Analysts told DefenseScoop that a number of variables are likely shaping the Air Force's decision on the fate of its sixth-generation fighter jet, including new technologies, budget…
Andrew Hunter, assistant secretary of the Air Force for acquisition, technology and logistics, speaks during the panel discussion “Answering the Warfighters’ Needs” at the Air and Space Forces Association 2023 Warfare Symposium in Aurora, Colo., March 7, 2023. (U.S. Air Force photo by Eric Dietrich)
Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall prepares to fly in the X-62 VISTA during a visit to Edwards Air Force Base, California, May 2. (Air Force photo by James West)
Shield AI put a technology known as reinforcement learning-based artificial intelligence onto the VISTA aircraft that recently flew Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall.
Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall flies in the X-62 VISTA in the skies above Edwards Air Force Base, California, May 2, 2024. (Air Force photo by Richard Gonzales)
Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall testifies before the Senate Appropriations Committee on the fiscal year 2025 budget requests for the Department of the Air Force and Space Force, Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C., April 9, 2024. Kendall was joined by the Chief of Staff of the Air Force and Chief of Space Operations during the hearing. (U.S. Air Force photo by Andy Morataya)
The new Quick Start rapid acquisition authority allows the Air Force and other services to begin development on new programs without a congressionally approved budget.
B-52 Stratofortress crews from the 23rd Expeditionary Bomb Squadron, Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota and the 49th Test and Evaluation Squadron, Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, participated in hypersonic weapon familiarization training at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, Feb. 27, 2024. Hypersonics is an attribute being pursued for advanced munitions. The Department of Defense is developing hypersonic science and technology to ensure the U.S. can rapidly transition operational hypersonic systems. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Pedro Tenorio)
Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin delivers a keynote address on the state of the U.S. Air Force during the Air and Space Forces Association 2024 Warfare Symposium in Aurora, Colo., Feb. 13, 2024. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Olivia Stecker)
Leaders at the Pentagon have repeatedly stressed that continuing resolutions negatively impact the department’s plans to maintain readiness and introduce new warfighting technologies.
