker, Staff Writer

B-21 production is a go, Pentagon says
Defense undersecretary confirms Northrop Grumman has approval to start making non-test variants of the stealth bomber.
Audrey Decker, Staff Writer

Robot wingmen vs. China: What a think tank’s wargame revealed about a key USAF concept
As the Air Force contemplates a range of price points, the tabletop exercise suggests cheaper is better.
Audrey Decker, Staff Writer

Expect Air Force’s first robot wingmen to be AMRAAM ‘trucks’
Increment-one CCAs will essentially haul extra air-to-air rounds for F-35, F-22, RTX says.
Audrey Decker, Staff Writer

U.S. Air Force culture needs a reboot
Too many of today’s operators think of themselves as passive helpers, not innovative war-winners.
Paula Thornhill and Lt. Col. Shane Praiswater