Thursday, October 8, 2026
All B-1 Bombers Leave RAF Fairford in Hasty Departure from UK Base
Aviation

All B-1 Bombers Leave RAF Fairford in Hasty Departure from UK Base

All 12 American bombers deployed in Britain rapidly returned to the U.S. on Oct. 4 following security concerns about a potential Iranian threat to their base in the U.K.  The dozen B-1B Lancer bombers, which were stationed at RAF Fairford amid ongoing hostilities with Iran, departed over the course of a day, local aircraft spotters said.…

Space Force Sunsets 1970s-Era Missile Warning Satellite Constellation
Aviation

Space Force Sunsets 1970s-Era Missile Warning Satellite Constellation

More than 50 years after the U.S. military launched its first Defense Support Program satellite, the Space Force has officially decommissioned the missile warning constellation as it prepares to start fielding its next-generation architecture.  In a swan song of sorts, the last two remaining DSP spacecraft participated in a U.S. Space Command exercise in early…

B-52s Get Prototype System for Beyond-Line-of-Sight Communications

Air Force Global Strike Command has fielded a new prototype system for beyond-line-of-sight communications on the B-52H Stratofortress in a step forward for modernizing the Cold War-era heavy bomber. IRIS, a communications system developed by Outerlink Global Solutions, integrates a satellite communication terminal with other components both on the bomber itself and on the ground,…