News
Astronauts stuck on space station will be brought back home by Space Force guardian
A Space Force officer will command a mission later this month to safely bring home two astronauts who have been unexpectedly stuck aboard the International Space Station, or ISS, marking the first time a Guardian will launch into space for such a high-profile operation.
Two Ukrainian Top Guns lobbied for F-16s. They won’t get to see if the jets help fend off Russia.
The death of a pilot and loss of a critical jet last week highlight the stakes in Ukraine’s campaign for Western weaponry
What the “rocket drone” Palianytsia means for Ukraine
Military analysts are buzzing online about a new, secretive Ukrainian weapon that blurs the line between missile and drone.
Air Force
Kendall tours seven Eastern European countries, praising NATO air defense
Amid NATO’s continued push to ramp up air defenses in Eastern Europe, Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall swung by seven allied countries to boost relations last week, including those on Russia’s and Ukraine’s doorstep.
Air Force to add back over a dozen MH-139 helos in FY26, averting ‘critical’ cost breach
The service is partially reversing course on a planned cut of 38 aircraft, and plans to add back in 14 Grey Wolf helicopters in its upcoming budget request for a fleet size of “at least” 56.
Air Force investigates 7,000-gallon PFAS spill at Cannon
The Air Force is investigating a spill of about 7,000 gallons of water containing firefighting chemicals at Cannon Air Force Base, N.M.
Space Force
Rescued butterflies helped spread the message of conservation at Buckley Space Force Base, Fort Carson
A biologist helped place small stickers on two bright orange Monarch butterflies Thursday at Buckley Space Force Base before they flitted off to start their fall journey south to Mexico.
New USSF Officer Training program aims to make ‘guardians first, specialists second’
The Space Force started its inaugural Officer Training Course (OTC) at Peterson Space Force Base, Colo., on Sept. 3, a major overhaul in the service’s approach to building a well-rounded officer corps.
Defense
Italian aircraft carrier F-35Bs reach IOC
The Italian Navy announced Monday that its carrier-based F-35B Lightning II fighter fleet reached initial operational capability.
Northrop touts value of digital engineering as it announces first flight of Model 437
Northrop Grumman’s Model 437 “Vanguard,” a potential demonstrator for the Collaborative Combat Aircraft program from subsidiary Scaled Composites, made its first flight from the company’s Palmdale, Calif., plant on Aug. 29. The company said the aircraft demonstrates the effectiveness of Northrop’s “digital ecosystem.”
Honeywell reports progress in clearing avionics backlog
Honeywell reports that its avionics segment is resolving supply chain-related issues more quickly than its aerospace and mechanical divisions.
Pratt & Whitney pushes ‘low risk’ F100 engine for potential Polish F-15EX order
Integration and certification of the F100 would consist of a “couple of flight tests” and not have any “schedule implications” if Warsaw was to place a F-15EX order, according to Josh Goodman, senior program director at Pratt and Whitney.
Veterans
Connecticut’s WWII veterans and their stories are vanishing: ‘We’re losing that teaching moment’
Every day across the nation, an average of 131 U.S. veterans of history’s most consequential war die.
Veterans groups, lawmakers call on Supreme Court to hear Air Force vet’s suit on military medical malpractice
Nearly two dozen veterans advocacy groups and six lawmakers are requesting the Supreme Court hear the case of a retired Air National Guardsman who wants to sue the military after a routine back surgery left him paralyzed from the chest down.
