John Tirpak

Editorial Director at Air & Space Forces Magazine

Airpower, space and music enthusiast.

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Articles

What a ‘Ferrari’ Version of the F-35 Might Look Like

18 hours ago | airandspaceforces.com | John Tirpak

Lockheed Martin’s new push for a more powerful F-35—unveiled this week as the company announced it won’t protest the Air Force’s choice of Boeing for the Next-Generation Air Dominance fighter—might largely be the NGAD alternative Air Force leaders from the previous administration were talking about as they deliberated whether to go ahead with what is now known as the F-47.
Northrop Takes $477 Million Charge to Allow for Faster B-21 Production

2 days ago | airandspaceforces.com | John Tirpak

Northrop Grumman took a $477 million loss on the B-21 bomber program in the first quarter; executives said the expense will both cover unexpected materials costs and make it possible to accelerate production of the aircraft, if that’s something the Air Force wants to do. The charge was attributed to a “change in the manufacturing process” and gives the Air Force “some optionality,” Northrop President and CEO Kathy Warden said on an earnings call.
Lockheed Will Not Protest NGAD Award to Boeing

2 days ago | airandspaceforces.com | John Tirpak

Lockheed Martin will not protest the Air Force’s selection of Boeing for the Next-Generation Air Dominance fighter contract, company president and CEO Jim Taiclet said April 22, explaining that the company now hopes to insert the technology it developed for NGAD into its fifth-generation F-35 and F-22 fighters. “We are not going to protest the NGAD decision of the U.S. government,” Taiclet said on a company earnings call.
Lockheed Gets $180 Million to Convert Three F-35 Jets for Test

3 days ago | airandspaceforces.com | John Tirpak

Lockheed Martin received a $180 million contract modification April 21 to convert three F-35s to flight sciences aircraft, the Pentagon announced. The work is needed “to prevent any increase in the test capability gap,” per the contract announcement.
NGAD Images Doctored to Hide Most, If Not All, True Design Features

6 days ago | airandspaceforces.com | John Tirpak

Images of the F-47 Next-Generation Air Dominance fighter, released by the Air Force on March 21 when the program was awarded to Boeing, are mere placeholders and aren’t intended to accurately portray the aircraft, despite showing only a small portion of it, Air Force and industry officials told Air & Space Forces Magazine. The idea is to keep adversaries guessing about the true nature of the NGAD design.
Northrop Grumman Says Sentinel Program Not Affected by Blast

1 week ago | airandspaceforces.com | John Tirpak

The building destroyed by an explosion at Northrop Grumman’s Promontory, Utah, solid rocket motor complex on April 16 wasn’t directly supporting the LGM-35A Sentinel strategic missile effort, and the accident won’t delay that program or others, a company spokesperson said. “The incident at our Utah facility on April 16 will not affect our progress on any Northrop Grumman programs,” a company spokesperson said.
Explosion Destroys Building at Northrop Grumman Solid Rocket Motor Facility

1 week ago | airandspaceforces.com | John Tirpak

An April 16 explosion destroyed a building at Northrop Grumman’s Innovation Systems plant in Promontory, Utah, where the company makes solid rocket motors for government and commercial customers. There was no immediate report of casualties, which occurred at 7:35 am local time. Local officials said they are investigating the accident, Northrop did not immediately respond to queries from Air & Space Forces Magazine, nor did it release a statement.
Air Force Seeking ‘Emerging Tech’ for E-7 Wedgetail or Successors

1 week ago | airandspaceforces.com | John Tirpak

The Air Force is still a few years away from getting its hands on its first E-7 aircraft for airborne early warning and control, but the service is already seeking industry input on new systems to either enhance or replace the sensor capabilities of the Wedgetail—or possibly even acquire new capabilities for an entirely different targeting and battle management platform.
F-35 Cues Ground Artillery in ‘Minutes’ with New Data Gateway

1 week ago | realcleardefense.com | John Tirpak

F-35 Cues Ground Artillery in ‘Minutes’ with New Data Gateway Dutch F-35s, using a Lockheed Martin-developed communications gateway, shared classified data with a Dutch command-and-control system Read Full Article »
F-35 Cues Ground Artillery in ‘Minutes’ with New Data Gateway

1 week ago | airandspaceforces.com | John Tirpak

Dutch F-35s, using a Lockheed Martin-developed communications gateway, shared classified data with a Dutch command-and-control system to achieve a kill on a ground target during the NATO exercise Ramstein Flag earlier this month, the company announced this week. It was the first time the system was operated outside the U.S.Ramstein Flag, now in its second year, has quickly become one of NATO’s biggest air exercises.