GORE-TEX Professional

Archive for the ‘Air Force’ Category

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »

Air Force Awards Contract for Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) Platform, F-47

Sunday, March 23rd, 2025

WASHINGTON (AFNS) —  

The Department of the Air Force announced today the contract award for the Engineering and Manufacturing Development (EMD) of the Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) Platform, marking a major milestone in the advancement of air superiority. The contract, awarded to Boeing, will lead to the development of the F-47, the world’s first sixth-generation fighter aircraft.

“I’m thrilled to announce that, at my direction, the United States Air Force is moving forward with the world’s first sixth-generation fighter jet,” said President Donald J. Trump during a press briefing at the White House. “Nothing in the world comes even close to it, and it’ll be known as the F-47.”

This decision follows a fair and thorough source selection process conducted by the Air Force, reaffirming the NGAD Platform as the most capable and cost-effective solution to maintain air superiority in an increasingly complex and contested global threat environment. The decision reflects the Air Force’s commitment to delivering cutting-edge technology to the warfighter while optimizing taxpayer investment.

“In terms of all of the attributes of a fighter jet, there’s never been anything even close to it, from speed to maneuverability, to what it can have, to payload. And this has been in the works for a long period of time,” Trump added. “America’s enemies will never see it coming.”

In May 2024, the Air Force conducted a strategic pause in the program to ensure it was making the right decision for its warfighters and for the security of the nation. During this time, the Air Force continued collaborating with industry to aggressively mature critical technologies and accelerate innovation.

“Now we have the F-47, which sends a very direct, clear message to our allies that we’re not going anywhere… and to our enemies that we can, and we will be able to project power around the globe, unimpeded, for generations to come,” said Secretary of Defense, the Honorable Pete Hegseth.

Hegseth stated the F-47 represents a significant advancement over the F-22, which is currently the U.S. Air Force’s primary air superiority fighter.

“This is a historic investment in the American military, in the American Industrial Base, that will help revive the warrior ethos inside our military, which we’re doing–rebuilding our military,” Hegseth added. “We know this is cheaper, longer range and more stealthy.”

As the cornerstone of the NGAD Family of Systems, the F-47 is designed to integrate next-generation stealth, sensor fusion, and long-range strike capabilities to counter the most sophisticated adversaries in contested environments. Its adaptability and modular design ensure seamless integration with emerging technologies, positioning it as a dominant platform for decades to come.

“With this F-47 as the crown jewel in the Next Generation Air Dominance Family of Systems, we believe that this provides more lethality,” said Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin. “It provides more capability, more modernized capability, in a way that is built to adapt, along with our Collaborative Combat Aircraft.”

Over the past five years, in strong partnership between the Air Force and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, X-planes have been laying the foundation for the F-47. These experimental aircraft have flown hundreds of hours, advancing stealth, range, and autonomous systems while refining operational concepts.

“Hopefully, these magnificent planes will be built and in the air during my administration. It’s ready to go. They’ve already built much of what has to be built in terms of production, including the sheds.” Trump added. “We will ensure that the USA continues to dominate the skies.”

By leveraging cutting-edge digital engineering techniques and government-owned architecture, the F-47 benefits from a streamlined and accelerated development timeline compared to previous fighter programs. These advancements enable rapid technology integration, ensuring the F-47 remains adaptable and upgradable to meet future mission requirements and counter emerging threats.

“Air dominance is not a birthright, but it’s become synonymous with American airpower, but our dominance needs to be earned every single day,” said Allvin. “Since the earliest days of aerial warfare, brave American Airmen have jumped into their machines, taken to the air, and they’ve cleared the skies. That’s been our commitment to the fight, and that’s really been our promise to America, and with this F-47 we’re going to be able to keep that promise well into the future.”

The contract award funds the engineering and manufacturing development phase, which includes maturing, integrating, and testing all aspects of the F-47. This phase will produce a small number of test aircraft for evaluation. The contract also includes competitively priced options for low-rate initial production.

Future basing decisions and additional program elements will be determined in the coming years as the Air Force advances the F-47 toward operational deployment.

Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs

Posted in Air Force, Aviation, Contracts, Press Release | 8 Comments »

Air Force Aims to Instill Warrior Ethos, Increase Lethality

Saturday, March 15th, 2025

WASHINGTON (AFNS) —

The Air Force is making progress toward Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s priorities, which will ultimately result in giving the president more options, said Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin, who provided a keynote address, March 3, at the 2025 Air and Space Forces Association’s Warfare Symposium in Aurora, Colorado.

Allvin mentioned those priorities — restoring the warrior ethos, reestablishing deterrence, meritocracy, reforming acquisition, passing an audit, matching threats to capabilities and defending the homeland — and how the Air Force is executing them.

Reviving the warrior ethos means letting every Airman know what it means to fight as a unit, what’s going to be expected of them, and focusing on the threat, he said.

“Your Air Force continues to kick butt. Our Airmen are doing amazing things every day. They make it look just normal,” he said, noting how Airmen, along with allies and partners, controlled the skies over the Middle East and are increasing interoperability with allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific region.

Also, every day, Airmen protect the skies over the homeland through exercises and nuclear deterrence, he said.

“We’re a well-used Air Force, and we’ve been used well and used often. Every time we ask them to do more, they continue to do more,” Allvin said.

Ensuring all of the service’s investments increase combat readiness and effectiveness is now the focus, he said.

For example, the Air Force maintains excess infrastructure, approximately 20-30% too much, he said.

“All of that is not adding to combat capability. All of that is infrastructure that needs to be maintained, sustained and doesn’t necessarily provide more combat lethality,” he said.

Greater lethality, he said, has been degraded by a drop in aircraft availability as the fleet ages and needs more maintenance. Also, weapon sustainment costs are growing, and the nuclear triad needs to finish its modernization efforts.

As threats continue to evolve, the Air Force is racing toward adding unmanned fighters to the fleet, training for human-machine integration and using autonomy more effectively, he said. 

When the new Air Force secretary and undersecretary get confirmed, they will examine how effectively the force is executing the defense secretary’s priorities, Allvin said.

“I have a hunch that when they see some of these things we’re doing, we’re going to be told to go faster,” he added.

Lastly, he pointed out that “Americans keep signing up, saying they want to join the team. And the team that is the United States Air Force continues to be the best in the world. They show up every day. They do what they’re asked. They do it with excellence. They do it in a way that makes us all proud.”

The Air Force is ahead of its annual recruiting goal, with more recruits currently in the delayed entry program than at any point in nearly 10 years.

By David Vergun, DoD News

Photos by Master Sgt John Hillier, Airman 1st Class Koby Mitchell, and Airman Elijah Van Zandt

Posted in Air Force, Guest Post, Profession of Arms | Comments Off on Air Force Aims to Instill Warrior Ethos, Increase Lethality

36th AS Flexes Agility, Conducts Airdrop Operations Under Limited Visibility

Thursday, March 13th, 2025

YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan (AFNS) —

As the sun set over the Yokota Air Base flightline, four C-130J Super Hercules assigned to the 36th Airlift Squadron revved engines in preparation for a routine, yet convincing, demonstration of world-class agility, Feb. 6.

This night time sortie – also known as a night tac – would take aircrews over the Mount Fuji drop zone for the swift and synchronized delivery of container delivery system bundles and heavy equipment.

“This particular one was a multi-element formation lead flight,” said Capt. Zachary Norton, 36th Airlift Squadron C-130J pilot. “We also trained on airdrops, so we did visual low-levels over the Mount Fuji drop zone with heavy equipment and CDS bundles.”

Night tacs present unique challenges and provide pilots and loadmasters an opportunity to implement tactics and techniques under limited visibility. These missions rely on critical tools such as aircraft station-keeping equipment, avionics systems used to maintain formation flight in low-visibility or night operations. Aircrew also utilized night vision goggles during the flight.

“NVGs bring a whole different challenge because you lose depth perception when using them.” said Senior Airman Blake Janssen, 36th AS loadmaster. “We do this because in the event we have to conduct night operations, we’re just as proficient as we are at day operations.”

