Vanessa Montalbano

The Air Force is surveying industry about its ability to deliver an already operationally qualified threat missile launch and approach warning system to rapidly integrate with the F-15EX Eagle II fleet, according to a sources-sought notice issued yesterday.

The Air Force this month performed a demonstration in which an F-22 Raptor commanded and controlled a single YFQ-44A Fury mid-flight, according to an announcement released today. The multiple-hour testing campaign, which took place at Edwards Air Force Base, CA, included an F-22 pilot sending the uncrewed Fury an updated mission plan via a tactical data link. “The aircraft’s onboard autonomy software interpreted and executed those directives in real time, conducting dynamic flight maneuvers and simulated combat tasks,”...

Ten years from now, the Air Force wants to have a robust fighter inventory with a moderate level of risk, including a mix of fourth-, fifth- and sixth-generation jets totaling 1,509, Lt. Gen. David Tabor, the service's deputy chief of staff for plans and programs, told a small group of reporters today at the Pentagon. The Air Force currently operates a 1,298 combat-coded total aircraft inventory, he said, indicating the service is considering buying more than 200 new aircraft over...

Without sufficient funding from Congress and the ability for industry to pick up the pace on aircraft production, the Air Force's goal to purchase more than 200 new fighters by 2035 could be impossible, according to a new future planning report obtained by Inside Defense. In a decade's time, the Air Force wants to fly a mix of F-35 Joint Strike Fighters, F-15EX Eagle II and F-47 Next Generation Air Dominance jets among some legacy fighters to achieve...

The Pentagon and Lockheed Martin today unveiled a new framework deal that would support F-35 Joint Strike Fighter production and sustainment over the course of 10 years, tentatively guaranteeing 850 jets for the U.S. military during that time. The agreement would cover the next 10 production Lots with initial spares and a decade’s worth of sustainment and modification kits, according to a

Over a year since Lockheed Martin first debuted its desire to enhance the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter with sixth-generation capabilities, CEO Jim Taiclet today confirmed that plan is still in motion. “We have kind of locked in the F-35 as the... most numerous, most important fighter aircraft at scale in the U.S. inventory for the next 10 years,” Taiclet told shareholders this morning during a call to discuss the company’s third-quarter earnings results. Now, “we...

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems today announced plans to team up with Boeing subsidiary Spirit Defense to support FQ-42 Vengeance production, according to a news release.

Despite years of flailing, Boeing's Defense, Space and Security division is now on track for rapid growth in the coming years after landing two separate, multibillion-dollar contracts for the Air Force and Navy's sixth-generation fighter programs. “We are going to see higher growth out of our defense portfolio than maybe what we thought a year ago,” CEO Kelly Ortberg told shareholders today during a call to discuss the company’s third-quarter earnings results. “I think we were thinking more in terms...

The Air Force is preparing to field its first-ever hypersonic missile, the AGM-183A Air-launched Rapid Response Weapon, following a $694 million production contract to Lockheed Martin, according to a notice issued yesterday. The contract, which was formally awarded on Sept. 29, was executed under the Pentagon’s “Enterprise-Wide Agile Acquisition Contract to modernize America’s Arsenal of Freedom,” according to the notice. The Air Force omitted all details related to how many ARRWs would be delivered under this contract and...

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems' MQ-9B SkyGuardian identified and tracked several airborne and maritime targets from an extended range using Saab's LoyalEye Radar, according to a company news release.