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The B-21 Raider: A Marvel Of Digital Development

The B-21 Raider: A Marvel Of Digital Development
The B-21 Raider: A Marvel Of Digital Development

Risk reduction is vital in the development of this new Air Force bomber. Northrop Grumman is driving risk out of the program with digital capabilities throughout design, build, prototype, and test.

Top 10 Stories Of 2020: DARPA Dogfights To Polish Bridges

Top 10 Stories Of 2020: DARPA Dogfights To Polish Bridges
Top 10 Stories Of 2020: DARPA Dogfights To Polish Bridges

The list is an impressive marker of the breadth of topics we cover as we chronicle the strategy, policy and politics that decide the weapons America and its allies buy, and how we use them.

Long-Range All-Domain Prompts Roles & Missions Debate

Long-Range All-Domain Prompts Roles & Missions Debate
Long-Range All-Domain Prompts Roles & Missions Debate

“It’s ridiculous, to be quite candid. It is encroachment on roles and missions,” says Mitchell Institute’s Dave Deptula about Army plans for super long-range weapons that rival the capabilities of Air Force combat aircraft.

A-10: Hey Air Force, There’s More to Survival than Hiding

A-10: Hey Air Force, There’s More to Survival than Hiding
A-10: Hey Air Force, There’s More to Survival than Hiding

Anyone who’s been around ground combat knows F-35s, F-22s and legacy fast jets are far too fast and lack the close in maneuverability to be able detect camouflaged threats to our troops or to separate friend from foe in a highly fluid firefight.

SASC To Air Force: Get Bigger & Better, But Don’t Retire Old Aircraft

SASC To Air Force: Get Bigger & Better, But Don’t Retire Old Aircraft
SASC To Air Force: Get Bigger & Better, But Don’t Retire Old Aircraft

“The Senate is saddling the service with unsupportable funding requirements,” Richard Aboulafia of the Teal Group says.

Air Force Eyes Moving Older F-22s From Training To Combat Units

Air Force Eyes Moving Older F-22s From Training To Combat Units
Air Force Eyes Moving Older F-22s From Training To Combat Units

“There are a lot of requirements out there and we could use everything we had and a little bit more,” says ACC head Gen. Mike Holmes, but “we need to put some priority on modernization.”

A Smart Approach To Retaining Most Of The A-10s

A Smart Approach To Retaining Most Of The A-10s
A Smart Approach To Retaining Most Of The A-10s

The Air Force leaders who sought to retire the A-10 in 2014 did not want to cut the aircraft, but they had no other choice due to the Budget Control Act of 2011. While that era has passed, the same dynamics are still at play— a service that is under-resourced, overtasked, compelled to retire aircraft to free up resources to modernize the remaining inventory of mostly geriatric aircraft.

Goldfein to SASC: Boeing KC-46 Still Faces ‘Profound Problems;’ Would Only Fly In War

Goldfein to SASC: Boeing KC-46 Still Faces ‘Profound Problems;’ Would Only Fly In War
Goldfein to SASC: Boeing KC-46 Still Faces ‘Profound Problems;’ Would Only Fly In War

Pressed by Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen on when the KC-46 will be fully ready, Goldfein said the service is in final negotiations with Boeing about a “serious fix” for the Remote Visual System that currently has a dangerous blind spot when monitoring the boom during refueling.

While China Spends, Trump Budget Looks Flat For 2021

While China Spends, Trump Budget Looks Flat For 2021
While China Spends, Trump Budget Looks Flat For 2021

After three years of budget growth for the Pentagon, the armed services are going to unveil some drastic changes for the 2021 budget.

What Aircraft May Die To Fund Goldfein’s Future?

What Aircraft May Die To Fund Goldfein’s Future?
What Aircraft May Die To Fund Goldfein’s Future?

Although retiring the B-2 fleet could save the Air Force nearly $3 billion, CSIS cautions that doing so “would leave the nation without a long-range penetrating strike aircraft and would weaken the airborne component of the nuclear triad.” 

Roper: Multi-Domain C2 Needs Air-Space Integration

Roper: Multi-Domain C2 Needs Air-Space Integration
Roper: Multi-Domain C2 Needs Air-Space Integration

“We’ve been kicking around this idea that there needs to be a milestone past D; a milestone E where the program is proving elderly and we’re having to do Herculean tasks to keep airplanes flying that should have been retired long ago,” says Air Force acquisition czar Will Roper.

Parts Problems Slow F-35 Production; CAPE Says Flying Costs Target Not Likely

Parts Problems Slow F-35 Production; CAPE Says Flying Costs Target Not Likely
Parts Problems Slow F-35 Production; CAPE Says Flying Costs Target Not Likely

F-35 Program Executive Officer Vice Adm. Mat Winter today told the HASC tactical air and land subcommittee that Lockheed was guilty of just that, adding that this had helped lead to a shortage of an average of 600 parts each month, causing production line slowdowns and cost increases.

Mitchell Weighs In: More F-35s or New, Old F-15s?

Mitchell Weighs In: More F-35s or New, Old F-15s?
Mitchell Weighs In: More F-35s or New, Old F-15s?

Fifth gen or fourth gen? F-35A or F-15X. Stealth, sensors and fusion or lots of missiles? Lockheed or Boeing? See what the Mitchell Institute says.

Air Force OKs First KC-46 Delivery; Lots of Caveats

Air Force OKs First KC-46 Delivery; Lots of Caveats
Air Force OKs First KC-46 Delivery; Lots of Caveats

WASHINGTON: While the Air Force accepted delivery of the first KC-46 today, Boeing could face a total of $4.5 billion in cost overruns and withheld payments on the initial $4.9 billion contract for 52 KC-46 airborne tankers, depending on what happens as the company tries to fix the plane’s Remote Vision System. How does that…