Policy
Let Us Retire 50-Year Old Radar Planes, Air Force Asks Congress
The E-7 Wedgetail is the “leading candidate” to replace the oft-grounded E-3 Sentry, if Congress approves the president’s 2023 budget request.
Policy
More Nuclear, Less Ground Attack in Biden’s Air Force Budget Request
The 2023 spending proposal calls for retiring 150 planes, shifting funds, and reconfiguring for possible war with China or Russia.
Threats
State of Defense 2022
Our annual service-by-service look at where the U.S. military is, and where it's going.
Threats
Russia Speeds Up Air War Over Ukraine, As Some Munitions Run Low or Malfunction
Russian bombers, fighter jets flew 300 sorties over the last 24 hours, Pentagon says.
Ideas
The DOD Needs a Joint Wargaming Center
The recent explosion of wargames obscures several flaws in the current system.
Ideas
The ‘No-Fly Zone’ Test
Want to put U.S. or allied aircraft over Ukraine? Answer these questions first.
Threats
Russian Jets Flying 200 Sorties a Day, But Firing from Their Own Airspace, Pentagon Says
Ukraine is also being conservative with its airpower.
Threats
Why the US Won’t Give Patriot Interceptors to Ukraine
The Pentagon is still hunting “alternative options” to bolster Ukraine’s air defenses against Russia’s brutal strikes.
Threats
US Officials Not Ready to Dismiss Russia’s Anti-Aircraft Missiles, Despite Shortcomings in Ukraine
The U.S. has invested heavily in expensive stealth aircraft that can evade detection from Russian interceptors.
Science & Tech
Air Force Special Operations Looks To Reinvent Itself On the Cheap
Cargo planes that drop cruise missiles from pallets and land on water show how air special operators are trying to trick out what they’ve already got on the tarmac.
Threats
Here's Why a Ukraine No-Fly Zone's a No-Go
NATO officials say it’s off the table, but there could be a “nuanced option.”
Threats
Can Ukraine Really Use Donated Fighter Jets? That Depends
After EU says it will send some aircraft to Ukraine, a retired U.S. fighter chief explains how that might work.
Threats
Above Ukraine, a Cold War Spy Plane Is Finally Tracking a Russian Invasion
Air Force officials had already started retiring 30-year-old E-8C JSTARS.
Threats
Putin Is Preparing to Take More of Ukraine by Force, Biden Says, Announcing New Sanctions
NATO’s Stoltenberg says Russian forces are flowing into Ukraine breakaway regions.
Ideas