DefenseNews

KC-135 tanker autopilot now safer to use in flight, Air Force says

September 21, 2023
Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker pilots are inching closer to normal operations after incremental software fixes to the tanker’s glitchy autopilot have led the service to ease flight restrictions on the jets. Airmen are now allowed to fly KC-135s with the Block 45 software upgrade — which includes the autopilot in question — at altitudes below 10,000 feet, Air Mobility Command boss Gen. Mike…
Read more
DefenseNews

Old is new again as Air Force special ops branch revamps training

September 19, 2023
NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. — Air Force Special Operations Command is going back to the future. As the U.S. enters its third year since 2001 without major combat operations, AFSOC Commander Lt. Gen. Tony Bauernfeind sees an opportunity to reset how the Air Force trains its most elite corps — and he’s looking to the 1990s for inspiration. “The intent, as we’re looking at all of our pipelines, is…
Read more
DefenseNews

With F-35 still missing, Marine Corps holds aviation standdown

September 19, 2023
The Marine Corps is pausing its aviation operations for two days as the disappearance of a Marine Corps F-35B jet over South Carolina on Sunday remains unsolved. The Corps’ Monday statement announcing the standdown cited three recent significant mishaps involving Marine…
DefenseNews

US Army’s Dark Eagle hypersonic weapon fielding delayed to year’s end

September 18, 2023
WASHINGTON —The U.S. Army will miss its goal to field the Dark Eagle Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon during the government’s fiscal year that ends Sept. 30, but is still aiming to deliver the capability by the end of the calendar year, according to the service’s acquisition chief. The delay is due to the cancellation of a critical test of the Common Hypersonic Glide Body, Assistant Secretary of…
Read more
DefenseNews

Entire Air Force to miss recruiting goal, the first failure since 1999

September 14, 2023
NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. — The Air Force will miss its annual enlisted recruiting goal across all three components for the first time since 1999, as waning interest in military service and administrative hurdles continue to plague efforts to train the next generation of troops. The active duty Air Force made it about 90% of the way to its goal of 26,877 enlisted recruits, falling short by nearly…
Read more