DefenceTalkTwo F-35A Lightning IIs and about 20 supporting Airmen arrived at Graf Ignatievo Air Base April 28 from Royal Air Force Lakenheath, England. The F-35As are participating in the first training deployment to Europe. The aircraft and total force Airmen are from the 34th Fighter Squadron, 388th Fighter Wing, and the Air Force Reserve’s 466th […]https://www.defencetalk.com/f-35s-forward-deploy-to-bulgaria-69877/

DefenceTalkAs the world’s attention was on the first combat use of the conventional “Mother Of All Bombs,” the US National Nuclear Security Administration announced the successful field test of the modernized gravity nuclear bomb in Nevada. The NNSA and the US Air Force completed the first qualification flight test of the B61-12 gravity nuclear bomb […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-successfully-tests-new-nuclear-gravity-bomb-69736/

DefenceTalkThe U.S. Air Force authorized extending the service life of the Lockheed Martin F-16’s designed service life to 12,000 Equivalent Flight Hours — far beyond the aircraft’s original design service life of 8,000 hours. Following F-16 Service Life Extension Program (SLEP) structural modifications, the U.S. Air Force could safely operate Block 40-52 aircraft to 2048 […]https://www.defencetalk.com/u-s-air-force-authorizes-extended-service-life-for-f-16-69722/

DefenceTalkRemotely piloted MQ-9 Reaper aircrews from the 89th Attack Squadron at Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota, alongside the 432nd Operations Support Squadron and 42nd ATKS at Creech Air Force Base participated in Red Flag 17-2 from Feb. 27 through March 10, 2017, at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. The MQ-9s integrated with fourth-generation platforms, […]https://www.defencetalk.com/mq-9-uavs-participate-in-red-flag-17-2-69604/

DefenceTalkThe 416th Flight Test Squadron continually conducts developmental testing to enhance the warfighting capabilities of the F-16 Fighting Falcon. One focus of the F-16 testers here is the integration and testing of a new radar as part of the F-16 Radar Modernization Program. According to its manufacturer, Northrop Grumman, the APG-83 Scalable Agile Beam Radar […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-air-force-flts-working-to-upgrade-f-16-radar-69589/

DefenceTalkEDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE: The 412th Test Wing’s Emerging Technologies Combined Test Force used a quadcopter to conduct a maintenance inspection of the exterior of a C-17 Globemaster III here March 6, 2017. The C-17 was on loan from Joint Base Lewis-McCord, Washington. It was the first time the CTF flew a small unmanned aerial […]https://www.defencetalk.com/usaf-uses-first-drone-for-c-17-post-flight-inspection-69464/

DefenceTalkDelivering improved performance at lower cost Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) and the U.S. Air Force validated performance of an upgraded navigation system for the Miniature Air Launched Decoy-Jammer (MALD-J) in six flight tests from B-52 and F-16 aircraft at White Sands Missile Range, N.M. The system upgrade, designated as GAINS II (GPS Aided Inertial Navigation […]https://www.defencetalk.com/raytheon-us-air-force-upgrade-mald-j-with-anti-jam-capabilities-69320/

DefenceTalkCREECH AIR FORCE BASE: For the past 21 years the Air Force has flown the remotely piloted MQ-1 Predator in combat, and for the last 10, the MQ-9 Reaper. Combined with a skilled aircrew, these aircraft provide consistent support in daily engagements making an impact downrange. While the MQ-1 has provided many years of service, […]https://www.defencetalk.com/usaf-prepares-for-all-mq-9-force-as-mq-1-predator-retires-69292/

DefenceTalkA contingent of Army AH-64 Apache helicopters, delivered by two Air Mobility Command C-5M Super Galaxies, arrived here Feb. 22 in support of Operation Atlantic Resolve. OAR is a tangible demonstration of the United States’ commitment to maintaining peace and stability in the region, while providing reassurance to NATO allies and regional partners. Through multinational […]https://www.defencetalk.com/usaf-c-5ms-deliver-army-helicopters-to-europe-69274/

DefenceTalkB-1B Lancer bombers and airmen with the 7th Bomb Wing from Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, deployed here Feb. 6 in support of U.S. Pacific Command’s continuous bomber presence mission. The 9th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron is taking over operations from the 34th EBS, based at Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota. This marks the second […]https://www.defencetalk.com/texas-based-b-1s-assume-pacoms-continuous-bomber-presence-mission-69090/