Such exercises are part of the squadron’s unwavering commitment to meet the demands of region-wide airlift support. Their rigorous training schedule includes drumbeat, scenario-based events, and exercise injections to ensure that pilots and loadmasters meet their training objectives and maintain peak proficiency.

“We aim for at least one student on all of our training flights so they can meet all of their requirements,” Janssen said.

The 36th Airlift Squadron champions synchronized logistics by continuously refining their capabilities, ensuring they remain capable of delivering rapid and precise airlift support across the Indo-Pacific.

By SSgt Spencer Tobler, 374th Airlift Wing Public Affairs

Posted in Air Force, For the Ladies, Guest Post | Comments Off on 36th AS Flexes Agility, Conducts Airdrop Operations Under Limited Visibility

Air Force Senior Leaders Discuss Intelligence Driving Unified Action

Monday, March 10th, 2025

AURORA, Colo. (AFNS) —

Air Force Lt. Gen. Leah Lauderback, deputy chief of Staff, ISR and Cyber Effects Operations, and Space Force Maj. Gen. Gregory Gagnon, deputy chief of Space Operations for Intelligence, joined a panel discussion with Mr. Greg Ryckman, Defense Intelligence Agency deputy director for Global Integration, during the Air and Space Force Association Warfare Symposium in Aurora, Colorado, March 4.

The two senior Department of the Air Force intelligence officers joined the stage alongside Ryckman to discuss the current intelligence environment, monitoring threats and on-going collaboration between combat support agencies.

To begin the panel, Gagnon gave context for why America’s need for intelligence is growing. He stated there has been significant changes throughout the world in the past 10 years, including the drastically decreasing gap between the U.S. and Chinese economies.

“In the past 10 years, the Chinese economy has grown 78%,” Gagnon stated. “Let me tell you why this is important… what makes you rich can make you strong.”

Gagnon explained the efforts China has taken to increase its defense budget and noted they’ve increased on-orbit assets by 650% since the U.S. Space Force’s creation in 2019.

Lauderback spoke about the importance of unifying the Department of Defense’s intel capabilities with combat support agencies such as the DIA. She explained senior intelligence leaders are working to get intel information to as many levels throughout the DoD as possible.

We want to be able to provide the intentions of the adversary,” Lauderback said. “We want to provide their capabilities, and we want to give [commanders and decision-makers] confidence in the intelligence so that [they] can make the best decisions in a high-end conflict.”

With DIA acting as the lead to unify intelligence information, Gagnon said they are putting the “‘common’ back in the common intel picture,” emphasizing its importance for global synchronization.

“Our design in the Department of Defense is to deliver unified action,” Gagnon said. “That requires a unified set of understanding about where the enemy is and what their intent is, so this is a very important initiative.”

-Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs

Posted in Air Force, Guest Post, ISR | Comments Off on Air Force Senior Leaders Discuss Intelligence Driving Unified Action

Air Force Designates Two Mission Design Series for Collaborative Combat Aircraft

Friday, March 7th, 2025

WASHINGTON (AFNS) —  

The U.S. Air Force announced the designation of two Mission Design Series within its Collaborative Combat Aircraft program today: the YFQ-42A (General Atomics) and the YFQ-44A (Anduril).

Representing the first in a new generation of uncrewed fighter aircraft, both will be crucial in securing air superiority for the Joint Force in future conflicts. These aircraft are designed to leverage autonomous capabilities and crewed-uncrewed teaming to defeat enemy threats in contested environments.


Concepts of the uncrewed fighter aircraft YFQ-42A (bottom) and the YFQ-44A are pictured in artwork. The aircraft are designed to leverage autonomous capabilities and crewed-uncrewed teaming to defeat enemy threats in contested environments. (U.S. Air Force artwork courtesy of General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. and Anduril Industries)

“Now we have two prototypes of Collaborative Combat Aircraft,” said Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David W. Allvin. “They were only on paper less than a couple of years ago, and they are going to be ready to fly this summer.” 

