The Pentagon's research labs are ramping up their search for munitions that can be mass-produced—an effort likely to be buoyed by billions of dollars in the department's new fiscal 2027 budget request and tens of billions in the upcoming years. While the topline information shared ...
Developing Story
F-15E Downed over Iran, A-10 Crashes in Region: 2 of 3 Airmen Rescued as Search Continues
April 3, 2026 | By Chris Gordon and Stephen LoseyA U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle was downed over Iran, and combat search and rescue efforts are underway, people familiar with the matter told Air & Space Forces Magazine.
B-52 Stratofortress bombers marked a new first in Operation Epic Fury when some of the BUFFs flew over Iran carrying JDAM-guided gravity bombs, according to people familiar with the matter. The development signals a weakening of Iranian air defenses and a new use for the ...
The Pentagon on March 30 announced a a $3.8 billion contract modification to buy F135 engines for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter from contractor Pratt & Whitney.
What Options Does the Air Force Have for E-3 Taken Out by Iran?
April 2, 2026 | By Matthew CoxWhen an E-3 Sentry battle management aircraft was damaged in an Iranian attack on Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia, it sparked a host of questions about one of the Air Force’s oldest, smallest, but most critical fleets. Experts say the service doesn’t have many ...
Guard, Reserve Leaders Flag Concern over Recapitalizing Fighter Fleet
April 2, 2026 | By Todd SouthAir National Guard and Air Force Reserve leaders warn that the Air Force must modernize their fighter fleets along with the Active force, or they risk losing combat-tested talent and making the reserve forces irrelevant in future operations.
Early Lessons of Epic Fury USAF, USSF Lead in Biggest Air Campaign Since 2003. With contributions from Courtney Albon, Matt Cox, Stephen Losey, and Todd South W hen the U.S. and Israel launched strikes against hundreds of targets in Iran...
Verbatim
April 2, 2026Space Ghost “Operations to project power are very successful when you control the high ground. In wars of the past, the high ground was the air. In wars of the future—in wars of today—the high ground is space. You must...
Editorial: Epic Challenge
April 2, 2026 | By Tobias NaegeleOperation Epic Fury got underway Feb. 28 with the largest assembly of U.S. airpower since 2003: Nearly 300 Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps fighters, 20 bombers, dozens of tankers, and a fleet of electronic warfare, intelligence and surveillance, command...