DefenceTalkThe US Air Force will delay retiring the A-10 — a stalwart attack aircraft beloved by ground troops — because of the ongoing fight against the Islamic State group, a military news site reported Wednesday. Plans to postpone the mothballing will be outlined when the Pentagon submits its 2017 budget request to Congress next month, […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-air-force-shelves-warthog-plane-retirement-amid-isis-fight-66358/

DefenceTalkAir Force Global Strike Command’s 2nd Bomb Wing and Air Combat Command’s 49th Test and Evaluation Squadron conducted an extensive evaluation exercise Dec. 8 to determine the bomber force’s ability to configure, load, fly and deliver an unarmed version of one of the Air Force’s long-range standoff weapons: the AGM-86B nuclear-capable air-launched cruise missile. The […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-air-force-tests-b-52-bombers-armed-with-nuke-capable-cruise-missiles-66344/

DefenceTalkBAE Systems has been selected by the U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) to develop a new electronic warfare system for the fleet of C-130J aircraft. The contract, worth more than $20 million, is the first phase of a multi-phase program to upgrade aircraft system survivability and the capability to detect, identify, locate, deny, degrade, disrupt, […]https://www.defencetalk.com/bae-systems-to-develop-electronic-warfare-suite-for-u-s-air-force-c-130j-fleet-66259/

DefenceTalkTINKER AIR FORCE BASE: KC-135R Stratotankers operated by the 507th Air Refueling Wing are scheduled to be the first Air Force Reserve Command tankers to be retrofitted with the new KC-135 Block 45 upgrade at the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Complex here in February 2016. The latest KC-135 upgrade, called Block 45, will completely remodel […]https://www.defencetalk.com/reserve-kc-135s-to-begin-upgrades-in-february-66205/

DefenceTalkNorthrop Grumman Corporation (NOC) has delivered on a commitment to the U.S. Air Force to increase the availability of the B-2 stealth bomber fleet by completing a periodic “wingtip-to-wingtip” overhaul of the jet in a record 359 days. The company returned B-2 Spirit of Kitty Hawk to the bomber’s operational home at Whiteman Air Force […]https://www.defencetalk.com/northrop-grumman-completes-b-2-bomber-maintenance-66106/

DefenceTalkTYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE: Checkered Flag 16-1, a large-force exercise which gives a large number of legacy and fifth-generation aircraft the chance to practice combat training together, started here Dec. 10. The week-and-a-half long exercise focuses on the involvement of the F-22 Raptor, F-35A Lightning II’s and legacy aircraft training in a large-force exercise to […]https://www.defencetalk.com/legacy-5th-generation-aircraft-unite-at-checkered-flag-66085/

DefenceTalkBeirut: Suspected US-led coalition air strikes killed at least 26 civilians in a Syrian village, piling pressure on the alliance after allegations another bombing raid left regime soldiers dead. The coalition has been bombarding the Islamic State group for more than a year in Syria and neighboring Iraq, where the jihadists have declared a self-styled […]https://www.defencetalk.com/new-suspected-us-led-syria-raids-kill-dozens-of-civilians-65996/

DefenceTalkLANGLEY AFB: U.S. service members will partner with members of the United Kingdom’s Royal Air Force (RAF) and the French Air Force (FrAF) for the inaugural Trilateral anti-access/area denial exercise scheduled for Dec. 2-18, 2015, at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia. The exercise, hosted by the 1st Fighter Wing (FW), will focus on operations in […]https://www.defencetalk.com/rafales-f-22-raptors-eurofighters-launch-trilateral-exercise-jble-65974/

DefenceTalkTINKER AIR FORCE BASE: The long-awaited, highly anticipated deployment of the E-3 Sentry (AWACS) Block 40/45 is finally over, with the deployment of the first upgraded weapon system to a combat theater of operations. The first E-3G arrived in Southwest Asia Nov. 18, marking the deployment of the most comprehensive modification to the weapon system […]https://www.defencetalk.com/upgraded-e-3-sentry-deploys-to-combat-theater-65889/

DefenceTalkRAMSTEIN AB, Germany: The U.S. Air Force announced today that the 56th and 57th Rescue Squadrons from RAF Lakenheath, UK are relocating to Aviano Air Base, Italy starting in 2017. These squadrons of aircraft, aircrew, Guardian Angel Weapons Systems and support personnel will relocate to Aviano Air Base starting in fiscal year 2017. This includes […]https://www.defencetalk.com/uk-rescue-squadrons-to-relocate-to-italy-65793/