The MDS designation provides a standardized framework for identifying and classifying these aircraft: 

• Status Prefix: Y- Prototype (The “Y” will be dropped upon entering production) 

• Basic Mission: F – Fighter 

• Vehicle Type: Q – Unmanned Aircraft  

• Design Number: 42 / 44 

• Series: A – 1st Version 

“For the first time in our history, we have a fighter designation in the YFQ-42A and YFQ-44A,” Allvin added. “It may be just symbolic, but we are telling the world we are leaning into a new chapter of aerial warfare. It means collaborative combat aircraft, it means human-machine teaming. We are developing those capabilities thinking, ‘mission first.’” 

The Air Force will continue to work closely with its industry partners to mature the YFQ-42A and YFQ-44A prototypes through rigorous testing and evaluation. The insights gained from these efforts will be crucial in shaping the future of the CCA program and solidifying the Air Force’s position at the forefront of airpower innovation. 

Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs

Posted in Air Force, Aviation, Guest Post | Comments Off on Air Force Designates Two Mission Design Series for Collaborative Combat Aircraft

GA-ASI Welcomes USAF Designation for New CCA: YFQ-42A

Wednesday, March 5th, 2025

SAN DIEGO – 3 March 2025 – General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) welcomes the U.S. Air Force’s designation for its Collaborative Combat Aircraft: the new uncrewed jet fighter will be called the YFQ-42A. The announcement on Monday followed an earlier USAF decision in 2024 that GA-ASI was selected to develop and build the YFQ-42A.

“We’re proud to get a new official aircraft designation,” said GA-ASI President David R. Alexander. “YFQ-42A continues a long and distinguished history for GA-ASI that dates back to the 1990s and the debut of the RQ-1 Predator®, which later changed to MQ-1 Predator. That uncrewed aircraft gave way to the MQ-9A Reaper®, the MQ-20 Avenger®, our new MQ-9B SkyGuardian® and SeaGuardian®, and many others.

“These aircraft represent an unrivaled history of capable, dependable uncrewed platforms that meet the needs of America’s warfighters and point the way to a significant new era for airpower.”

The Air Force selected YFQ-42A as the Mission Design Series (MDS) for GA-ASI’s CCA prototype, representing the first in a new generation of unmanned fighter aircraft. YFQ-42A will be critical in securing air dominance for the Joint Force in future conflicts, leveraging autonomous capabilities and crewed-uncrewed teaming to defeat enemy threats in contested environments.

The Air Force is developing Autonomous Collaborative Platforms to maintain its air superiority. Semi-autonomous aircraft, like YFQ-42A, will enhance flexibility, affordability, and mission effectiveness. YFQ-42A will enhance air superiority as a flexible, affordable force multiplier. It is designed to integrate seamlessly with current and next-generation crewed aircraft, expanding mission capabilities and ensuring continued air dominance. In short, YFQ-42A provides fighter capacity – affordable mass – at a lower cost and on a threat-relevant timeline.

The YFQ-42A designation follows the Air Force’s decision to designate GA-ASI’s highly common predecessor aircraft as the XQ-67A Off-Board Sensing Station. The XQ-67A was ordered by the Air Force Research Lab to support the development of concepts necessary to implement the vision for CCA.

In the Air Force system, an “X” plane is designed for testing and experimentation, while “Y” describes initial production-representative aircraft, usually ahead of a formal program. “F” is for fighter and “Q” designates an uncrewed aircraft. Once the production-representative aircraft moves into production, the “Y” will drop from the prefix.

GA-ASI will have a one-sixth scale model of the YFQ-42A on display during the Air Warfare Symposium March 3-5, 2025, in booth #1003.

Posted in Air Force, Aviation, Press Release | Comments Off on GA-ASI Welcomes USAF Designation for New CCA: YFQ-42A

AFSOC Reveals Name for OA-1K: Skyraider II

Monday, March 3rd, 2025

FORT WALTON BEACH, Fla. —

AFSOCs newest airframe, the OA-1K, will officially be the Skyraider II. AFSOC leaders made the announcement today at the Special Air Warfare Symposium. The moniker renews the rugged and versatile nature of the A-1 Skyraider, which was in service from 1946 to the early 1980s.

