Browsing: All news

After years of considering how to leverage in-space refueling and servicing technologies, the Space Force is kicking off a number of near-term efforts to chart a path toward operationalizing the capability.
The service is planning to host two demonstrations in 2027 for on-orbit logistics — one focused on refueling satellites in space and another on augmented maneuver, Col. Scott Carstette, Space System Command’s director of servicing, mobility and logistics (SML), told reporters Wednesday.

The F-35A Lightning II has been certified as a Dual-Capable Aircraft, allowing it to deliver both conventional and thermonuclear weapons. It is the first fifth-generation stealth fighter ever certified for the nuclear mission and the first tactical fighter to receive the designation since the early 1990s. The F-35A can carry two B61-12 thermonuclear bombs internally, preserving its stealth profile. The B61-12 features a Boeing guidance tail kit, inertial navigation, and a variable yield from 0.3 to 50 kilotons. The aircraft uses an isolated Nuclear Aircraft Monitoring and Control system.

In 2012, two German Eurofighter Typhoons notionally shot down U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptors during a Red Flag exercise over Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska. The F-22s were flying with external fuel tanks that compromised their stealth, and the engagement was a close-range dogfight rather than the beyond-visual-range fight the Raptor was designed to win. Colonel Andreas Pfeiffer and Major Marco Gumbrecht of the Luftwaffe later called the F-22’s capabilities overwhelming at long range.

A company violated federal law for acting as a vetted agent and charging veterans fees to help file disability claims with the Department of Veterans Affairs, a North Carolina court ruled this week.
The federal circuit court ruling issued Wednesday found that Veterans Guardian VA Claim Consulting, LLC, also referred to as “Guardian” in court documents, ran afoul of federal law. The class action lawsuit brought by veterans also alleges that the company violated North Carolina laws around deceptive trade practices, but the court has not ruled on it yet.

The Defense Department is requesting close to $30 billion in fiscal 2027 to purchase and enable next-generation AI supercomputers and modernize the military’s computing infrastructure to power them. 
According to recently published budget documents, the Pentagon aims to build out its portfolio of highly secure data centers, and ultimately centralize and scale supercomputing assets across the joint force through its new “AI Arsenal initiative.” The fiscal 2027 proposal comes with a $29.5 billion spending plan.

The U.S. Navy’s FY2027 shipbuilding plan strongly signals that the Trump-class nuclear-powered battleship has effectively superseded the DDG(X) destroyer program. The Navy had planned to begin DDG(X) procurement around FY2028 to replace the Arleigh Burke-class and assume roles once held by the retired Ticonderoga-class cruisers.

Air Force Staff Sgt. Duchaine Paul knows something about working in hot places.
As a Security Forces airman, Paul is assigned to Moody Air Force Base in southern Georgia, which sits adjacent to two federally protected swamps and ranks among the hottest and most humid military duty stations in the U.S.
But Paul recently spent time in an even hotter spot, making some history as he did, becoming the first member of the Air Force to graduate from the Army’s Jungle Operations Training Course-Panama.

Landing a fixed-wing aircraft on an aircraft carrier is one of the most demanding procedures in all of aviation. The aircraft is arriving at 130 to 150 knots while the ship is moving at 25 to 30 knots into the wind. A modern supercarrier’s flight deck is about 1,000 feet long but the usable landing area is far shorter, compared to roughly 10,000 feet for a standard Air Force runway. The pilot does not flare — the aircraft is flown directly onto the deck and the tail hook catches an arresting wire.

Memorial Day is a day to remember those who gave their lives in service to the nation. The fight for many War on Terror veterans didn’t stop when they came home from Iraq or Afghanistan. For some families, the battle was waged silently—and lost—at home. 
Cydney Guard was enjoying a well-deserved celebration trip to Hawaii in 2009 after graduating college with her degree in nutrition when she met her soon to be husband, Sgt. 1st Class Nicholas Kau’ilokoikaika Franklin Guard.

Europe has been rocked by incursions into its airspace by rogue Ukrainian loitering munitions and unattributed drones in recent weeks.