Air Guard Cuts Tactical Air Control Units, Adds Cyber Operators
The Air National Guard will deactivate the 177th Air Control Squadron in Georgia and cut 83 positions across Georgia and Iowa, converting those roles to cyber operations. New cyber squadrons will be established at Fort Gordon, Ga., and the 132nd Wing in Des Moines, Iowa. The shift is driven by the FY‑25 budget’s emphasis on technology, including the lightweight Tactical Operations Center‑Light (TOC‑L) that replaces bulky control centers. Full operational capability for the cyber units is targeted for 2030.
Space Force’s Top Guardians Share Their Stories
The Space Force held its fourth Polaris Awards ceremony at the AFA Warfare Symposium, honoring Guardians who exemplified the service’s core values of Character, Connection, Commitment, and Courage. Winners included Maj. Adriane Payn, who prevented a $300,000 loss by fixing...
Orbital Warfare Unit Gets Live Satellite to Practice Maneuvers
Guardians in the Space Force’s orbital warfare unit, Mission Delta 9, received a live satellite launched on Feb 12 as part of the USSF‑87 mission, giving them a realistic platform for offensive and defensive space‑maneuver training. The new asset replaces earlier on‑orbit...
F-47 Still ‘Doing Exceptionally Well,’ on Track for 2028 Flight
The U.S. Air Force says the sixth‑generation F‑47 fighter remains on schedule for its first flight in 2028, just three years after Boeing won the contract. Gen. Dale White praised Boeing’s rapid personnel ramp‑up and highlighted the aircraft’s projected combat...
Space Force in Final Test Phase for Second GBOSS Radar Upgrade
Space Force is moving the upgraded Ground‑Based Optical Sensor (GBOSS) into operational testing at its second site in Maui, Hawaii, after the first configuration at White Sands Missile Range was approved. The modernized telescope doubles field of view, scans faster,...
Revealed From Space: China’s Biggest Red Sword Exercise and a Rapid Industrial Buildup
China’s People’s Liberation Army Air Force conducted its largest Red Sword exercise in late 2025, mobilising roughly 200‑250 aircraft across eight western bases and a 1,200‑nautical‑mile area. Satellite imagery revealed a massive buildup of infrastructure, including 60,000 sq ft of new hangars...
AMC Still Open to Wide Range of Options for New Tanker, Including Family of Systems
Lt. Gen. Rebecca J. Sonkiss said the Air Force’s Next‑Generation Air Refueling System (NGAS) could evolve into a family of systems with varied capabilities. The Air Mobility Command is keeping all options open, from stealth airframes to blended‑wing bodies and...
Space Force Moving to Upgrade Its Elements of Long-Range Kill Chains
The U.S. Space Force announced a push to modernize the data‑transport and battle‑management components of long‑range kill chains, a critical capability for future high‑intensity conflicts. Leaders highlighted System Delta 85, established in August 2025, as the hub for space domain...
Lohmeier: Next Budget Will Fund ‘Year of Readiness’ in Fiscal ’27
Air Force Undersecretary Matthew Lohmeier announced that the FY 2027 budget will be framed as a “year of readiness,” directing billions to foundational accounts such as spare parts, flying‑hour funding, facility sustainment, and enterprise IT. The budget aligns with President Trump’s proposed...
Meink Lays Out New Vision for Acquisition
Secretary Troy E. Meink announced the creation of 27 Portfolio Acquisition Executives (PAEs) – 18 for the Air Force and nine for the Space Force – to give a single leader end‑to‑end authority over requirements, development, and sustainment. The new...
Space Force Starts Briefing Stakeholders on 15-Year Vision
The U.S. Space Force unveiled the prototype of its 15‑year force structure roadmap, detailing expected systems, support and personnel through 2040. Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman highlighted three core mission areas—navigation warfare, space domain awareness, and satellite communications—and...
CCAs Start Carrying Inert Missiles, Live Fire Shots Expected Later This Year
The U.S. Air Force has equipped its Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) prototypes – General Atomics' YFQ-42A and Anduril's YFQ-44A – with inert AIM‑120 missiles, marking the first weapons‑carriage milestone for the uncrewed fighter program. Live‑fire testing is scheduled for later...