“I am excited about the Skyraider II, I think we have a capability that’s only ours, and we are going to have the ability to shape that into something that the rest of the nation might not even know they need right now,” said Lt. Gen. Michael Conley, Air Force Special Operations commander.

The Skyraider II is a cost-effective crewed aircraft that is adaptable across the spectrum of conflict. It will have the ability to support special operations forces as well as the Joint Force through close air support, precision strike, and armed intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance.

“AFSOC has enduring global missions,” said Brig. Gen. Craig Prather, AFSOC’s Director of Strategic Plans, Programs and Requirements. “While we don’t expect the Skyraider II to go mix it up with 5th and 6th generation fighters, it will provide value to our supported forces globally.”

The Skyraider II is a lean, agile, modular, and hardened aircraft but one of the most distinguishing feature, like its namesake, is its tailwheel. This prominent feature gives the Skyraider II the capability for short takeoffs and landings as well as the ability to operate from unimproved or austere airfields.

“Providing scalable and precision effects is where the Skyraider II will come in. The Skyraider II could take on missions from the southwest border to Africa and create dilemmas to those we are in competition with,” said Prather.

While in use during the Korean War and Vietnam War, the Skyraider provided extra muscle and firepower for Air Commando combat operations. Its sturdy and persistent nature was showcased when Maj. Bernard Fisher was awarded the first Medal of Honor for an Airman in the Southeast Asia War in an A-1E Skyraider. Later in 1968, Lt. Col. William A. Jones III also received the United States military’s highest decoration – the Medal of Honor – for his actions in an A-1H Skyraider.

The first Skyraider II is expected to arrive at Hurlburt Field in Spring 2025.

Air Force Special Operations Command

Posted in Air Force, Aviation, Guest Post, SOF | 1 Comment »

352nd SOW, Finnish Utti Jaeger Regiment strengthen NATO’s interoperability in austere weather environments

Friday, February 28th, 2025

KOUVOLA, Finland (AFNS) —  

Finnish Special Operations forces from the Utti Jaeger Regiment and U.S. Air Force 352nd Special Operations Wing participated in a bilateral training, Jan. 28-31, 2025, at Utti Jaeger Regiment base, Finland.

The training included airdrop operations in cold weather conditions utilizing the 352nd SOW’s MC-130J Commando II.

“The desired learning objective is familiarization with an allied force,” said the 352nd SOW exercise mission commander. “With Finland joining NATO, we want them to gain familiarization of aircraft and procedures involving both cargo and personnel airdrops using proper safety procedures.”

This training qualifies forces from the Utti Jaeger Regiment on static line jumps, military free-fall – both high-altitude high-opening and high-altitude low-opening – jumps, allowing Finnish jumpmasters to perform required maneuvers with U.S. personnel and aircraft.

“We’ve worked with the Finnish military before, but this will be the first time with the Utti Jaegers since Finland joined NATO,” said the mission commander. “The 352nd, and U.S. forces are proficient and well-versed in airdrop and Utti Jaegers are experts in extreme cold weather environments. We can take our combined experience and put them together to get a better product.”

A U.S. Space Force Guardian assigned to the 352nd SOW used the exercise as an opportunity to integrate with SOF operations by providing digital force protection capabilities, allowing U.S. forces to characterize malicious electromagnetic activities through signature matching and anomaly detection.

“Testing these sensors allows for higher fidelity in characterizing interference used by adversaries,” the Guardian said. “With this exercise we seek to build our knowledge base and better understand processes and procedures to set up a baseline of operations for future deployments of these sensors or others like it.”

By SSgt Caroline Parks, 352nd Special Operations Wing

Posted in Air Force, Guest Post, Industry, SOF | Comments Off on 352nd SOW, Finnish Utti Jaeger Regiment strengthen NATO’s interoperability in austere weather environments

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »