Air Force — page 2

Air Force Plans 500 Autonomous Fighters By 2032

Collaborative Combat Aircraft will take on missions now flown by crewed fighters as the service expands its uncrewed fleet.

AVweb•Matt Ryan15 Sept

Air Force secretary acknowledges the US has weapons in space

Troy Meink's statement is seen as a clear warning to China and Russia.

ABC News15 Sept

U.S. Has Deployed Weapons in Space, Air Force Secretary Says

Troy E. Meink’s comments were the first public acknowledgment of American weapons in orbit. The Pentagon has been preparing for potential conflict in space with Russia or China.

The New York Times•Francesca Regalado15 Sept

US already has weapons in orbit, Air Force secretary reveals

The United States has weapons in orbit to defend its forces against hostile action, Air Force Secretary Troy…

AeroTime•Stephen Pope14 Sept

Swarm Aero Unveils 9,000-NM Gamera Drone

Group 5 aircraft is being pitched for an Air Force program seeking a lower-cost successor to the MQ-9 Reaper.

AVweb•Matt Ryan14 Sept

Space Force has ‘space control weapons’ on orbit, Air Force secretary reveals

Troy Meink didn’t elaborate on what “weapons” the US deployed, but revealed new info on other space and unmanned Air Force programs.

Breaking Defense•Michael Marrow14 Sept

US military has ‘on-orbit’ space weapons, Air Force Secretary reveals

Experts said the acknowledgment may lead to overt action by China, Russia.

Defense One•Thomas Novelly14 Sept

Declassified footage shows rescue of Air Force officer who ejected 5 miles from his pilot 50 hours earlier over Iran

WASHINGTON — Newly declassified military footage released by the Department of Defense reveals the dramatic 50-hour rescue operation of a U.S. Air Force weapons systems officer who was shot down over hostile Iranian territory, surviving a violent high-speed ejection and two days behind enemy lines. The officer, identified by his call sign “Dude 44 Bravo”, […]

• neutral toward Air Force · 94%

’60 Minutes’ Debuts New Season With A Pentagon Exclusive And Hidden Camera Expose — And Plenty Of Scrutiny Of The Show Itself

60 Minutes debuted its new season on Sunday with an exclusive sit down with an Air Force officer who told of his harrowing rescue in Iran. It featured a hideen camera segment on pardon brokers who collect hundreds of thousands or even millions to try to secure Trump’s clemency. And it profile the Los Angeles […]

Deadline•Ted Johnson14 Sept

Air Force colonel recounts how he survived after F-15E jet was shot down over Iran

A U.S. Air Force colonel recounted his story of survival after his F-15E fighter jet was shot down over Iran in April, in the early months of the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran. The colonel spoke with “60 Minutes” on CBS News about the incident and was referred to by the outlet as Bravo, his mission…

The Hill•Ryan Mancini14 Sept

NATO fighter scrambled and Vilnius Airport closed—over a flock of birds

Vilnius Airport temporarily suspended operations on Sunday morning after unidentified objects detected in Lithuanian airspace were initially believed to be drones. The alert prompted the authorities to close the airport and scramble at least one NATO fighter jet from Šiauliai Air Base in northern Lithuania. Italian Air Force aircraft are currently stationed there as part […]

Aviation24.be•André Orban13 Sept

• critical toward North Atlantic Treaty Organization · 78%

Air Force Selects Up To 131 T-7As For Sheppard AFB

The Red Hawks are scheduled to begin replacing the base’s T-38Cs in 2034.

AVweb•Matt Ryan11 Sept

U.S. colonel shot down in Iran speaks with 60 Minutes in exclusive interview

In April, an American F-15E fighter jet was shot down over Iran, stranding two Air Force officers who were eventually rescued by U.S. Special Forces. One of them exclusively speaks with 60 Minutes' Norah O'Donnell after evading capture behind enemy lines.

CBS News10 Sept

Flying On September 11: An Air Force Pilot Remembers The Day America’s Airspace Shut Down

Flying on September 11 began as a routine Air Force C-37 checkride over Florida. Then an unprecedented order came over the radio: All aircraft in the United States were directed to land immediately. At 9:42 a.m. Eastern time on September 11, an emergency broadcast came over our aircraft radio: “Attention all aircraft. Due to security […]

Avgeekery•David Dale10 Sept

Ukrainian MiG-29 Fighter Jet Destroyed in Precision Drone Strike at Vasylkiv Air Base

Aviation News – Russian forces targeted and destroyed a Ukrainian Air Force MiG-29 fighter aircraft shortly after it landed at Vasylkiv Air Base on September 9,...

Aviation News EU9 Sept

RNZAF NH90 Helicopter Becomes First to Clock 3,000 Flight Hours

The Royal New Zealand Air Force has boasted impressive availability records with its NH90s, and one of their helicopters has now become the first NH90 to pass the 3,000 flight hour mark. An NH90 TTH helicopter of the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) became the first of the type to complete 3,000 flight hours, […]

The Aviationist•Parth Satam8 Sept

Why The US Air Force Runs A Cold War-Scale C-17 Air Bridge From 1 Base In Germany

The never-ending mission that keeps Air Force jets in the air over the Atlantic.

Simple Flying•Luke Diaz7 Sept

Nordic Air Forces deepen integration at NATO’s new CAOC Bodø

Air Force representatives from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden met in Bodø from 25 to 28 August to advance the Nordic Airpower Concept and strengthen integration between the five Nordic NATO allies. Nearly 100 participants gathered in Bodø and at NATO’s new Combined Air Operations Centre (CAOC) to examine how the Nordic countries can […]

Aviation24.be•André Orban1 Sept

Air Force Declares MH-139 Grey Wolf Operational

AW139-based helicopter is replacing the UH-1N Huey for nuclear-security missions.

AVweb•Matt Ryan1 Sept

Chinese YY-20A Tanker Refuels Egyptian Rafale During Eagles of Civilization 2026 Air Exercises

During EoC 2025, the PLA Air Force YY-20A tanker refueled Egyptian Air Force MiG-29s, marking an enhancement in cross-platform interoperability. A Chinese YY-20A Multi-Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) refueled an Egyptian Air Force (EAF) Rafale fighter during the ongoing Eagles of Civilization 2026 air drills, the latest official images released by both militaries show. During last […]

The Aviationist•Parth Satam1 Sept