Thursday, October 8, 2026

AMC Head Looks to Pair B-21 With ‘Capable, Modern Tanker’

An Air Force study now underway could help decide the way forward for the Air Force’s next-generation aerial refueling system, the acting head of Air Mobility Command said April 20. Lt. Gen. Rebecca Sonkiss said the NGAS system is crucial to ensure the Air Force can deliver conventional and nuclear strikes where and when it…

Pentagon Cancels $6B GPS Ground System Contract

The Pentagon canceled its contract with RTX for a ground system intended to manage the newest, most capable GPS satellites. Some 15 years after the project’s launch, Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment Michael Duffey pulled the plug on the Next-Generation GPS Operational Control Segment on April 17. “The program was unable to…

Air Force Delays A-10 Retirement Until 2030
Aviation

Air Force Delays A-10 Retirement Until 2030

The Air Force is extending the life of the A-10 Thunderbolt II attack plane until at least 2030, pausing the service’s plan to retire the close air support aircraft amid active combat in the Middle East. Air Force Secretary Troy Meink announced the move on social media, saying the service made the move in consultation…

F-16 Tests ‘Rusty Dagger’ Extended-Range Missile
Aviation

F-16 Tests ‘Rusty Dagger’ Extended-Range Missile

The Air Force and Navy each demonstrated new munitions designed to enable greater stand-off range at lower cost. The Air Force integrated and tested the Rusty Dagger Extended Range Attack Munition, an air-launched cruise missile, while the Navy tested a long-range variant of the standard Joint Direct Attack Munition, dubbed JDAM-LR, that can fly more…

Air Force Recruits Most New Airmen Since 2004, Making Goal Early

The Air Force achieved its goal of recruiting 32,750 Active-Duty enlisted Airmen for 2026 five months ahead of schedule, military officials said this week—its biggest recruiting year in more than two decades. For the third consecutive year, the Air Force hit its active recruiting target—a turnaround since 2023, when the Air Force Recruiting Service fell short of goal for the first time since 1999.  Not only did USAF recruiters…

Air Force’s Experimental Ops Unit Flies and Maintains Anduril CCA
Aviation

Air Force’s Experimental Ops Unit Flies and Maintains Anduril CCA

The Air Force put its semi-autonomous Collaborative Combat Aircraft in the hands of operators, not just engineers or test pilots, for a groundbreaking exercise last week. Anduril Industries’ YFQ-44A flew from Edwards Air Force Base in California, controlled by Airmen from the new Experimental Operations Unit, the Air Force announced April 16. The service says…