With 27 MH-139A Grey Wolf helicopters delivered so far, the latest award brings the total number of aircraft under contract to 42.

Boeing Defense has been awarded a contract for four more MH-139A Grey Wolf helicopters, marking the aircraft’s entry into full-rate production, the company announced on Sept. 29, 2026. The award, whose value was not disclosed, comes a month after the U.S. Air Force announced the Initial Operational Capability (IOC) for the helicopter.

In Sept. 29 statement and a subsequent statement on Oct. 1, Boeing said it has so far delivered 27 MH-139As, which include 20 low-rate initial production (LRIP) airframes. The latest award brings the total number of Grey Wolves under contract to 42.

This was the program of record established after the Air Force reduced in 2024 its planned procurement from 80 aircraft to 42. The service subsequently increased its program objective to 56 aircraft in its FY2026 budget.

Strengthening the pack!

Thank you, @USAirForce, for advancing our partnership to provide four additional MH-139A Grey Wolf helicopters. With full-rate production and Initial Operational Capability, #TeamBoeing is proud to deliver mission-ready capability.

More:… pic.twitter.com/ZMiZpz9GWj

— Boeing Defense (@BoeingDefense) October 1, 2026

The MH-139A is primarily meant to replace the UH-1N Huey in the Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) security and convoy support roles. According to Air and Space Forces Magazine, the Air Force had also planned to use them for aircrew survival training and contingency response in the Washington D.C. area, where the 1st Helicopter Squadron (1st HS) still flies UH-1N Huey.

Boeing’s vice president and general manager for the Vertical Lift Program, Kathleen Jolivette, said the full rate production milestone “validates key readiness levels for Grey Wolf and supports the service’s fielding plans to secure vital national assets across the country’s strategic missile fields.”

“Adding these aircraft to the production queue brings additional momentum to ongoing fielding and modernization efforts,” Jolivette added. 

Grey Wolf contracts and deliveries

Boeing announced its first award for the Grey Wolf, worth $2.4 billion, on Sept. 24, 2018, covering 84 helicopters. The first aircraft was delivered in December 2019 at Eglin Air Force Base (AFB), Florida, to begin developmental testing prior to Initial Operational Testing and Evaluation (IOT&E) at Malmstrom AFB.  

The company announced on Aug. 29, 2022 that it had delivered four Grey Wolf test aircraft to the Air Force. This followed Boeing receiving a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) supplemental type certificate, as the program was progressing towards Milestone C. 

In April 2024, Boeing was awarded a $178 million contract for seven more MH-139A helicopters, which included the first set of aircraft meant for Minot AFB, North Dakota.

In October 2025, Boeing also received a $173 million contract for eight additional helicopters, raising the total number under contract to 34. At the time, Boeing had delivered 18 aircraft, of which 12 were part of a 2023 $285 million Low-Rate Initial Production (LRIP) contract.

Budget allocations

After a setback in 2024 over cost overruns that triggered a Congressional review under the Nunn-McCurdy Act, the program picked up pace. The Trump administration’s July 2025 ‘One Big Beautiful Bill Act’ included $210.3 million for an extra six MH-139As.

Then in the FY 2026 budget request, the Air Force raised its need for 56 Grey Wolves. To that end, the Air Force asked $253 million for the MH-139A in 2027 to cover four airframes.

However, lawmakers in the draft National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) authorized $128 million and four more helicopters, for a total of $380 million for eight helicopters.          

The MH-139A participated in its first Nuclear Convoy Course (NCC). A weeklong exercise in Wyoming to ensure the safe and secure transport of nuclear weapons and materials.

Staff Sgt. Michael A. Richmond

PS. I still can’t believe the USAF bought Italian helicopters for… pic.twitter.com/FkH25eC2Yq

— Thenewarea51 (@thenewarea51) May 22, 2025

The need for the Grey Wolf became even more acute with the new LGM-35A Sentinel ICBM program, with the Huey having been in service for around 40 years. The Grey Wolf’s improved speed, range, payload and modern avionics are better suited for the extensive support infrastructure needed for the Sentinel as the service transitions from the current Minuteman III ICBM.

In its latest release, Boeing said it “continues to work closely with the U.S. Air Force to deliver adaptable, mission-ready and reliable capabilities for decades to come.”

Before entering the full-rate production, the MH-139A Grey Wolf has been put through rigorous Initial Operational Test and Evaluation (IOT&E); a Nuclear Convoy Course (NCC) featuring emergency-response drills with armed Tactical Response Force personnel from Missile Security Operations Squadrons; and the first operational Minuteman III convoy security mission in January 2026.

© U.S. Army National Guard/Staff Sgt. Cesar Rivas

The SR-71 Blackbird

The SR-71 spy plane, the most advanced member of the Blackbird family that included the A-12 and YF-12, was designed by a team of Lockheed personnel led by Clarence “Kelly” Johnson, then vice president of Lockheed’s Advanced Development Company Projects, commonly known as the “Skunk Works” and now a part of Lockheed Martin. The Blackbird completed its first flight on Dec. 22, 1964.

The SR-71 was designed to cruise at “Mach 3+,” just over three times the speed of sound or more than 2,200 miles per hour and at altitudes up to 85,000 feet.

Frags (from the Vietnam War-era term of “fragging,” or “frags” for short, to indicate a practical joke) were part of SR-71 Blackbird crew members (or Habus)’ traditions.

Oscar’s Balls—flown over 70,000 feet in a U-2

Former Blackbird pilot Richard H. Graham recalls a very special frag that took place at Kadena Air Base (AB), Okinawa, Japan, home of Sr-71 Det. 1.

He explains in his book SR-71 Revealed The Inside Story:

‘Habus once fragged the 9th SRW/Det 2, our sister U-2 detachment located at Osan, Korea. Det 2 crews and personnel were known as the “Blackcats” and wore a U-2 patch depicting a black cat. They also had a Det 2 mascot, a black male cat called, Oscar. For Oscar to be the true Det mascot they flew him on a U-2 mission in one of the empty mission bays. After the flight he became crazed and was never the same again. They decided to have Oscar castrated to see if that would calm him down. At the Det’s request, the vet saved Oscar’s testicles, where they were proudly displayed in a glass jar in Operations for all to see. The inscription on the out-side of the jar read, “Oscar’s Balls—flown over 70,000 feet in a U-2.”’

Colonel Tom Alison describes what happened next.

‘The frag of Det 2 concerning “Oscar’s Balls” occurred in early December, 1978, and JT [JT Vida was Alison’s RSO] and I were the crew involved. It was the only time we ever had to divert/land away on a GIANT SCALE mission and occurred on a night sortie over the DMZ when we had a generator failure. We only had two land aways in over 120 operational sorties and six years (speaks highly of the jet). We diverted into Osan AB, Korea, at night, and the folks at Det 2 were extremely helpful in getting us settled.

Spying the jar with “Oscar’s Balls”

‘The recovery team arrived the next morning, and the fairly routine generator replacement was accomplished, and everything looked good for an early morning departure the next day, which was a Saturday. JT and I had decided that, if at all possible, a frag was in order and had talked about what would be appropriate. The Det 2 Commander at the time was Lt. Col. Doyle Krumery. He had a large beautiful desk in his office that he was very proud of. With the help of a couple of crew chiefs, we entered the Det offices later that night and very carefully moved the prized desk into a shower stall in the PSD area. Not a scratch… we were very proud of ourselves!

‘On the way out of the Det we spied the jar with “Oscar’s Balls” prominently displayed in the operations area. It was perfect. JT put the jar in a helmet bag and stowed it in the rear cockpit early the next morning. Since it was a Saturday and no Det 2 flying was scheduled, all the U-2 people slept in and no one had gotten to the Det to discover the jar with Oscar’s balls was missing. All the way through engine start, taxi, and takeoff we expected to hear a radio call to come back immediately until the missing items were found. As it turned out, the desk in the shower caused so much of an uproar that Oscar was overlooked. I think our maintenance people even got loaded on the tanker and headed back to Kadena before the “the real frag” was discovered.

“Oscar’s Balls—flown Mach 3+ in an SR-71”

‘On our way back to Kadena, which was a “hot” flight, we decided how we were going to put the finishing touches on our frag. When we arrived back at Det 1, we got together with Chuck Weithoff the SAS/autopilot technical representative, and a good friend. He fried two chicken hearts until they were just two little black, hard things, and then we took a needle and some dark thread and wove a short strand between the fried chicken hearts.

‘It was rather easy to get another jar that was the same as the one that held the precious cargo. After filling the jar with water (I don’t know what was in the jar with “Oscar’s Balls”—we never had the courage to actually open the jar) we added the chicken hearts. It was amazing how they looked exactly like the original except they were burned black! Since the U-2 guys were so proud that they had taken “Oscar” flying in the “Dragon Lady,” we put a label on the jar that read, “Oscar’s Balls—flown Mach 3+ in an SR-71.”

U-2 pilots vow they would get even

‘We then, appearing as contrite as we could, had the jar returned to Det 2 with our profound apologies because, we said, the jar had been stored in an aircraft bay that had gotten hot on the trip back to Kadena and “Oscar’s Balls” had been fried! JT and I returned to Beale before the reaction traveled back to Det 1; however, knowing Doyle Krumery’s explosive nature, it wasn’t hard to imagine the conversation between him and the Det 1 commander, Lt. Col. Bob Cunningham.’

Alison concludes;

‘Later, the real “Oscar’s Balls” were returned to Det 2. However, the U-2 pilots vowed they would get even. Sometime later, when one of them was at Kadena they took from the Det 1 office a jar containing a Habu snake. They thought they had purloined a Det 1 prize. We had to tell them, that we had numerous jars with Habus in them and they could keep it if they wanted!’

CLICK HERE to buy Richard H. Graham’s book SR-71 Revealed The Inside Story

Photo credit: U.S. Air Force and Lockheed Martin

An Italian Air Force F-35B was spotted carrying the GPU-9/A 25mm gun pod, providing the first known visual confirmation of the pod being used by an F-35 operator outside the United States.

An Italian Air Force F-35B Lightning II was spotted for the first time with the GPU-9/A 25mm gun pod, confirming Italy as the first export operator of the system. Aviation photographer Diego Mor captured a photo of the aircraft as it prepared to land at Decimomannu Air Base on Sept. 30, 2026, and kindly shared it with us.

Decimomannu is located in Sardinia, near the ranges used by the Italian Air Force for weapons training. While this might point out to live-fire activities, it is unclear if these were actually conducted and, in that case, if they were part of the operational training of the pilots or an Operational Test and Evaluation (OT&E) campaign.

The acquisition of the gun pod by Italy was already expected, although a visual confirmation of the delivery was still missing. In 2024, we reported here at The Aviationist that the GPU-9/A’s 25mm rounds were included in a multi-year program for the acquisition of new weapons for the Italian Navy’s F-35Bs.

The Italian Navy is currently replacing its AV-8B+ Harriers with 20 F-35Bs, joining forces when needed with 20 other F-35Bs being delivered to the Italian Air Force. It is unclear, however, if the Navy is already employing the gun pod on its own F-35s.

Italy is one of the three countries operating the Short Take-Off and Vertical Landing (STOVL) variant of the F-35 outside of the U.S., with the others being the UK and Japan. While the UK has confirmed that it has no plans to acquire or integrate the 25 mm gun pod on its F-35Bs, there is no information regarding the Japanese aircraft.

The GPU-9/A gun pod

Contrary to the F-35A variant, the F-35B and F-35C don’t have the internal GAU-22/A 25mm cannon, and are thus forced to employ an externally mounted gun pod. The gun pod, technically known as the Gun Pod Unit (GPU) – 9/A has always been quite controversial, as both the F-35B and F-35C have to rely on this external device that, despite the “stealthy” shape is believed to induce a Radar Cross Section (RCS) degradation. It is worth noting that the variant used by the F-35C, although apparently similar, is designated as GAU-8/A.

Another controversy is related to the ammo carried in the pod, 220 rounds, which is less than the ammo carried by the aircraft replaced by the F-35 (300 rounds on the Harrier, 412 on the Hornet and 578 on the Super Hornet). It should be noted that the F-35A carries even less ammo, just 180 rounds.

The pod has its share of trouble, with some notable incidents, like the Class C mishap when a PGU-32/U Semi-Armor Piercing High Explosive Incendiary-Tracer (SAPHEI-T) 25mm round exploded after leaving the gun pod during a night CAS (Close Air Support) mission over the Yuma Range Complex.

In July 2021, an USMC F-35B, which was deployed on the HMS Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier in the Pacific Ocean, was forced to divert and land at Kadena Air Base because of unspecified issues with the gun pod, with the aircraft taxing to a remote area and with firefighters on standby as maintainers troubleshoot the problem.

The GAU-22 is reported to be more than 40 pounds lighter and requires 20 percent less overall space than the earlier GAU-12 5-barrel 25mm gun. The new GAU-22 weapon has a reported rate of fire of “up to 3,300 rounds per minute.”

One final point regarding the pod and its potential use by the Italian Air Force: it is not yet clear whether the F-35’s gun will be employed in both the air-to-ground and air-to-air roles, although the service may also be interested in exploring its use for counter-UAS missions.

At present, Italian F-35s, both the A and B variants, can only carry the AIM-120 AMRAAM (Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile) for air-to-air engagements. Italian F-35s have already supported both domestic and NATO QRA (Quick Reaction Alert) missions, and while they are expected to receive the AIM-9X Sidewinder in the future, using an advanced and relatively expensive air-to-air missile against a low-cost drone, such as those recently engaged by Italian Eurofighter Typhoons in the Baltic region, would not be a cost-effective solution in the long term. While using an F-35 to engage a Russian drone with the gun pod would still be a sub-optimal solution, it would nevertheless be preferable to expending an expensive air-to-air missile.

This means the Italian Air Force could be interested in using the gun pod not only against ground targets in a traditional CAS (Close Air Support) role, but also for counter-UAS missions, hence the need to test it in the Sardinian ranges.

Thanks again to Diego Mor for the photo he sent us. Make sure to follow him on Instagram for more!

© Diego Mor/@_diego.spotter_

‘The Mother of All Battles’

Early in the morning of Aug. 2, 1990, aircraft of the Iraqi Air Force (IrAF) bombed Kuwaiti air bases, and then the Iraqi Republican Guards stormed into the country. Although encountering some problems, the Iraqi forces occupied Kuwait in a matter of a few days.

However, when President Saddam Hussein of Iraq unleashed his military upon Kuwait, little did he know what kind of reaction he would provoke from the Western superpowers, and what kind of devastation his country would suffer in return.

Alarmed by the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, the USA and Saudi Arabia scrambled to react. Negotiations quickly revealed the obvious: despite all the investment of the proceeding decades, the desert kingdom was unable to protect itself. Therefore, the decision was taken to rush several carrier battle groups, dozens of combat aircraft, and entire units of the US Army and the US Marine Corps to the scene. As US allies from Europe and abroad followed in fashion, the biggest military build-up in the last two decades of the 20th Century came into being. Meanwhile, along the borders between Iraq, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, each side observed the other closely, and anxiously, took counsel of its fears and prepared for what Saddam eventually declared ‘The Mother of All Battles’ (Umm al-Ma’arik).

The first to respond

The Americans were the first to respond and on Aug.7  General Powell, Chairman of the JCS, ordered the ready brigade of the 82nd Airborne Division, Maritime Prepositioning Squadrons (MPS) from Guam and Diego Garcia, the CVBG with USS Dwight D Eisenhower (CVN-69) and the battleship USS Wisconsin (BB-64) — that carried BGM-109 Tomahawk land-attack missiles — 12 squadrons of combat aircraft, and three equipped with E-3 Sentry AWACS and tankers to the Arabian Peninsula and surrounding waters. The code-name of this operation, formally introduced on Aug. 8, 1990, became Desert Shield; this was initiated with the landing of Colonel Ron Rokosz’s 2nd Brigade of the 82nd ‘All-American’ Airborne Division at Dhahran AB.

For political and diplomatic reasons, CENTCOM would not have headquarters in its area of responsibility, but at MacDill Air Force Base (AFB) in Florida. This made it difficult for its commanders to establish relations with the local forces but this was neither immediately necessary nor possible: until early 1990 its primary focus was on thwarting ‘a Soviet invasion of Iran.’

As explained by E.R. Hooton & Tom Cooper in their book Desert Storm Volume 1: the Iraqi Invasion of Kuwait and Operation Desert Shield 1990-1991, in addition to receiving satellite imagery, CENTCOM also benefitted from a wide variety of platforms to probe behind the enemy lines. The first USAF aircraft used were SAC’s Boeing RC-135 Rivet Joint, which began Burning Wind SIGINT missions infantry on Aug. 9 and within two days were providing 24-hour coverage.

Joint Surveillance Target Acquisition System

On Aug. 29, SAC’s Lockheed U-2 very high altitude photo-reconnaissance aircraft and Lockheed TR-1 tactical reconnaissance with side-looking radar began operations as imagery was clearly the vital, and on  Sep. 8 the first medium-altitude photographic reconnaissance missions were flown by McDonnell-Douglas RF-4Cs. By Dec. 2 Gen. Charles Horner’s (Commander of US and allied air operations for Operation Desert Shield (and later Desert Storm) reconnaissance arm had flown 469 tactical, 421 strategic and 2,800 ELINT sorties, while AWACS— which both supported the shield and monitored IrAF activity had flown 253 sorties.

One reconnaissance system which was late to the table was the Joint Surveillance Target Acquisition System (J-STARS) — an airborne battlefield surveillance radar system with a range of 150 kilometres, installed into a modified Boeing 707, re-designated as the E-8A. Schwarzkopf requested its deployment as early as of Aug. 10 but in early September the Joint Chiefs rejected the request arguing, ‘Desert Shield is not suitable in time or place for introduction J-STARS’. Only at the last minute did the Pentagon change its mind: the two available aircraft arrived on Jan. 12, 1991, together with six ground stations and four support vehicles that provided 44 remote terminals.

F-117A flying close to Iraqi Airways Boeing 747

Conventional reconnaissance aircraft seem to have been not the only ones deployed by the US-led Coalition to monitor developments inside Iraq and Kuwait. Late during the evening of Dec. 16 1990, the crew of an Iraqi Airways Boeing 747 led by Captain Remzi (former fighter pilot with a long career of flying Sukhoi Su-7BMKs and Su-20s during the war with Iran) reported sighting an F-117A fighter close to the left wingtip of their aircraft – and that while underway over Najaf.

As far as is known, this was the first-ever encounter between an Iraqi pilot and the shadowy stealth fighter of the US Air Force. Although it remains unknown to this day what exactly the latter was doing only 200 kilometres southwest of Baghdad at that point in time, we can assume the F-117A served the purpose pf testing IrAF’s air defences. However, the F-117A sighted by Remzi startled the commanders of the IrAF, forcing them into the conclusion that they lacked the means to effectively combat the most advanced US combat aircraft.

Desert Storm Volume 1: the Iraqi Invasion of Kuwait and Operation Desert Shield 1990-1991 is published by Helion & Company and is available to order here.

Photo credit: U.S. Air Force and Steve Fitzgerald via Wikipedia

A RAAF Super Hornet was spotted with an inert AIM-260 missile during the Gray Flag 2026 test event, few weeks after Australia announced the procurement of the new weapon.

A Royal Australian Air Force F/A-18F Super Hornet was spotted carrying an inert AIM-260 Joint Advanced Tactical Missile (JATM) during the Gray Flag 2026 large-force test event at Naval Base Ventura County Point Mugu. The photo was captured on Sept. 11, 2026, although it was only released on Sept. 30.

The sighting comes few weeks after Australia announced that it would become the first country to operate the AIM-260 JATM outside the United States. In August 2026, the Australian government said it is investing almost $736 million to acquire the new missile via foreign military sales (FMS).

The AIM-260 will be first integrated onto Australia’s F/A-18F Super Hornet, followed by the F‑35A Lightning II and EA-18G Growler. The government said “The acquisition of the AIM-260 JATM will provide Air Force platforms with a credible deterrent against airborne targets, complementing existing air-to-air missile capabilities and other surface-based missile capabilities across the Australian Defence Force (ADF).”

AIM-260 on Australian Super Hornet

The photo captured at Naval Base Ventura County Point Mugu shows the F/A-18F Super Hornet, assigned to No. 1 Squadron, flying with a mixed loadout of inert air-to-air weapons. Similarly to the first sighting on a U.S. Navy Super Hornet, the AIM-260 can be seen installed on the weapon station 7, also known as “cheek station,” on the exterior of the air intake.

The loadout also includes a CATM-9X (the inert training variant of the AIM-9X) on the right wingtip, as well as a CATM-120 (the inert training variant of the AIM-120 AMRAAM) on the weapon station 2, the left wing’s outermost pylon. The payload is completed by three external fuel tanks, a Tactical Combat Training System (TCTS) pod on the left wingtip and the AN/ASQ-228 ATFLIR targeting pod on the other cheek station.

Details about the test mission are not available, although there are no reports of live firing activity with the new weapon. The test mission might have involved the captive carry of the JATM in a representative operational scenario.

Gray Flag 2026

Gray Flag, held annually at Naval Base Ventura County Point Mugu, is the naval aviation test community’s premier large-force test event. This year’s edition, which ended on Sept. 25, was the largest to date, according to the Navy, with more than 750 sorties flown.

Gray Flag 2026 was hosted by the Naval Test Wing Pacific and Air Test and Evaluation Squadron (VX) 9, which led test execution with Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division. The latter manages the Gray Flag program and operates the Point Mugu Sea Range, a 36,000-square-mile instrumented range.

“Our range, combined with other test and training ranges around us, gives us the space and instrumentation to test new systems the way the joint force will use them,” said Rear Adm. Keith Hash, NAWCWD commander. “We want to find the problems here, fix them here and make sure what we send to the fleet works when the warfighter needs it.”

The service said the two-week event drew more than 3,000 participants from more than 150 organizations, and crews logged more than 2,000 flight hours covering hundreds of multi-domain test objectives for the fleet and joint force. U.S. Navy and Air Force test teams were joined by the Royal Australian Air Force, Royal Canadian Air Force and Royal Air Force.

“We leave much more informed with respect to future capabilities that enable Australia to shape our requirements for future projects and future platform upgrades that increase our lethality and survivability,” said RAAF Wing Commander Trent Baldry, commanding officer of No. 1 Squadron.

AIM-260 JATM

The existence of the AIM-260 Joint Advanced Tactical Missile was first revealed in 2019 by the Air Force, who is jointly developing the missile with the Navy. However, it was also revealed that the program had been ongoing for more than two years in 2019, meaning the program might have started in 2017 or earlier.

The AIM-260 is intended to serve as the primary long-range air-to-air weapon of both the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy in the coming years, becoming the successor to the AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM). The latter will continue to be developed, complementing the AIM-260.

The new missile will be compatible with the AMRAAM (Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile) dimensions, but with greater range, and is planned to be carried in the F-22 weapons bay and on the F/A-18 at first, with the F-35 to follow. The AIM-260 is also expected to be integrated on the U.S. Air Force’s upcoming unmanned Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA).

