All United States Air Force articles
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NewsUS Air Force seeking ideas for its next-generation tanker
The US Air Force has issued a fresh request for information to industry partners regarding its Next Generation Air-refueling System, specifically addressing airframe concepts for the future tanker fleet.
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NewsAutonomous aviation developer Merlin to go public via SPAC offering
Amid surging interest in autonomous aviation for military applications, Merlin will become a publicly traded company using the unconventional method known as a special purpose acquisition company listing.
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NewsUS Air Force to add Red 6 augmented reality tech into F-16 cockpits
The helmet-mounted projection technology could allow pilots to practise skills like within-visual-range combat, without the need for costly aggressor aircraft.
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NewsNATO re-evaluating E-7 acquisition amid uncertain US plans
With the Pentagon publicly seeking to end the US Air Force’s nascent E-7 procurement programme, NATO headquarters is now reconsidering its plans the field the Boeing airborne early warning and control platform.
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NewsRear-seat passenger accidentally ejects from US F-15D during taxi
The passenger was reportedly a non-pilot member of the US Air National Guard who accidentally engaged the ejection sequence of the two-seat F-15 variant while the jet was taxiing.
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NewsU-2 sets new endurance record 70 years after first flight
A trainer variant of the U-2S high-altitude surveillance jet covered more than 6,000nm over 14h, crossing all 48 contiguous states of the continental USA.
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AnalysisBreaking Taiwan blockade via airlift would require 860 sorties per day, wargame indicates
A US-led airlift to break a Chinese blockade of Taiwan would require an unprecedented 860 daily cargo flights yet still fail to prevent economic collapse, according to new wargame findings.
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NewsUS Air Force to purchase dozens more KC-46 tankers from Boeing
Ending long-standing uncertainty about its immediate plans for tanker recapitalisation, the air force says it will procure up to 75 additional KC-46 jets from Boeing, rather than hold a competition for a new tanker platform.
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NewsUS Air Force testing drag-reducing finlets for C-130Js
Air Force Special Operations Command is testing thin finlets developed by Vortex Control Technologies as a possible cost-saving initiative that could lead to longer flight range and better fuel efficiency for C-130J transports.
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In depthUS firms target Europe with uncrewed fighter offerings
American manufacturers developing the first generation of autonomous combat platforms are eyeing significant sales opportunities in Europe, with companies including General Atomics, Anduril, Boeing and Kratos pursuing partnerships with European firms to offer local production options.
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NewsUSAF completes IVEWS operational assessment with F-16
The US Air Force (USAF) has completed an operational assessment of Northrop Grumman’s ALQ-257 Integrated Viper Electronic Warfare Suite (IVEWS) with the Lockheed Martin F-16.
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NewsU-2S high-altitude spyplane makes rare public display at UK air show
One of the distinctive Dragon Lady surveillance jets participated in this year’s Royal International Air Tattoo as part of the US Air Force contingent.
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NewsRC-135 Rivet Joint platform remains best in the business, L3Harris official says
Decades after first entering service, the Boeing RC-135V/W Rivet Joint remains a critical electronic intelligence-gathering capability for the USA, the UK and their allies, L3Harris Technologies says.
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AnalysisGeneral Atomics to offer European-built uncrewed fighter
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems will team with a German affiliate to offer a European-assembled autonomous combat aircraft.
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NewsUS Air Force test pilots ferried Super Tucanos with ‘zero formal flight training’
Test pilots with the US Air Force had to transfer the Embraer turboprops to the service’s test pilot school in California, despite having never trained on the lightweight single-engined type.
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NewsRetired US Air Force generals call on lawmakers to fully fund E-7 acquisition
The group of 16 high-ranking officers, which includes several former air force chiefs of staff, says a robust air battle management and threat-tracking platform is essential to projecting air power and winning conflicts.
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NewsF-15E and F-16C fighters control four XQ-58s in US Air Force tests
The successful use of legacy fourth-generation fighters to control the uncrewed jets is a significant advancement for the Collaborative Combat Aircraft concept, which has largely focused on pairing the autonomous platforms with fifth-generation and emerging sixth-generation designs.
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Analysis‘Brightest explosion that I’ve ever seen’: inside US effort to develop a bomb for Iran’s nuclear sites
The US military’s top officer says development of the bunker-busting 13,600kg (30,000lb) GBU-57 bomb began 15 years ago and involved significant use of supercomputers.
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NewsUS Air Force seeks to retire all A-10 Warthogs by 2027
Congress must approve the plan, which would see the US Air Force accelerate retirement of its entire A-10 fleet by two years.
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NewsTrump Administration ‘all in’ on F-47 but plans minimal funding for F/A-XX naval fighter
A senior Pentagon official tells FlightGlobal the Trump Administration will focus resources on developing a sixth-generation fighter on the US Air Force’s F-47 programme, with the US Navy’s new carrier-based equivalent in a holding pattern.