The US Air Force will graduate about 1,555 new pilots in 2026, finally clearing an annual target of 1,500 that had eluded the service for years. Even as the USAF has won its first battle in the campaign against staff shortages, it is far from achieving victory. Lieutenant General ClarkContinue Reading
The US Navy has committed $562 million to begin producing its first operational carrier drone, just a month after the White House ordered a plan to remove the advanced launch system built to handle everything from light uncrewed aircraft to heavy strike fighters.Continue Reading
Manchester Airport (MAN) in the United Kingdom saw an unusual sight on Sunday when two Boeing 747 jumbo jets were parked alongside each other on the ramp. The rare duo was the result of a midair emergency on Lufthansa flight LH470, which was forced to divert on its way toContinue Reading
On September 1, US Air Force B-52H Stratofortress bombers landed at Royal Australian Air Force Base Tindal. The arrival looked like routine training at first glance. What it truly represents is that the newly expanded airfield is becoming the primary alternative to a long-standing bomber. The USAF can no longerContinue Reading
In May, one Rockwell B-1 Lancer left Wichita State University’s National Institute for Aviation Research with a new 33-foot section welded into its upper spine. The airframe overhaul was completed three months ahead of the one-year deadline the US Air Force had authorized for the job. The team behind itContinue Reading
Beyond-visual-range missiles and stealth coatings were supposed to make the dogfight obsolete, yet high off-boresight weapons still win if the engagement collapses inside visual range. Six fighter jets currently in production or front-line service are built, in whole or in part, around winning that merge. The question is which designContinue Reading