U.S. Air Force News
Modernized B-52 Bomber & B-21 Fighter Jets Primed to Lead US Air Force Fleet in the Future
While some enhancements are being made to the B1, the service does plan to phase out the aircraft as B-21s arrive and the B-52 advances its ability to fire hypersonic weapons.
B-52 Bomber Could Fly for 100 Years
The aircraft is now 70-years old and may fly into the coming decades due to a series of recent and upcoming upgrades
B-21 Gears up for First Flight with Expectation to Hold Any Target at Risk, Anywhere in the World
The B-21 modernization strategy is based upon common technical standards to ensure software upgrades and new weapons systems can be integrated without re-architecting the platform
F-15E Fires New Air-Launched GBU-31 (JDAM) Anti-Ship Missile, Destroys Moving Vessel
The Air Force - Navy program, called QUICKSINK, fired a precision-guided GBU-31 Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) at the surface ship as part of what’s called a Joint Capability Technology Demonstration.
Air Force Sunsets & Modernizes its Fighter Jets: A-10s, F-15s, F-16s, F-22s, B-21s & B-52s
The Air Force is divesting older F-15s, F-16s and A-10s while the F-22 receives stealth extensive software upgrades to enhance its weapons performance.
B-21 Raider to Enter Low-Rate Initial Production in 2023 - Will Command Drones
B-21 manned-unmanned teaming introduces a wide range of new tactical possibilities to include increased dwell time over target areas and attacks over a wider engagement area
New Air Force B-21 Raider Stealth Bomber Will Operate Drones
Through programs such as the Air Force’s Valkyrie drone, the service has already demonstrated the ability of an F-35 or F-22 to fly alongside of and operate drones
Air Force Sunsets the famous A-10 "Flying Tank"
The Air Force plans to divest as many as 21 A-10s in 2023, according to the service’s budget request. This would make sense, given the rapid arrival of newly built F-35s.
Fire Scout Drone on Course to Achieve Breakthroughs in Locating Enemy Mines
The Navy is preparing new tests of its “pod” which attaches underneath the Fire Scout drone to help find mines by analyzing returns from EO/IR cameras in real-time
Air Force Future War Plans Connect Fighter Jets, Stealth Bombers and Drones for Joint Attack
B-21 Raider stealth bombers, 6th-generation fighter jets and cruise missiles will function as integrated “nodes” within a larger interconnected “meshed” network via the Advanced Battle Management System (ABMS)
New Air Force B-21 Stealth Bomber to Conduct Manned and Unmanned Missions
Plans for the B-21 include evolving the platform into a family of systems likely to include manned-crews along with drones and even unmanned flight of the bomber itself
Next-Generation Air Dominance Platform (NGAD) Expected to Fly with Unmanned Drones
The Next-Generation Air Dominance Platform (NGAD) looks to incorporate new dimensions of speed, maneuverability, stealth properties, sensing and AI-enabled information processing
The Air Force is Preparing for Space War - Here's How
Preparation includes the prospect of some yet-to-exist systems such as space drones, lasers for missile defense and perhaps satellite fired weapons
Will Acquisition of F-35s Inspire Finland to Join NATO and Deter Russian Aggression?
The collective power of NATO and NATO-aligned F-35 countries could be positioned to greatly outmatch any fleet of Russian Su-57s.
Viewer's Choice: Warrior Maven's Top 5 Stories of the Week
A recap of the most widely-read stories from the week of February 6th. Topics include Germany and F-35s, Navy Drones and Big Deck Ships, and more.
F-35's Could Link Germany to NATO Fighter Force but Germany Prizes European Typhoon
A German F-35 could interoperate to a much greater degree with NATO allies and it might also introduce a new level of technological sophistication given the expected life of F-35s
Is the Chinese J-31 5th-Gen Stealth Fighter a F-35 "Rip-Off?
Virtually all photos and renderings of the J-31, since first unveiled, revealed a striking resemblance to the U.S. F-35.
China's Stealthy 5th-Generation J-20 Fighter Jet. Can it Rival the F-22 or F-35?
Regardless of a J-20’s speed, a key F-22 advantage is that it can reach supercruise speeds and sustain them without needing afterburners, a major technical enhancement.
Why Not Send F-35s to Eastern Europe to Contain Russia?
TThe US has operational F-35s in Europe, Denmark received its first F-35, Norway and the UK fly combat ready F-35s and Poland, Switzerland and Finland are revving up their F-35s.
"Rapid Raptor" Program Enables F-22 First Strike Anywhere in World - in 24hrs
The Air Force "Rapid Raptor" program prepares four F-22s with crew members, C-17 support, fuel, maintenance and weapons to execute a fast-attack “first-strike” ability in remote or austere parts of the world.
Modernized "4-Plus-1" Air Force Strategy Massively Powers Up F-16s, F-35s & 6th Gen
The four-plus-one plan includes the 6th-generation aircraft, development of the F-35 as the force cornerstone, F-15EX and upgraded F-16, with the “plus one” being the A-10.
Air Force 6th-Gen Aircraft Now Airborne - Could be Massive War Technology Breakthrough
New long-range, high-speed, self-guiding weapons, combined with new stealth attributes or AI enabled sensors could help a U.S. 6th-Gen platform achieve overmatch for decades
F-35 Block IV "Software Drop" May Outmatch China
Block 4 is a suite of mostly classified hardware upgrades. The Block IV will enable the stealth fighter to drop the emerging Small Diameter Bomb II, called Stormbreaker.