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Defense News Aerospace • Global Defense News

U.S. To Equip F-35 Fighter Jets With Starshield SATCOM

The United States plans to equip the F-35 Lightning II with a new satellite-based Beyond Line of Sight communications capability using Starshield...

09/03/26Read it on Global Defense News
5,476 stories
8h ago
Kris Osborn • Warrior Maven

Pentagon’s 6th Generation Stealth Fighter Will Control Drone Swarms

Sixth-gen fighters will command drone swarms from the cockpit, ushering in a new era of manned-unmanned teaming and agile air combat...

8h agoRead it on Warrior Maven
8h ago
Michael Marrow • Breaking Defense

Air Force Needs 1,509 Combat-Ready Jets by 2035

The U.S. Air Force predicts it’ll need 1,509 combat-ready fighter jets by 2035 to cover a “moderate risk” operational profile, according to a senior...

8h agoRead it on Breaking Defense
2d ago
Anna Wilder • Associated Press

Airman Who Died Rappeling Into College Football Game Identified

The U.S. airman who died after a rapid fall while rappelling from the rafters of a stadium before a college football game in Texas was a 15-year...

2d agoRead it on Associated Press
3d ago
Bill Gertz • The Washington Times

New ICBM Warhead Carrier Tested

The Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center recently carried out a test launch of a new warhead carrier for the forthcoming Sentinel intercontinental...

3d agoRead it on The Washington Times
3d ago
Stephen Losey • Air & Space Forces Magazine

F-22 Pilot Directs CCA in Flight as ‘Airborne QB’

The human F-22 pilot acted as an “airborne quarterback” for the YFQ-44 drone by sending it high-level tactical directives...

3d agoRead it on Air & Space Forces Magazine
6d ago
Jamie Whitney • Military + Aerospace Electronics

Raytheon's $8B Contract for Strategic Comms Terminal Modernization

This effort enhances secure, high-speed communication capabilities critical for nuclear command and control, including protected voice, data, and...

6d agoRead it on Military + Aerospace Electronics
1w ago
Greg Hadley • Air & Space Forces Magazine

Air Force Tests New Sentinel Reentry Vehicle

The Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center tested its new intercontinental ballistic missile reentry vehicle

1w agoRead it on Air & Space Forces Magazine
1w ago
Glen VanHerck • The National Interest

Smart Skies, Secure Homeland

The FAA's "SMART" air traffic control modernization plan is a vital step in the right direction—but it must include better integration with...

1w agoRead it on The National Interest
1w ago
Aviation Defence Industry Technology • Global Defense News

F-47: 1,000-Nautical-Mile Range Could Reshape U.S. Air Force Superiority

The U.S. Air Force is developing the F-47 sixth-generation fighter with a planned combat radius exceeding 1,000 nautical miles

1w agoRead it on Global Defense News
2w ago

The Revitalized Eagle: The Story of the F-15EX Procurement Surge

Bruce Allen Lubbering • RealClearDefense • October 8, 2026

In the strategic planning rooms at the Pentagon and across the sprawling flight lines of the United States Air Force, a dramatic shift in air superiority doctrine is underway.

The Boeing F-15, a recognizable silhouette born from a 1970s blueprint, is experiencing a massive twenty-first-century resurgence. This is not a nostalgic return to legacy hardware, but a calculated procurement pivot driven by verified operational effectiveness and the demand for tactical mass.