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.

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.

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.

Threats

After Niger coup, Air Force looks for other countries to host drone base

Still, ISR operations have resumed from Nigerien sites, the region’s U.S. Air Force commander said.

Science & Tech

B-21 starts engine tests as bomber preps for first flight

Software is ready to go, program officials say, engendering some 'smack talk' with hardware teams.

Policy

Some Ukrainian pilots could finish training in as few as three months

Air National Guard director said shorter timeline is “absolutely realistic” for experienced pilots.

Threats

Air Force clearing out jungles in Pacific to bolster airfield options

But additional funding for these efforts may be held up by budget impasse on Capitol Hill, Pacific Air Forces commander says.

Policy

USAF aims to ‘re-optimize’ for great power competition

Kendall dispatches teams to seek better ways to organize to take on China.

Science & Tech

Questions loom as Air Force robot-wingman effort prepares to take flight

Industry execs outline challenges of technology, test and evaluation—and even philosophy.

Business

Air Force frets as Lockheed announced another delay for new-tech F-35

The first F-35 with a new tech package might not arrive until June, Lockheed now says.

Business

Ukraine could get '5th-gen' AMRAAM weapons in 3 years

Raytheon completed the first flight test of a new variation of the air-to-air missile in June.

Defense Systems

SDA readies second batch of satellites for its space data network

The Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture was designed to be the “space backbone” for JADC2.

Science & Tech

Shield AI drones demonstrate autonomous teaming under USAF contract

The company says it will operationalize its AI pilot software on V-BAT drones in 2024.