Author: Michael

The Marine Corps is prototyping artificial intelligence tools to inventory aviation supplies and predict aircraft maintenance issues, officials said, a burgeoning initiative the service hopes will help shed “outdated” ways of keeping its flying fleet ready.
The effort, officials said, is meant to help maintainers and logisticians quickly identify needed aircraft parts, order those parts more efficiently and then — with an AI system the Marine Corps intends to roll out this summer — forecast replacements based on historic performance data.

Read More

The Air Force’s long-beloved, flying tank of a plane, the A-10C Thunderbolt II, got yet another stay of execution Monday, when Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink announced that the “Hog” will keep flying through 2030.
Beloved by generations of ground troops and attack pilots alike, the A-10 was set to fully end operational service by the end of 2026. The Air Force has been closing A-10 squadrons for the last several years, and the service graduated its last class of A-10 pilots at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in early April.

Read More

As the Navy hustles to operationalize a mix of low- and high-tech drones that extend the fleet’s reach and combat power, its highest-ranking officer is looking to launch a new Warfighting Development Center that specializes in training and deployment tactics for robotic and autonomous systems.
“We need to move these capabilities from individual units into composite mission sets, including contested logistics,” Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle said Monday.

Read More

After a yearlong delay, the Navy expects to choose which company will build its sixth-generation fighter jet — known as F/A-XX — in August 2026, according to the service’s top admiral.
“The need for the F/A-XX is unquestionable. Peer competitors and even lesser adversaries are improving their anti-air capabilities. We expect a down-select in August of this year,” Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle told reporters Monday on the sidelines of the Sea Air Space conference.

Read More

On Sunday, Marines from the amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli fast-roped from helicopters onto the deck of the Iranian cargo ship M/V Touska to take custody of the vessel, the first seizure of the week-long U.S. military blockade of Iranian ports. The Touska was first disabled by sailors on the Navy destroyer USS Spruance, who fired several shots from its 5-inch MK 45 gun at the vessel’s engine room.

Read More