The US Air Force is seeking defence contractors capable of producing more than 1,000 Extended Range Attack Munitions for Ukraine.
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British and Norwegian F-35 fighters escorted a US Air Force B-52 Stratofortress over the High North during Exercise Global Thunder 27 on October 24.
Discover how much US Air Force pilots earn in 2026, from Captains and Majors to senior Generals. Explore official base pay ranges, flying responsibilities, military allowances and aviation retention bonuses.
The Hudson Institute recommends that the US Air Force develop and procure 250 medium-sized blended-wing-body tankers to strengthen aerial refueling capabilities in the Indo-Pacific. The proposed aircraft could deliver more fuel over longer distances while potentially reducing 30-year fleet costs by $15.5 billion. The proposal comes as JetZero prepares for the Z4 demonstrator’s planned first flight in late 2027.
The US Air Force has moved its AGM-183A ARRW hypersonic missile into production under a $694 million Lockheed Martin contract, reviving a programme that faced repeated test failures and funding uncertainty.
The Pentagon and Lockheed Martin have announced a 10-year framework targeting 1,560 F-35 fighters at a production rate of 156 aircraft annually.
The U.S. Air Force has proposed a $1.057 billion F-47 Future Campus at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. The first phase includes an operations and maintenance hangar, reprogramming laboratory, simulator facility and aircraft apron, with construction targeted for completion in March 2031. Additional maintenance, training and support facilities are planned through 2032, while the fighter’s permanent operational basing locations remain unspecified.
The U.S. Air Force is targeting 1,509 combat-coded fighters by 2035 while evaluating whether new-production F-16s should replace aging aircraft. The decision will depend on procurement funding, manufacturing capacity, the service life of existing fighters, and the growing role of Collaborative Combat Aircraft. A separate low-risk estimate of 1,723 fighters highlights the importance of operational risk in long-term force planning.
The U.S. Air Force has added KestrelX, A2G International and Fleet Adversary Support and Training to a $5.4 billion contract for adversary air and close air support training.