Air Force (mostly) ditches Biden-era ‘reoptimization’
New leadership under the Trump administration has opted to kill key organizational changes sought by former Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall, leaving just a handful of initiatives intact.
Trump wants a twin-engined F-35. Experts say it’s ‘not feasible.’
“We're going to do an F-55,” President Donald Trump announced today in Doha. “That'll be two engines and a super upgrade on the F-35.”
Breaking Defense announces Breaking Defense Europe, a new, distinct, European edition
Breaking Defense Europe will launch May 4 with Tim Martin and Elisabeth Gosselin-Malo as co-editors.
Air Force officer sees options for ‘cheaper,’ less ‘exquisite’ CCA drone wingmen
“I think you'll see a range of options, from low end to potentially more exquisite,” Air Force Maj. Gen. Joseph Kunkel said of forthcoming tranches of drone wingmen. “I tend to think that it's probably going to be closer to this low end thing when we start looking at the further CCA increments.”
Boeing wins Air Force contract for NGAD next-gen fighter, dubbed F-47
Boeing's selection to produce the Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) fighter is a game-changer for the company's challenged defense arm.
GE, Pratt clear key design milestone, begin building next-gen engine prototypes
The two companies are facing off under the Next Generation Adaptive Propulsion program, which is developing a powerplant for an Air Force next-generation fighter — assuming one comes to pass.
Air Force awards Pratt $1.5 billion to keep F-22s flying
The three-year sustainment deal covers over 400 F119 engines that power the F-22 Raptor fleet.
Modernizing defense enterprise IT without disrupting the mission
Government can’t stop to update systems, so modernization has to happen without interruptions.
DEI, DOA: How the defense industry is racing to bury its diversity efforts
Defense primes have rushed to wipe web pages and remove previous claims of "unwavering" commitment to DEI efforts since President Donald Trump has taken office.
Air Force pauses ‘reoptimization’ planning as service awaits new leadership
“The Department of the Air Force welcomes the opportunity for our new leaders to assess all ongoing actions and ensure compliance with DoD directives,” an Air Force spokesperson said.
Air Force moves forward with next-gen engine work, raises GE, Pratt contracts to $3.5 billion each
The two engine makers will continue developing their own designs that could power a sixth-gen fighter for the Air Force, assuming the service proceeds with plans for the jet.
EXCLUSIVE: Viasat bid protest at heart of DoD investigation of SDA head Tournear
According to several sources involved, Tournear allegedly stepped afoul of DoD contracting procedures when awarding two prototype agreements worth approximately $424 million.
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Why enterprise IT modernization matters now – and how to “delight by design”
Do more with less: streamline workflows, reduce duplication, invest upfront to save long-term.
Air Force’s outgoing acquisition chief on NGAS, CCA and his biggest regrets
Speaking to Breaking Defense, Andrew Hunter said that the CCA loyal wingman program is proof the Air Force can move forward in new directions.
Trump picks NRO official Troy Meink as next Air Force secretary
The selection of Meink is likely of interest to top Trump ally Elon Musk, whose SpaceX business will deal directly with the new Air Force secretary.
China ‘could beat us to the punch’ to a 6th-gen fighter, Air Force official warns
“It's fair to say we pay a lot of attention to what the Chinese are doing. And so, not everything that becomes public is a shock,” Andrew Hunter said when asked about new images of purported Chinese fighters. “But having said that, their pace is incredibly fast.”
Cutting government bloat (and C-130 buy) is harder than you think: Kendall
“Every single thing you want to cut [is something] somebody cares about a lot and is going to fight you in the Congress to keep you from cutting it,” Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall said. “Here's an efficiency for you, can we please stop buying C-130s? We've got enough.”