Policy
Hegseth orders elimination of 10% of general, admiral jobs
Memo also orders the elimination of one-fifth of 4-star posts. No deadline, few guidelines given for shakeup.
Policy
Trump’s pick for Air Force No. 2 civilian defends past political comments
Democratic lawmakers voiced concern over Lohmeier’s previous calls for “serious consequences” for officials who “hyper-politicized” the military.
Defense Systems
Air Force begins ground testing for CCA program
The service has picked Beale Air Force Base in California as the CCA base.
Defense Systems
Ospreys won’t return to full flight operations until 2026
The program office expects upgraded gearboxes to begin arriving in January.
Science & Tech
Next wave of Air Force drone wingmen could be cheaper, official says
The service is eyeing flying CCAs alongside the E-7 radar plane and B-21 bomber, in addition to fighters.
Business
Boeing’s defense arm is back in the black, but ‘not claiming victory’ yet
The company reported progress on some of its fixed-price programs.
Business
After NGAD loss, Lockheed says it will ‘supercharge’ F-35
Company officials confirmed they won’t protest the Air Force’s choice of Boeing for the F-47 contract.
Business
Northrop takes $477M loss on B-21 to speed up production, cover materials costs
Anticipated losses on the stealth bomber’s first five production lots have now surpassed $2 billion.
Policy
State of the Air Force 2025
The unveiling of a new, sixth-gen fighter jet bodes well for more airpower investment, but readiness problems and funding questions persist.
Ideas
Add special operators to the Joint Simulation Environment
The X-Men have the right idea: training needs to include the whole team.
Science & Tech
Space Force may use SpaceX satellites instead of developing its own, senator says
The satellites in question are part of the data transport layer of the Space Development Agency’s Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture.
Policy
Defense One Radio, Ep. 175: Air Force chief Gen. David Allvin
Our State of Defense interview series continues.
Defense Systems
Boeing wins Air Force’s next-gen fighter contract
The company beat out Lockheed to build NGAD, which has been named the F-47.
Policy