Air & Space Forces Magazine

2 days ago | airandspaceforces.com | John Tirpak

The F-47 Next-Generation Air Dominance fighter will have a combat radius of greater than 1,000 miles—nearly double that of the F-22—and the Air Force plans to acquire more than 185 of them, Chief of Staff Gen. David W. Allvin revealed May 13 in a post on the social media site X. The first Collaborative Combat Aircraft, so-called Increment 1, will have a combat radius of more than 700 miles, which is greater than that of the F-22 or F-35, he service revealed.

6 days ago | airandspaceforces.com | David Roza

When the last Air Force KC-10 tanker flew its final sortie in September 2024, Airmen mourned the loss of an aircraft that carried a “staggering” amount of gas and nearly as much cargo as a C-17. But retired Air Force pilots say a new kind of aircraft under development in California could fill the void left by delivering more gas even farther afield than the current fleet.

1 week ago | airandspaceforces.com | Greg Hadley

Air Combat Command is changing how it measures and tracks fleet readiness, aiming to simplify the way it tracks and communicates the material condition of its airplanes.  “Readiness Informed Metrics” or RIM, as , and if focuses on three key numbers at its core:  Total aircraft in a fleet The number of aircraft needed to fulfill operational requirements The number of aircraft available to meet those requirements. CC director of logistics, engineering, and force protection Brig. Gen.

1 week ago | airandspaceforces.com | John Tirpak

As Air Force leaders consider concepts of operations for Collaborative Combat Aircraft, sustainment in the field—and easing that support by using standard parts and limiting variants—should be a key consideration, according to a new study from AFA’s Mitchell Institute of Aerospace Studies. Based on a series of wargames, the study also concluded that using common weapons across different autonomous aircraft types will ease the logistics burden in wartime.

1 week ago | airandspaceforces.com | Greg Hadley

U.S. Space Command is passionate about being able to maneuver satellites without having to worry about conserving fuel. But figuring out how to achieve that vision remains an open question, SPACECOM’s deputy commander said. There’s no question that “dynamic space operations” can make space assets more effective, said Army Lt. Gen. Thomas L. James during a Schriever Spacepower interview with AFA’s Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies.