Us Air Force One

Boeing cleaned up on Air Force parts, including soap dispensers: Pentagon

Boeing overcharged the Air Force nearly USD 1 million for spare parts on C-17 cargo planes, including an 8,000 per cent markup for simple lavatory soap dispensers, according to the Pentagon's inspector general. The Defense Department's auditor reviewed prices paid for 46 spare parts on the C-17 from 2018 to 2022 and found that 12 were overpriced and nine seemed reasonably priced. It couldn't determine the fairness of prices on the other 25 items. The Office of the Inspector General said it reviewed the soap dispenser prices after getting a hotline tip. Boeing disputed the findings. We are reviewing the report, which appears to be based on an inapt comparison of the prices paid for parts that meet aircraft and contract specifications and designs versus basic commercial items that would not be qualified or approved for use on the C-17," Boeing said in a statement. We will continue to work with the OIG and the US Air Force to provide a detailed written response to the report in the .

Three suspected Houthi attacks target a ship off Yemen: US authorities

Three suspected attacks by Yemen's Houthi rebels targeted a ship in the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait linking the Gulf of Aden to the Red Sea, including one that saw private security guards shoot and destroy a bomb-loaded drone boat, authorities said Friday. The Houthis did not immediately claim the assaults, though they follow a monthslong campaign by the rebels targeting shipping through the Red Sea corridor over Israel's war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip. After a recent two-week pause, their attacks resumed following the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Iran, amid concerns of a wider regional war. Iran backs the Houthis as part of what it calls a regional Axis of Resistance. The operations are ongoing our operations toward occupied Palestine to target the Israeli enemy, our operations at sea, the inevitable forthcoming response, as well as coordination with the axis in any joint operations, warned the Houthi's secretive leader, Abdul Malik al-Houthi, in a speech ...

Next-generation US jet fighter programme may get hit by budget constraints

Sources briefed on the Air Force's internal budget deliberations said the anticipated 2026 fiscal-year NGAD budget of $3.1 billion would be slashed as funding shrinks

World UFO Day feted amid surge in sightings, government denials

Aliens? Or just balloons and crash test dummies? World UFO Day has its roots in the so-called Roswell Incident on July 2, 1947

US targets Houthi radar sites in Yemen after merchant sailor goes missing

The United States military unleashed a wave of attacks targeting radar sites operated by Yemen's Houthi rebels over their assaults on shipping in the crucial Red Sea corridor, authorities said Saturday, after one merchant sailor went missing following an earlier Houthi strike on a ship. The attacks come as the US Navy faces the most intense combat its seen since World War II in trying to counter the Houthi campaign attacks the rebels say are meant to halt the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip. However, the Iranian-backed rebel assaults often see the Houthis target ships and sailors who have nothing to do with the war while traffic remains halved through a corridor vital for cargo and energy shipments between Asia, Europe and the Mideast. US strikes destroyed seven radars within Houthi-controlled territory, the military's Central Command said. It did not elaborate on how the sites were destroyed and did not immediately respond to questions from The Associated Press. These radars ..

Germany looking into buying 8 additional Lockheed Martin F-35 fighter jets

The jets are equipped with advanced sensors and other gear, and nearly impossible to track with radar

AI pilot operates experimental F-16 fighter jet: What this means for war

With the midday sun blazing, an experimental orange and white F-16 fighter jet launched with a familiar roar that is a hallmark of US airpower. But the aerial combat that followed was unlike any other: This F-16 was controlled by artificial intelligence, not a human pilot. And riding in the front seat was Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall. AI marks one of the biggest advances in military aviation since the introduction of stealth in the early 1990s, and the Air Force has aggressively leaned in. Even though the technology is not fully developed, the service is planning for an AI-enabled fleet of more than 1,000 unmanned warplanes to be operating by 2028. It was fitting that the dogfight took place at Edwards Air Force Base, a vast desert facility where Chuck Yeager broke the speed of sound and the military has incubated its most secret aerospace advances. Inside classified simulators and buildings with layers of shielding against surveillance, a new test-pilot generation is training A

More US ships sail toward Israel, 2,000 troops on heightened alert

Within hours of the horrific October 7 attack by Hamas, the US began moving warships and aircraft to the region to be ready to provide Israel with whatever it needed to respond. On Tuesday, more ships and forces were heading toward Israel, and other troops in the US were preparing to deploy if called on. One US aircraft carrier and its strike group are already in the eastern Mediterranean and a second one has left the US and is heading that way. In addition, three Marine warships are moving into the region. Scores of aircraft were dispatched to US military bases around the Middle East, and American special operations forces are working with Israel's military in planning and intelligence. As of Tuesday, five shipments of US weapons and equipment had arrived in Israel. The buildup reflects growing US concern that the deadly fighting between Hamas and Israel will escalate into wider regional conflict. So the key mission for American ships and warplanes is to establish a large and vis

US intel official claims govt hiding multi-decade alien programme

A former US intelligence officer claims that the US government is in possession of alien spacecraft. He says the government is hiding the information on aliens from the public and Congress

US Air Force looks to better control access to classified data after leak

The Air Force said Monday it is looking at ways to better control access to classified information, in the wake of revelations that superiors of the Massachusetts Air National Guard member charged with leaking highly classified documents had raised concerns internally about his handling of sensitive data. Secretary Frank Kendall told reporters that the Air Force needs to better enforce the rules that govern access to classified information based on whether someone with the correct security clearance also has a need to know the information. It's a long standing tenet that you don't get to look at something classified unless there's a legitimate reason for you to look at it, Kendall said. Just because you happen to have a certain level of clearance doesn't mean you get access to all the material at that level. So we're taking a hard look at some practices around that. He said he doesn't think the service enforced that rule strongly enough. Justice Department lawyers last week said .

In a first, Indian-American to serve as Assistant Secy of US Air Force

His nomination was advanced by Senator Amy Klobuchar, who said that Chaudhary has the qualifications and experience needed for this critical role

UK, Italy, Japan team up to build sixth-generation fighter by 2035

Reports indicate the UK held talks with India on joining the coalition

Biden slams Musk's Twitter buy, says platform responsible for spewing lies

"There's no editors anymore," Biden added. "There's no editors. How do we expect kids to be able to understand what is at stake?"

F-35 fighter jet crashes at Air Force base in Utah; pilot ejected safely

An F-35 fighter jet crashed Wednesday at an Air Force base in Utah, officials said, adding that the pilot ejected and was taken to a hospital for observation. The 388th Fighter Wing said on its Twitter account that the F-35 A Lightning II crashed at the north end of the Hill Air Force Base runway. It said the cause of the crash was unknown and would be investigated. The 388th Fighter Wing said emergency crews both on and off the base responded to the crash. Brock Thurgood said the pilot landed near his property near the base, KSL.com reported. Thurgood said the pilot was walking and he was coherent, but noted his hands were bloodied up and he was a little banged up. I don't know how I'd be after I was in a plane crash but he was surprisingly tough, Thurgood said. Hill Air Force Base is located about 30 miles (48 kilometers) north of Salt Lake City.

3D-printed homes, implants, jewellery: An industry takes shape in India

High equipment costs and shortage of skilled manpower a challenge, despite MeitY push

Indian defence attache now has unescorted access to Pentagon: US Air Force

Indian defence attache now has unescorted access to the Pentagon, a top US Defense Department official has said

Indigenous stealth drone makes maiden flight from test range in Karnataka

The stealth drone, also referred to as an Unmanned Combat Airborne Vehicle (UCAV), has been designed and developed by the Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE), Bengaluru

Biden nixes ex-president Trump design for Air Force One over cost, delay

President Joe Biden's administration has scrapped former President Donald Trump's red, white and blue design for the new generation of presidential aircraft

Boeing CEO David Calhoun laments deal with Trump for Air Force One planes

The company lost $1.2 billion and took a $660 million write-down for Air Force One

Lockheed Martin wins deal to provide F-35 jet support services: Pentagon

Lockheed Martin won a more than $492 million US Navy modification contract to provide logistics support for delivered F-35 jets, the US Defence Department said