Author Archive
Audrey Decker
Staff Writer

Business
As CCAs make international debut, companies pitch European co-production
General Atomics said their robot wingman offering will be “far less than $20 million” a pop.
- Audrey Decker
Business
F-35 engine upgrade hits delay, casting doubt on timeline
Critical design review has been pushed back a year, according to Pratt & Whitney.
- Audrey Decker
Business
Spat over Europe’s next-gen fighter program spills over at Paris Air Show
Public bickering between France and Germany doesn’t bode well for the continent’s efforts to build up military capability.
- Audrey Decker
Business
Boeing says they can build F/A-XX *and* F-47, rejecting SecNav's concerns
Defense chief adds that Qatari-747 conversion won’t affect its Air Force One contract.
- Audrey Decker
Business
Lockheed says new upgrade package for F-35 is ready
The TR-3 upgrade is more than two years late and has been plagued by software-development problems.
- Audrey Decker
Business
Weapons, wariness, and war: Paris Air Show opens amid uncertainty
U.S. defense companies, at least, hope to assuage European fears about Washington’s reliability.
- Audrey Decker
Policy
USAF slashes F-35 buy, boosts next-gen fighter in unconventional 2026 budget proposal
The Pentagon’s spending request includes not just the usual appropriations, but also the still-under-debate reconciliation bill.
- Audrey Decker
Policy
US Air Force’s nascent radar plane faces the axe
Hegseth says the E-7 Wedgetail may be discarded to fund Pentagon shift toward space-based ISR.
- Audrey Decker
Business
Air Force says Qatar jet retrofit will cost less than $400M
Other defense officials have estimated it could be over $1 billion.
- Audrey Decker
Threats
China may own the ‘narrative’ of future conflict if the US crushes the satellite imagery biz: experts
Experts say NRO cuts would hurt public understanding of what adversaries are doing.
- Patrick Tucker and Audrey Decker
Policy
Despite Golden Dome, Space Force budget would shrink again under 2026 spending plan
The White House appears to be pinning its hopes on the one-time reconciliation bill.
- Audrey Decker
Threats
Air Force Reserve faces steep fighter cuts, uncertain future
Plan to eliminate multiple squadrons “takes us out of the fight,” the Reserve’s top general said in a Pentagon interview.
- Audrey Decker
Business
Lockheed pitches pilot-optional F-35
The company is hoping the Pentagon will buy into plans to “supercharge” the F-35.
- Audrey Decker
Policy
Pentagon accepts Qatari jet to use as Air Force One
The Air Force is preparing to award a contract to modify the luxury jet.
- Audrey Decker
Policy
Space Force losing 14% of its civilian workers
That’s more than other military branches, and it means the service will end the year with nearly 1,000 fewer people than expected.
- Audrey Decker
Business
Hegseth to Air Force: Figure out how to modify Qatari jet
Converting the luxury plane into Air Force One could cost more than $1 billion, one senator said.
- Audrey Decker
Policy
Is Trump’s ‘F-55’ fighter jet real?
One former defense official said the president is “very confused.”
- Audrey Decker
Defense Systems
F-47 will have 70% better combat radius than F-22, Air Force says
Infographic says service plans to buy at least 185 of the sixth-gen fighter.
- Audrey Decker
Threats
Trump’s Qatari Air Force One would pose massive security risks
Treating the aircraft as safe for the commander in chief with just a few modifications is "absurd," one former senior defense official said.
- Audrey Decker