The Northrop Grumman/Scaled Composites Model 437 Vanguard made its first flight Aug. 29. The rapid-prototype jet, which may be aimed at the Air Force's Collaborative Combat Aircraft Increment II program, demonstrates the maturity of the company's "digital ecosystem," Northrop said.
Lockheed Martin is delivering F-35 Tech Refresh 3 software which will allow pilots to train on more of their jets' advanced capabilities; an improvement over those delivered just a few weeks ago. But the software is still less than it should be, and the company ...
The Air Force will soon award study contracts for prototype engines to power Collaborative Combat Aircraft. But the service insists it is leaving the door open to a wide range of options and thrust classes.
McConnell Air Force Base has recovered and injuries are few after a violent storm raked the flightline ahead of a large airshow on Aug. 25. Surprisingly little damage was inflicted on the 80 or so static display operational and historic aircraft on display.
Four of the last F-15Cs stationed at Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, Japan flew back to the U.S. for retirement or reassignment on Aug. 24. As the F-15C/D presence winds down, its replacement, the F-15EX, is spooling up, with new aircraft added and a declaration of ...
An RQ-4 Global Hawk has landed in the U.K. for the first time, as it begins a deployment of undisclosed duration to conduct intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance operations from RAF Fairford and practice Agile Combat Employment.
Northrop Grumman has wrapped up initial flight tests with its EMRIS multi-function sensor system, which could be applied to "crewed or uncrewed" platforms, the company said. The tests were flown on an unidentified government aircraft and demonstrated rapid software reconfiguration in-flight.
Three Air Force B-2 stealth bombers arrived at Royal Australian Air Force Base Amberley on Aug. 16 to begin a Bomber Task Force deployment expected to last two or three weeks. The aircraft will conduct exercises with the RAAF and likely other nations in the ...
New, classified sensors for the F-22 are being tested successfully, a service official said, making the Raptor's 2030 retirement increasingly less likely.
A recent $10 billion fleetwide upgrade to the Air Force's largest aircraft, the C-5M Galaxy, has not resulted in a higher mission capable rate—the huge airlifter was at 46 percent in 2023, down from 52 percent in 2022. Officials say the struggles are mostly due ...
Anduril Industries announced it is planning futuristic factories that will build weapons the way disruptive startups like SpaceX and Tesla have built rockets and cars. The company has raised $1.5 billion for the facilities, which will focus on low-cost autonomous systems, including Collaborative Combat Aircraft.