DIU Eyes First Launch for Its Commercial Hypersonic Testbed
The Defense Innovation Unit’s Hypersonic High‑Cadence Advanced Testing (HyCAT) program is preparing its second flight, slated for late February, to launch the Australian‑built DART AE scramjet testbed aboard Rocket Lab’s HASTE sub‑orbital launcher. The mission will fly from Wallops Island...
Boeing Adds Production Line to Boost Space Force’s Missile Warning Push
Boeing has inaugurated a 9,000‑square‑foot electro‑optical infrared (EO/IR) production line at its El Segundo satellite facility to support the Space Force’s Resilient Missile Warning and Tracking (MWT) program. The line will help Millennium Space Systems deliver 12 medium‑Earth‑orbit satellites by 2027,...
WATCH: Space as the Backbone of Integrated Defense
The U.S. Space Force is accelerating its integrated‑defense agenda across multiple fronts. Boeing opened a dedicated production line for electro‑optical infrared sensors to bolster missile‑warning capabilities, while the service is streamlining the transition of battle‑management tools from labs to operators....
USSF Wants to Get Battle Management Tools From Lab to Operations Faster
The U.S. Space Force is restructuring its advanced battle‑management pipeline by moving the Space Domain Awareness Tools, Applications, and Processing (SDA TAP) Lab under the Kronos command‑and‑control system. Over the next 18 months, the program aims to transition more lab‑derived tools...
Kessel Run Launches Program for ‘Next-Gen’ Air Operations Center
The Air Force’s Kessel Run software factory announced a program to develop a next‑generation Air Operations Center (AOC) that leverages AI, machine learning, data fusion, and cloud‑native architecture. The effort builds on the existing Block 20 upgrades and KRADOS suite, aiming...
Massive Bamboo Eagle Exercise Returns, with Focus on C2 ‘Nervous System’
The Air Force launched the largest Bamboo Eagle exercise to date, fielding roughly 10,000 personnel—including U.S., U.K., and Australian forces—and about 150 aircraft such as the F‑22, F‑35, C‑130J and MQ‑9. The eight‑day event spans 15 global locations and blends...
Space Force Surveys Industry For Refueling Tech
The U.S. Space Force issued a February 13 request for information seeking satellite‑refueling systems that can be operational by 2030. It targets vehicles using the approved Orbit Fab Rapidly Attachable Fluid Transfer Interface (RAFTI) or Northrop Grumman’s Passive Refueling Module,...
USAFA Board Seeks More Cadets, New Facilities
The U.S. Air Force Academy Board of Visitors recommends a 10 percent increase in the cadet corps to 4,400 and the construction of a new tri‑complex housing an Air, Space, and Cyber Education Center. The plan includes a dedicated Space...
Pentagon to Restock Massive Ordnance Penetrator Bombs Dropped by B-2s on Iran
The Pentagon is finalizing a more than $100 million contract with Boeing to replenish the GBU‑57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) bombs expended during Operation Midnight Hammer against Iran’s Fordow and Natanz nuclear sites. The acquisition will be the final batch of...
Space Force, Aiming to Double in Size, Blows Past Recruiting Goal
The U.S. Space Force announced it plans to double its active‑duty Guardians from roughly 10,000 to 20,000 to meet expanding national‑security missions and counter threats from China and Russia. Chief Master Sergeant John Bentivegna reported the service is already at...
NASA Administrator Eyes Greater Collaboration with Pentagon
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman urged deeper collaboration between NASA and the Department of Defense, highlighting their historic partnership and the national‑security dimensions of the Artemis lunar program. He pointed to an executive order that tasks the White House Office of...
F-16 Pilot Becomes First Air Guardsman to Win Prestigious Shine Award
Lt. Col. Eric R. Emerson, an Air National Guard F‑16 pilot, became the first Guard member to receive the Anthony C. Shine Award, which honors fighter pilots who embody character, professionalism, and tactical skill. In 2024 he commanded a 24/7...
L3Harris Pitches Cruise Missiles for SOCOM’s Air Tractor
U.S. Special Operations Command and the Air Force are testing L3Harris’s Red Wolf missile on the OA-1K Skyraider II, a modified Air Tractor crop-duster. Red Wolf can loiter or fly up to 200 nautical miles as a precision cruise missile...
