The U.S. Air Force’s future refueling aircraft, beyond the KC-46 and upcoming bridge tanker, should get smaller, focus solely on refueling and rely more on automation to be more effective in a high-end, Pacific war scenario, a new think tank report argues.

While defense spending in recent years has been increasing, the share of it going to research and development is not nearly enough to keep the defense industrial base healthy and, most importantly, allow companies to innovate, the head of Northrop Grumman says.

An Islamic Republic of Iran Navy Aviation SH-3 Sea King flew within 25 yards of the U.S. Navy amphibious assault ship LHD 2 USS Essex as it transited the Gulf of Oman, a move the Pentagon criticized as dangerous and unprofessional.

Belarusian fighter aircraft escorted Russian Tupolev Tu-22s “Backfire” bombers and Sukhoi Su-35 fighters in an apparent show of force after Poland moved thousands of military personnel close to the border in an attempt to stop thousands of migrants crossing from Belarus. 

Germany’s air force has publicly expressed concerns about the availability of both its Panavia Tornado and its A400M airlifter fleets.

Direct talks between the U.S. Air Force and China’s People’s Liberation Army Air Force have “dried up” over recent years and need to be restarted on Beijing’s end to avoid unsafe and unprofessional interactions in flight, a senior USAF leader said.

Additional centralized authority over the Pentagon’s broad Joint All-Domain Command and Control concept could slow development and make the process more risk averse, the Pentagon’s lead for the effort said in response to a new think-tank report that argued a central authority is needed.

A Pentagon investigation into the Aug. 29 drone strike in Kabul that killed 10 Afghan civilians calls for changes to how future airstrikes are handled but says those involved in conducting the strike did not violate any laws of war and simply made a mistake.