Vanessa Montalbano

The Collaborative Combat Aircraft program would see a roughly $25.7 million cut in fiscal year 2025 compared to the Air Force's $559 million request, according to a draft spending bill from the House Appropriations defense subcommittee. Should the legislation be enacted, the Air Force would instead receive $531.4 million to continue development, prototyping and integration of the loyal drone wingmen intended to escort manned fifth- and sixth-generation aircraft into hostile environments or perform solo operations, a report...

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has selected software company EpiSci in partnership with PhysicsAI to develop the first version of “tactical artificial intelligence algorithms for missionized, team-based air combat,” the company announced on Wednesday.

The future of the Next Generation Air Dominance aircraft is hanging in the balance after Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin today appeared non-committal to the sixth-generation fighter program. Asked whether the high-profile platform could face cancellations or delays in the upcoming budget cycle as the Air Force deals with a financial crunch imposed by the 2023 Fiscal Responsibility Act and cascading costs following the Sentinel program’s breach of Nunn-McCardy law, Allvin said: “We’re going to have to...

The Air Force’s legacy fleet may see fewer cuts than the service anticipated next year, according to an executive summary of the Senate Armed Services Committee’s defense authorization bill released today. But legislators would still support service officials' requests to boost dollars for modernization efforts. For fiscal year 2025, the Air Force asked to cut total procurement of F-15EX Eagle II fighter jets by six, from 104 aircraft to 98, to shift the money into other crucial accounts and deal...

The Air Force wants to generate 24 deployable combat wings as part of its massive structural overhaul to ensure the service is postured for success in a potential fight with a near peer adversary. But in order to bring those units up to scale -- and able to act independently -- the service is going to need some help, a top Air Force official said today. “I think the Air Force has most of the resources it needs to stand...

The Air Force did not make necessary considerations before requesting to divest its fleet of Block 20 F-22 Raptors, according to a report released Tuesday from the government's top watchdog. “The Air Force proposed to divest its F-22 Block 20 aircraft without gathering and documenting key information on how it would, among other things, conduct its training and testing missions without using these aircraft,” the Government Accountability Office wrote. “Further, the Air Force did not fully assess...

As the Air Force shifts its primary acquisition model to favor software above platforms, House Armed Services tactical air and land forces subcommittee Chairman Rob Wittman (R-VA) said firm, fixed-price contracts are the best fit. “I think negotiated, fixed-cost contracts is the way to go on software,” Wittman said last week during an event hosted by Applied Intuition. His comments come as the Pentagon and industry are split over the efficiency of those kinds of deals, which require companies to...

The Air Force is asking industry about various potential solutions to integrate counter-small unmanned aircraft system capabilities onto its mobility fleet as the threat posed by inexpensive drone swarms is making the larger, slower platforms increasingly more vulnerable, according to a request for information the service posted today. “The purpose is to enhance aircrew situational awareness of sUAS operating in proximity to the aircraft and improve aircraft safety of flight in response to sUAS threats or hazards,”...

ST. LOUIS -- Boeing's Defense, Space and Security unit is placing a major bet on the Air Force's next-generation fighter aircraft -- whatever that may be. The company unveiled its new 1.1-million-square-foot, $1.8 billion classified Advanced Combat Aircraft facility to reporters here on Wednesday, nearly two weeks after Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin hedged questions regarding the future of the Next Generation Air Dominance program. Boeing broke ground on the manufacturing site about six...

JACKSONVILLE, FL -- The Navy's P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft will soon be outfitted to carry up to four Long-Range Anti-Ship Missiles under its wings, with integration testing poised to wrap up later this summer. “The testing is currently going well,” John Spore, Boeing business development lead for P-8 programs, told reporters here during a visit to the company’s new maintenance facility last week. “We expect it to be done later this summer if all things continue as planned. And...