Vanessa Montalbano

The Air Force is launching a new research, development, test and evaluation program focused on providing continuous Advanced Research for Air-delivered Munitions, according to a notice published today.

The entire KC-135 Stratotanker fleet is projected to have full connectivity in six years, according to a top Air Force official, indicating the service is making strides in adding long-needed situational awareness to the 60-year-old tankers. “Over the course of about the next six years, you'll see the full fleet of KC-135s fully connected,” Lt. Gen. David Tabor, the service’s deputy chief of staff for plans and programs, told the House Armed Services seapower and projection forces subcommittee yesterday. In...

The Air Force is on track to procure 39,000 munitions across the future years defense program, service Secretary Troy Meink said today, hinting at high missile procurement rates in upcoming budget cycles to bulk up the Air Force’s stores of weapons. “I think, by the end of the FYDP, it will -- I think total procurement is on the order of 39,000 weapon systems,” Meink said in response to questioning from Sen. Deb Fischer (R-NE) during a Senate Armed Services...

Senate Armed Services Committee Ranking Member Jack Reed (D-RI) is cautioning the Air Force about its use of separate discretionary and mandatory funding requests to buy F-35 Joint Strike Fighters next year, telling service leaders they will likely not be approved to buy all of the 38 jets they want. “It’s an interesting concept, because usually the department comes to us with their priorities in place, representing the president's budget that is given to this committee, not an additional...

The Air Force's MQ-9 Reaper has played an indispensable role in Operation Epic Fury against Iran, top service leaders told lawmakers this week, even as the Air Force is looking to replace the unmanned platform in the coming years. “For Epic Fury, perhaps maybe the most valuable player was unmanned: the MQ-9,” service Chief of Staff Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach told the House Armed Services Committee during a Wednesday hearing. “No other platform is even close to the MQ-9,” he added...

The House Armed Services Committee chairman's mark for next year's defense policy bill would add an additional $582 million to the Air Force's wallet to purchase advanced aircraft and enhance fleet-wide readiness. The money would in part go toward buying four more MH-139 Grey Wolf helicopters for $127.6 million and two C-130J Super Hercules airlifters for $260 million. The lawmakers would also authorize $300 million to buy initial spares for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program, $20 million...

As Lockheed Martin begins to make headway on its vast framework agreements with the Pentagon to accelerate missile production, the company wants to encourage "operational discipline and excellence" across its entire enterprise, the company's CEO said today. “That's the challenge: How are we going to get all this done?” Jim Taiclet said during the Bernstein Strategic Decisions conference. “Triple [Patriot Advanced Capability-3] production, quadruple [Terminal High Altitude Area Defense] production, increase the mission capable rate of the F-35...

Air Forces Central and Shaw Air Force Base, SC are seeking a variety of commercial-off-the-shelf capabilities -- from counter-unmanned aerial systems to agile software architectures -- to fill its new Battle Lab ecosystem, according to a recent industry notice.

The Air Force’s existing fleet of fighter aircraft has fallen below the minimum primary mission aircraft inventory (PMAI) requirement of 1,145, a congressional aide confirmed to Inside Defense. The congressional aide, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the drop in PMAI jets, would not disclose the exact number of fighters the service currently has, citing national security. Current legislative language uses the term PMAI to describe aircraft assigned to a unit and ready to perform a...

The Space Force today awarded SpaceX $4.16 billion to build a constellation of satellites able to track and sense airborne moving targets, according to a service announcement.