News
Expect a $833B defense budget for FY25, but not on time, lawmaker says
House Armed Services Committee Vice Chairman Rob Wittman’s comments at the Defense News Conference on Wednesday came just 26 days before a potential partial government shutdown if House and Senate leaders cannot pass a budget extension by Oct. 1, the start of the new fiscal year.
Air Force going ‘line by line’ to bring down nuclear missile costs
The U.S. Air Force “underestimated” the complexity of building a sprawling network of launch centers and other ground infrastructure for its next nuclear missile, which led to severe projected cost overruns, the service’s acquisition chief said Wednesday.
Space Development Agency’s first satellites demo key capabilities
Following a successful optical communications test this week, the Space Development Agency’s first batch of data-transport and missile-tracking satellites have met all of the agency’s demonstration targets, according to director Derek Tournear.
Air Force
New F-16 electronic warfare system ‘on par with fifth-gen’ enters flight test
The F-16’s new electronic warfare suite, the AN/ALQ-257, has begun flight testing after successfully completing ground tests in an anechoic chamber, Northrop Grumman reported.
German Air Force stops in central Illinois to join Illinois Air Guard for joint exercises across states
For the next two weeks, members of Germany’s Air Force will participate in joint exercises with American forces across the country, called Proptoberfest, strengthening the relationship between the two militaries.
USAF rethinks whether it needs a manned 6th-gen fighter for air superiority
The Air Force is reconsidering how it gains air superiority—and whether it needs a manned sixth-generation fighter to achieve it, acquisition boss Andrew P. Hunter said.
The Air Force simulated a mass casualty evacuation on a Pacific island
U.S. Air Force rescue troops ran a mass casualty evacuation with military forces from Australia, France and Papua New Guinea.
Air Force standing up new wing for ‘Doomsday’ command and control
The Air Force aims to improve its strategic command and control capabilities by standing up a new wing at Offutt Air Force Base, Neb. The 95th Wing will put disparate command and control units from the Active-duty Air Force, Air National Guard, and Air Force Reserve under one wing to provide a more unified command and better advocate for resources for strategic command and control, the branch explained in a Sept. 4 press release.
Space Force
Space Force to field sensors for tracking air, ground targets in 2030s
The Space Force expects to start fielding satellites designed to track moving targets on the ground and in the air by the early 2030s, according to the service’s vice chief.
America’s Space Force is preparing for the risk of war
A military branch established by Trump emerges from the shadows as threats from Russia and China grow
Defense
On Boeing’s factory floor, workers feel ‘overmanaged and undersupported’
Patric Boone doesn’t think Boeing can change. Boone, a machinist who works in Boeing’s Everett, Washington, delivery center on its KC-46 military tanker, joined the company in 2010. He liked its generous retirement benefits, one of the few companies to offer a pension at the time.
Northrop Grumman, L3Harris lock horns for Polish F-16 EW package
As Poland looks to make significant upgrades to its F-16 fleet, two American firms here are vying to offer their electronic warfare suites as part of the broader package.
Veterans
Pucks, knucks and DGAFs: US military vets dominate international hockey tournament
A group of disabled veterans dominated an international hockey tournament in Denmark last week, though the win wasn’t the greatest part of their journey. Rather, it was the opportunity to reconnect with a part of themselves they’d thought they’d lost since leaving the military.
VA hospitals earn high marks in new federal ratings
A new quality assessment of U.S. hospitals by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services gave nearly 58% of Department of Veterans Affairs medical centers the highest four- or five-star ratings — down 9% from 2023.
