Vanessa Montalbano

Washington, D.C., United States

Air Force Reporter at Inside Defense

Air Force reporter @insidedefense 👩‍💻🌎 | past: climate @washingtonpost | double @AU_SOC alum | news tips to [email protected]

Articles

Lockheed Martin taps Evan Scott as new CFO

1 week ago | insidedefense.com | Vanessa Montalbano

Lockheed Martin today named 26-year company executive Evan Scott as senior vice president and chief financial officer, effective immediately, according to a Lockheed news release. Scott has previously served as Lockheed’s treasurer and as the CFO in two business areas, including its missiles and fire control unit since January 2024, per his LinkedIn. Scott is succeeding Jay Malave, who “advised the company that he is pursuing other opportunities,” the release states.
Trump pledges fighters for Selfridge ANG Base after meeting with Michigan governor

2 weeks ago | insidedefense.com | Vanessa Montalbano

President Trump yesterday said he will work with Michigan's bipartisan leadership to keep Selfridge Air National Guard Base "open, strong, thriving" after its fleet of A-10 Warthogs begins to retire in 2026. “I think we’re going to be successful,” Trump said Wednesday in the Oval Office. Democratic Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Republican state House Speaker Matt Hall met yesterday with Trump’s cabinet to discuss several of the state’s priorities, including the future of Selfridge.
Air Force, Boeing making progress on remaining KC-46 category 1 deficiencies

2 weeks ago | insidedefense.com | Vanessa Montalbano

The Air Force downgraded two of seven category 1 deficiencies on the KC-46A Pegasus, Inside Defense has learned, but five problems that could result in death of an operator or significant damage to the tanker remain. In November, the KC-46A Program Office, Air Mobility Command and Boeing determined that incidents of fuel system leaks on the aircraft’s fuel manifold have been mostly resolved, an Air Force spokesperson confirmed last week . A solution has also been identified to...
Lockheed delivers first Air Force 3DELRR

2 weeks ago | insidedefense.com | Vanessa Montalbano

The Air Force will soon begin developmental testing of Lockheed Martin’s Three-Dimensional Expeditionary Long-Range Radar following delivery of the first system, according to a company news release issued today.
First Air Force GENUS nodes to stand up in Japan in three to five years

3 weeks ago | insidedefense.com | Vanessa Montalbano

The Air Force Sustainment Center is finalizing plans with Japan to establish the first Regional Repair Facility via the Global Enterprise Network for Universal Sustainment in the next three to five years, Inside Defense has learned, but a pilot program could arrive in as soon as one year. The first GENUS regional repair element will be housed within the Support Center Pacific at Kadena Air Base, Japan and operated by the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Complex, said Col. Jason Martin,...
Reliable Robotics to continue KC-135 autonomy work despite funding uncertainty

4 weeks ago | insidedefense.com | Vanessa Montalbano

An ongoing Air Mobility Command effort to add autonomous flight capabilities from Reliable Robotics to its aging KC-135 Stratotanker fleet will continue in some form whether it receives money through the yearlong continuing resolution or not, according to the service and a company official. “It is not yet known how the yearlong continuing resolution will affect autonomy projects being explored by Air Mobility Command,” a spokesperson told Inside Defense Tuesday .
NATO employing lessons from Ukraine in next major air exercise

1 month ago | insidedefense.com | Vanessa Montalbano

Russia's invasion of Ukraine is changing the way NATO's Allied Air Command thinks about deployment tactics, deputy commander Air Marshal Johnny Stringer said today, putting a focus on more modern concepts in place of the status quo. “Some things I would highlight are the sort of the rate and pace of adaptation and adoption with new technologies and what that actually means in terms of the willingness to get rid of the old ideas and the old received wisdom,” he... Not a subscriber?
New NGAD investment could squeeze Air Force budget under yearlong CR

1 month ago | insidedefense.com | Vanessa Montalbano

The Trump administration's decision to push forward with the F-47 Next Generation Air Dominance platform raises questions about how the major new aircraft program will be paid for, especially following Congress' recent passage of a yearlong stopgap spending bill that erodes the Pentagon's buying power.
Boeing wins multibillion-dollar bid for the Air Force's next-generation fighter

1 month ago | insidedefense.com | Vanessa Montalbano

The Trump administration today announced Boeing has been selected to produce the Air Force’s multibillion-dollar Next Generation Air Dominance penetrating platform, beating out Lockheed Martin in the contest after months of uncertainty. “Nothing in the world comes even close to it,” President Trump said today. It will be called the F-47. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth joined Trump in the Oval Office to unveil the long-awaited decision.
AMC: KC-135 Stratotankers may be giving gas well past 2050

1 month ago | insidedefense.com | Vanessa Montalbano

As Air Mobility Command gradually recapitalizes its fleet of 60-year-old KC-135 Stratotankers, it "may need to look at a service life extension" to keep the refuelers in the air beyond their stated 2050 retirement date and fill in capability gaps, AMC Commander Gen. John Lamontagne said recently. “I think that’s where we’re headed,” he said during a pre-recorded discussion hosted by Defense One and broadcast yesterday. Depending on the outcome of an analysis of alternatives to determine if the...