DefenceTalkThe 95th Fighter Squadron and Aircraft Maintenance Unit will once again call Tyndall home as officials announced the new F-22 Raptor squadron activated Oct. 11. “We are honored to have the 95th call Tyndall home again,” said Col. David E. Graff, 325th Fighter Wing Commander. “It symbolizes so much to both our local community and […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-air-force-stands-up-new-f-22-squadron-49399/

DefenceTalkA B-1B Lancer successfully struck a waterborne target with a live warhead for the first time Aug. 27. The 337th Test and Evaluation Squadron completed their first of three scheduled live-fire tests of a Long Range Anti-Ship Missile, or LRASM, on-board a B-1. The mission sought to evaluate the separation of the missile from the […]https://www.defencetalk.com/b-1-conducts-first-live-fire-test-of-anti-ship-missile-49243/

DefenceTalkThe US military’s bureaucratic watchdog on Monday accused companies building the F-35 fighter of shoddy management that could jeopardize the reliability, performance and cost of the aircraft. The Pentagon inspector general cited 363 problems in the design and manufacture of the costly Joint Strike Fighter, the hi-tech warplane that is supposed to serve as the […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-f-35-jet-plagued-by-shoddy-quality-control-audit-49237/

DefenceTalkLockheed Martin has submitted its competitive proposal for the U.S. Air Force’s Hosted Payload Solutions (HoPS) initiative aimed at leveraging commercial satellites for some government missions. According to the August 1 government solicitation, HoPS will provide the Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC) and other U.S. government organizations with “a capability for hosting […]https://www.defencetalk.com/lockheed-usaf-satellite-hosted-payload-initiative-49190/

DefenceTalkShe didn’t have a smudge on her. Not a leak found anywhere. She even had that “new jet smell.” Skies were blue, everything was perfect. Those were the conditions on that July day in 2011 when Lt. Col. Eric Smith took off from the Lockheed facilities at Fort Worth, Texas, in the first operational F-35 […]https://www.defencetalk.com/f-35-new-fighter-creates-new-culture-for-21st-century-and-beyond-49176/

DefenceTalkThe B-52 Stratofortress will soon receive a software upgrade that will keep the aircraft at the forefront of the U.S. strategic bomber fleet. As new equipment and advanced weapons are added to the B-52 fleet, the B-52 Software Block (BSB) upgrades allow the aircraft to utilize the full potential of those new and improved systems. […]https://www.defencetalk.com/software-update-keeps-b-52-at-forefront-of-bomber-fleet-49120/

DefenceTalkThis report seeks to inform the debate over the extent of U.S. military presence overseas by providing a rigorous estimate of the costs associated with maintaining U.S. Air Force installations and units overseas rather than in the United States. The authors describe the various types of expenditures required to maintain bases and military units overseas […]https://www.defencetalk.com/cost-analysis-of-the-us-air-force-overseas-posture-49092/

DefenceTalkThe largest fleet of F-35 Lightning II joint strike fighters grew to 25 aircraft as the F-35 Integrated Training Center here welcomed two new Air Force F-35A variants of the multi-role fighter to the Emerald Coast, June 5. The expansion gives the 58th Fighter Squadron the ability to fly an expanded schedule and more readily […]https://www.defencetalk.com/fleet-grows-training-increases-for-f-35-48089/

DefenceTalkThe United States’ existing long-range bomber fleet of B-52s, B-1s, and B-2s are at a critical point in their operational life span. With the average age of each airframe being 50, 28, and 20 years old, respectively, military analysts are beginning to question just how long these aircraft can physically last and continue to be […]https://www.defencetalk.com/u-s-air-force-bomber-sustainment-and-modernization-47650/

DefenceTalkThe F-35 Lightning II joint strike fighter program is a different program than it was four years ago, the F-35 program executive officer said here March 12. In a speech at the McAleese/Credit Suisse Defense Programs Conference at the Newseum, Lt. Gen. Christopher C. Bogdan told attendees that he and his predecessor, Navy Vice Adm. […]https://www.defencetalk.com/f-35-production-on-track-program-chief-says-47148/