Aircraft

U.S. Air Forces Europe won't have the equipment for its first rapidly deployable air base until the early 2020s -- at least two fiscal years after the service thought it would own five such kits, according to a new report by the Pentagon's inspector general.

The Air Force has yet to reveal much detail on how it will achieve its vision to grow from 312 operational squadrons to 386, but a series of wargaming and planning efforts slated to begin next year should help the service understand its options for addressing near- and long-term threats.

The Air Force has awarded Northrop Grumman a potential $450 million deal to modernize the Defense Department's inventory of mobile air-defense threat simulators to prepare pilots -- including operators of the fledgling F-35 Joint Strike Fighter fleet -- to recognize and counter advanced enemy missile and artillery threats.

BEALE AIR FORCE BASE, CA -- The commander of the 9th Maintenance Squadron wants to piggyback on the Defense Innovation Unit's artificial-intelligence work to improve sustainment for Lockheed Martin's U-2.

A new Congressional Budget Office report estimates the unit cost of a new fighter jet to replace the F-22 and F-15 C/D at about $300 million and projects the Air Force's yearly procurement spending on the new aircraft will peak in 2030 at about $9 billion in 2018 dollars.

BEALE AIR FORCE BASE, CA -- High-altitude intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft -- particularly Lockheed Martin’s U-2 Dragon Lady -- can serve as a bridge to the next generation of reconnaissance aircraft by acting as a test truck for new sensors, according to the commander of the 9th Reconnaissance Wing here.

BEALE AIR FORCE BASE, CA -- As tensions flared between the United States and North Korea over nuclear proliferation last year, the 9th Reconnaissance Wing saw an opportunity to ask: Are we ready to go to war somewhere new?

The Air Force is working with the airline industry to determine whether it can install sensors in its fighter aircraft to detect key fatigue and maintenance issues -- a technology that could reduce the time it takes to diagnose and repair aircraft.

As the Defense Department continues to craft a long-term sustainment plan for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, the joint program office is looking to partner with industry to better understand the sustainment risks involving sub-tier suppliers.