A new report by the Mitchell Institute argues that the Air Force should procure 225 or more of the next-gen stealth bombers to effectively deter adversaries and shore up more cost-effective long-range strike capabilities.
By Michael MarrowROC-X – The solution to organic precision strike capabilities
At AUSA Global Force 2024, IAI will present integrated, AI-driven combat systems – both manned and unmanned – that are opening new opportunities on the battlefield.
Seeking to pivot to a new generation of air power by fielding platforms like the Next Generation Air Dominance Fighter, the Air Force is planning significant investments into future technologies, according to service budget documents, which also show that fiscal 2024 could be a turning point for hypersonics.
By Michael Marrow
Building off trends established by the fiscal 2023 budget, the service is asking for even more retirements in FY24 while seeking to launch new efforts like a program to field autonomous wingmen. “We’ve built a budget that we think has a reasonable balance between current-, midterm- and longer-term investments, if you will, or capabilities,” Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall said.
By Michael Marrow
Australia faces “huge political risk in this, and huge costs. It’s going to be an extremely bumpy ride,” says Malcolm Davis of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute.
By Colin Clark “I think I’m pretty comfortable with where we are on the [fiscal 2024] budget. I think we’ll have a good story to tell,” Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall told Breaking Defense in a recent interview.
By Valerie Insinna
Beyond actual aviation news, I will continue to mention Taylor Swift in these lists until my editors force me to stop. [Editor’s Note: Fine.]
By Valerie Insinna
BAE Systems’ LR-PGK: The Superior Anti-Jam Solution
Going the distance to defeat emerging jam threats.
The B-21, the first new bomber for the Air Force in over 30 years, “looks imposing, but what’s under the frame and the space-age coatings is even more impressive,” Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said.
By Valerie Insinna
“When people see the exterior of the B-21, it will be very similar to the B-2,” Kathy Warden said in an interview with Breaking Defense. “The real differences are inside of the platform.”
By Valerie Insinna
Although artist renderings of the B-21 have been published by the Air Force and Northrop Grumman, the actual B-21 aircraft has never been publicly revealed.
By Valerie Insinna The new ICBM and B-21 bomber will be a “stabilizing force” for strategic deterrence that is born digital to meet evolving threats.
By Barry Rosenberg
The first B-21 is set to make its inaugural flight in 2023, but the public will get to finally see it in December.
By Valerie Insinna After doing some analysis, the idea appears to be “less attractive than we thought it might be,” Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall told Breaking Defense.
By Valerie Insinna
Home to top secret projects, Air Force’s Plant 42 is nirvana for aviation enthusiasts, who apparently sometimes take their interest too far.
By Valerie Insinna
Little is known about the details of the newly unveiled B-21 bomber, but IISS’s Ben Ho writes that from what we know, its mission set could expand to the sea.
By Ben Ho Wan Beng