Policy
Senate confirms first woman to lead Navy, fills Joint Staff vacancies
However, hundreds of confirmations are still blocked by Sen. Tommy Tuberville.
Business
B-21 starts taxi tests; Northrop expects first flight by year’s end
A new rear-end picture circulating on social media purports to show the B-21’s taxi test.
Business
Boeing reports another huge loss on Air Force One program
The company has eaten more than $2.4 billion in losses on the program, according to a spokesperson.
Business
Lockheed bows out of Air Force tanker competition
Erstwhile partner Airbus said it would still bid against Boeing and its KC-46.
Defense Systems
Russian cruise missiles have US Air Force scouting for thousands of acres of land
Six over-the-horizon radar sites are envisioned in the United States and Canada, say officials with prospective bidder Raytheon.
Ideas
‘Everything you see is live’ as CENTCOM shifts to digital tools
A U.S. Central Command exercise shows that operations can—and soon must—be centered on live data feeds.
Threats
Massive defueling of leaky Hawaiian storage facility begins
As 104 million gallons of fuel are hauled to four new locations, a yearslong remediation effort will begin at Red Hill.
Threats
Air Force sent C-17 to pick up US troops in Israel
American service members were in Israel for a planned bilateral exercise, which was canceled.
Threats
Pentagon: US downed Turkish drone when it became ‘potential threat’
Top defense and military leaders spoke to their Turkish counterparts on Thursday.
Science & Tech
Air Force’s Mideast drone experiments may feed Replicator effort
Among them could be a 3D-printed, $2,500 drone called the Kestrel.
Threats
Russian pilots chill in Mideast skies after Pentagon’s name-and-shame effort
Air Force three-star says U.S. moves in the region have also deterred Iran and ISIS.
Business
How many F-35 versions are there? Hint: more than 3
Fixes and upgrades have maintainers dealing with more than a dozen flavors of the Lightning II.
Policy
Air Force bristles at congressional cost limits for robot wingmen
But one lawmaker says the drone program needs safeguards against the Pentagon’s costly acquisition process.
Defense Systems