US Air Force - Page 30

May 30, 2019

US military building ‘missile-killing’ lasers that it will mount onto jets

Anti-missile lasers could soon be attached to U.S. fighter jets after a successful ground test.

May 29, 2019

Air Force surges toward first B-21 stealth bomber test aircraft

The Air Force now appears to be testing components and building initial models of its new, highly-secret B-21 stealth bomber, a platform intended to hold any target at risk, anywhere in the world, at any time, for decades to come.

May 24, 2019

How the Gulf War combat debut of 'stealth and GPS' transformed war

When GPS-enabled sensors pinpointed enemy targets, surveillance aircraft monitored enemy troop movements and stealth bombers eluded radar tracking from air defenses in the opening days of Operation Desert Storm decades ago -- in January of 1991 – very few of those involved were likely considering how these attacks signified a new era in modern warfare.

May 20, 2019

Air Force preps light attack plane for combat missions in great power war

Despite the Air Force’s stated intention and the widespread assumption that a low-cost off-the-shelf Light Attack airplane would primarily perform counterinsurgency missions, it seems entirely conceivable that the plane could have limited uses for major power warfare as well.

May 15, 2019

Air Force gives stealthy F-22 Raptors new air-to-air attack weapons

The U.S. Air Force is now integrating new weapons onto 143 F-22s to massively expand their target envelope, air-to-air attack range and lock-on-launch precision -- to preserve the widely held belief that the stealth fighter is the most advanced and dominant air-to-air fighter ever to exist.

May 7, 2019

Satellite images show China is building its third and largest aircraft carrier: reports

Images released by a Washington-based think-tank show construction on China’s third and largest aircraft carrier, activity analysts believe might challenge U.S. strategic superiority in East Asia.  

May 3, 2019

A-10 pilot describes how iconic plane survives attacks

Known for an ability to keep flying after taking multiple rounds of enemy machine gun fire, land and operate in rugged terrain, destroy groups of enemy fighters with a 30mm cannon and unleash a wide arsenal of attack weapons, the A-10 is described by pilots as a “flying tank” in the sky -- able to hover over ground war and provide life-saving close air support in high-threat combat environments.

May 1, 2019

X-37B military space plane's latest mystery mission passes 600 days

The U.S. Air Force's X-37B space plane has now been circling Earth for more than 600 days on its latest mystery mission.

April 30, 2019

Robert Charles: Scrambled F-16s over our nation's capital should give all Americans comfort

Washington got a surprise Saturday night – and it is symbolic. 

April 29, 2019

Air Force calls for new 'Vanguard' weapons program with hypersonics, lasers and networked missiles

Aggressive pursuit of hypersonics, lasers, networked cruise missiles, artificial intelligence, smart bombs and cyberwar inform the conceptual and technical basis for the Air Force’s new “Vanguard” programs, new Air Force strategic efforts to synthesize science and technology with prototyping and emerging weapons systems.