Business

How many F-35 versions are there? Hint: more than 3

Fixes and upgrades have maintainers dealing with more than a dozen flavors of the Lightning II.

Policy

Air Force bristles at congressional cost limits for robot wingmen

But one lawmaker says the drone program needs safeguards against the Pentagon’s costly acquisition process.

Defense Systems

Connect everything? Leaders need to get specific first

Hazy visions of data flowing seamlessly around the battlefield won’t get the job done, says the Air Force general for C2 systems.

Science & Tech

Air Force eyes supply missions for its first electric air taxi

Joby Aviation delivered its battery-powered vertical takeoff and landing aircraft to Edwards AFB in California.

Science & Tech

Boeing is using Fortnite’s game engine to upgrade B-52s

Will this “hyper-realistic” modeling tool help get the program a Victory Royale?

Threats

Pentagon propping up F-35 readiness by buying new parts instead of waiting for repairs, GAO says

This is unsustainable, DOD concedes—and may be delaying the creation of depots that could fix the repair backlog.

Threats

Air Force general defends incendiary memo but says ‘war is not inevitable’

Minihan says a mindset of urgency helped produce three “game-changing” concepts in a recent exercise.

Defense Systems

One way the Air Force is filling electronic-warfare gaps: hiring interns

The 350th Spectrum Warfare Wing is working with universities to recruit young talent for now—and maybe later.

Business

Lockheed aims to hit F-16 production goal by end of 2025

But lawmakers and Pentagon officials want more jets, faster, particularly for Taiwan.

Science & Tech

France sees smaller future in Africa, larger role in the Pacific, says country’s air force chief

French military is increasing its spend on tankers to be more places at once with a lighter permanent footprint.

Exclusive Business

As Lockheed hungers for F-35 sustainment deal, Pentagon says it might not happen

Company officials no longer expect DOD to approve a switch to performance-based logistics by year’s end.

Ideas

Defense One Radio, Ep. 133: Unpacking the 2023 Air, Space & Cyber conference

In this episode, we review several things we learned at the Air & Space Forces Association's biggest annual event.