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Alex LockieJanuary 11, 2017 USAF In another positive sign for the beloved A-10, Air Force maintainers at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona have outfitted the Warthog with an upgrade for combat search and rescue missions (CSAR). Dubbed the lightweight airborne recovery system, the upgrade helps A-10 pilots "communicate more effectively with individuals on the ground such as downed pilots, pararescuemen and joint terminal attack controllers," according to an Air Force statement. Of all the fixed-wing aircraft in the US Air Force's inventory, no plane carries out CSAR missions like the A-10. CSAR missions jump off with little warning and...

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump said on Thursday that because of the high cost of Lockheed Martin Corp's F-35 fighter, he had asked Boeing Co to offer a price for a "comparable F-18 Super Hornet." "Based on the tremendous cost and cost overruns of the Lockheed Martin F-35, I have asked Boeing to price-out a comparable F-18 Super Hornet!," Trump wrote on Twitter....

President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday ripped Boeing for the cost of a new Air Force One plane, calling for the contract to be cancelled. "Boeing is building a brand new 747 Air Force One for future presidents, but costs are out of control, more than $4 billion. Cancel order!" Trump tweeted.

In an egregious violation of Department of Defense policy, a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel has recorded an ad critical of Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton while appearing to wear a flight suit complete with unit patches and rank insignia. Wendy Rogers is a three-time Republican Congressional candidate in Arizona, and she most recently lost the GOP primary in the state’s 1st Congressional District in August. Rogers is also a retired Air Force pilot who was one of the first female pilots in the service. “As a pilot in the United States Air Force, I was entrusted with classified information. We were always taught that you...

One of the greatest pilots in the history of aviation died this morning, according to reports. Bob Hoover, a World War II fighter pilot, a former Air Force test pilot, and the chase plane pilot for Chuck Yeager when he broke the sound barrier for the first time, was 94.

Mahin Atif Khan pleaded guilty on charges of inciting or inducing terrorism, financing or managing terrorism and manufacturng, possessing or selling a prohibited weapon, which may send him to jail for up to 14 years. Khan, 18, who the government said has pledged his allegiance to the Islamic State, also known as ISIS, ISIL and Daesh, was accused of writing e-mails to an alleged member of the Pakistan Taliban, looking for help to build explosives and plan their use.

The Air Force announced a new set of 13 inclusion initiatives Friday with the goal of ensuring the force isn’t as white, male and heterosexual as it is now. Air Force officials are intent on building upon a foundation of nine initiatives from 2015, in order to boost diversity. Those nine initiatives weren’t enough to make the Air Force as diverse as desired, which is why it is taking more intensive steps in 2016. The first new initiative mandates that at least one diverse candidate will have to be in the running for important developmental positions like aide-de camp, senior...

Amanda MaciasSeptember 27, 2016  An artist rendering shows the first image of a new Northrop Grumman Corp long-range B-21 bomber in this image released on February 26, 2016. WASHINGTON, D.C. — Little is known about America's newest stealth bomber, the B-21, which will replace the Air Force's aging B-52 and B-1Bs. Shrouded in secrecy, here's all we know (so far) about the B-21: •It will be developed by Northrop Grumman, the same manufacturer of the iconic B-2 Spirit •Northrop Grumman won the contract in October •The Air Force is slated to buy 100 of these new bombers •The program...

Salinas woman joins Air Force after going to airshow (Video at site)

Over the last century of military aviation, several fighters have earned the nickname “flying coffin.” Military aviation inherently pushes up against the limits of technology and human endurance, particularly where fighter and pursuit aviation are concerned. Flying a fighter is remarkably dangerous, even when no one is trying to shoot you down. Engineering a capable fighter plane is also a struggle. Relatively small changes in engine, armament and airframe design can transform a clunker into an elite fighting machine. Many of the best fighters in history were initially viewed askance by their pilots.

One pilot died and another was injured after they ejected from a U.S. Air Force U-2 spy plane that crashed in Northern California Tuesday, an Air Force spokesman confirmed.

SUTTER COUNTY, Calif. (KCRA) —One pilot was killed and a second pilot was hurt after ejecting from a U-2 plane out of Beale Air Force Based that crashed into the Sutter Buttes in Sutter County, Beale AFB officials confirmed...

Happy Birthday, United States Air Force The United States Air Force was established September 18, 1947. The U.S. Air Force song "Wild Blue Yonder" (video) Birthday of the U.S. Air Force (video)

The Air Force is considering upgrading the valor award won by TSgt. John Chapman from an Air Force Cross to a Medal of Honor. A recent review of a drone surveillance video of a 2002 firefight between a US special ops team and Al Qaeda fighters in the mountains of Afghanistan that killed seven Americans is now a focus of controversy. The newly discovered video shows that a Navy SEAL team left the area because its members believed Chapman to have been killed. The video, however, suggests that Chapman was still alive, that he killed two more insurgents and provided...

The United States could be on the verge of posthumously awarding its highest military honor to a soldier who was killed in action in Afghanistan – and the news is stirring controversy. Sgt. John Chapman, an air force technician who was serving as a radioman for the elite SEAL Team 6 during mission in Afghanistan, died in fierce combat against Al Qaeda gunmen on an Afghan mountaintop on March 4, 2002. The Americans led a coalition of nations in the military effort to destroy Al Qaeda and the Taliban following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.

One week after the U.S. Air Force declared the F-35A Joint Strike Fighter ready for combat, the Pentagon's top weapons tester warned that the aircraft is still fraught with problems and that fully-capable planes might not be available before the deadline that marks the end of development and the beginning of realistic combat testing. The Pentagon's director of operational testing, Michael Gilmore, stated in a memo obtained by Bloomberg that the F-35 is "actually not on a path toward success but instead on a path toward failing to deliver" the plane's full combat capabilities on time. Gilmore also said the...

Encounter Report from November 6, 1944 Cool historical document Chuck Yeager shoots down an ME-262 and damages 2 more.

AF declares the F-35A ‘combat ready’ By Air Combat Command Public Affairs, / Published August 02, 2016 JOINT BASE LANGLEY-EUSTIS, Va. (AFNS) -- The F-35A Lightning II fifth-generation fighter aircraft was declared ‘combat ready’ by Gen. Hawk Carlisle, the commander of Air Combat Command, Aug 2. Carlisle lauded the aircraft’s performance, noting that the aircraft had met all key criteria for reaching initial operational capability: Airmen trained, manned and equipped to conduct basic close air support, interdiction and limited suppression/destruction of enemy air defenses in a contested environment with an operational squadron of 12-24 aircraft; the ability to deploy and...

Secrecy is the linchpin of a stealth aircraft's ability to carry out strikes deep within enemy territory, but when it comes to the tax dollars that are going to be spent on the U.S. Air Force's new B-21 bomber, some members of Congress say it is time pull the curtain back. The Air Force said it has no plans to publicly disclose the cost estimate for the aircraft touted as the "backbone" of the U.S.'s future strike and deterrence capabilities, arguing it would reveal too much information to potential adversaries and compromise a classified program. That's infuriated some lawmakers, including...

Just a bittersweet vanity thread announcing that my 18-year-old son left today for Air Force Basic Training. This is a boy -- a man now -- who has gone through a lot in his short life. A few years ago, he turned it around and started on a rigorous road of introspection and self-improvement. And it worked. This is finishing school for him. He has been training to be an Air Force Combat Controller for the last 18 months. Today, he stopped being ours and became the property of this country. He will do it proud.