The missile is being developed and produced by Lockheed Martin. When the weapon was first unveiled, reports mentioned that AIM-260 production would overtake AIM-120 production by 2026, however, with the program’s details being highly classified and the recent boosts in the AMRAAM’s production, it is unclear if this goal still stands.

Initially, it was said the AIM-260 was also meant to counter the threat posed by the Chinese PL-15 and PL-17 missiles. The military in fact said the goal was to avoid foreign threats being able to outrange the AIM-120.

The project is an advanced state, with official saying in 2019 that flight tests would start in 2021 and Initial Operational Capability was expected in 2022, although the current timeline is unknown. Documents later showed that flight testing of the AIM-260 began as early as 2020.

© U.S. Navy photo by Dana Rene White. edited by The Aviationist

A four-day independent trial by the AFRL’s Munition Open Architecture Test and Evaluation Laboratory assessed 14 weapons-systems domains to verify the compliance of Barracuda-M.

Anduril’s Barracuda-M family of autonomous jet-powered cruise missiles has been certified to be compliant with the U.S. Air Force Weapons Open Systems Architecture (WOSA) standard, the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) announced on Sept. 28, 2026. A four-day assessment at the AFRL’s Munition Open Architecture Test and Evaluation Laboratory (MOATEL) verified 14 weapon-systems domains, says the service.

Anduril said the Barracuda has become the “first weapon system in large-scale production to complete MOATEL’s independent WOSA verification process.” Both AFRL and Anduril identified the following capabilities and components that the MOATEL tested: Mission Autonomy, Seeker, Inertial Measurement Unit, Global Positioning System, Air-Data Sensor, Propulsion, Airframe Control, Target State Estimator, Altimeter Aiding Navigation, Clock, Autopilot, Guidance, Navigation and Munitions Data Bus (MDB).

AFRL described the milestone as an advancement of the government’s new weapons development practice to allow rapid fielding and technological innovation. Anduril says it validates its industrial approach to develop scalable, inexpensive yet effective weapons that trade exquisiteness for simplicity.

The @AFResearchLab verified that Anduril’s Barracuda-M family of cruise missiles meets the @usairforce‘s Weapon Open Systems Architecture standard, a framework intended to help weapons remain adaptable as technology, threats and mission needs change.https://t.co/JBFSyaEXB4 pic.twitter.com/vE0bBDPVFi

— U.S. Air Force Materiel Command (@HQ_AFMC) September 30, 2026

WOSA-compliant Barracuda-500M

The AFRL release quoted Department of the Air Force (DAF) Technology Executive Officer and AFRL commander Brig. Gen. Douglas Wickert, who said WOSA helps “new technology [rapidly progress] into adaptable warfighting capability.”

“By validating that open systems work at scale, we are fundamentally changing how we transition technology and enabling the rapid integration and fielding of new innovations faster than the threat evolves,” Wickert added.   

AFRL project manager and creator of WOSA Jonathan Shaver said “open architecture is only meaningful when it can be independently verified […] instead of accepting vendor self-assessment.” WOSA verification at MOATEL makes “new sciences […] ready for a weapon, showing open architecture can scale beyond prototypes.”

The four-day verification at MOATEL assessing 14 WOSA domains “demonstrated modularity between Anduril’s internal and external MDB implementations, enabling rapid technology refresh of WOSA-compliant software.” Additionally, “it also verified that Anduril’s software architecture met the WOSA requirements for the domains under test,” AFRL added.

The statement explained that “Barracuda-M’s assessment represents a production-scale example of the verification process AFRL will continue to apply as additional weapons programs move through development and production.”

@anduriltech Unveils Barracuda-M Family of Cruise Missiles

The Barracuda family of AAVs consists of Barracuda-100, Barracuda-250, and Barracuda-500. Each increment offers increasing size, range and payload capacity, but all Barracudas are compatible with a host of payloads and… pic.twitter.com/NW1RvpUI6W

— Global Defense Insight (@Defense_Talks) September 12, 2024

Anduril’s vice president of Advanced Effects Pat Morris said the challenge is to actually prove modularity and open architectures in an independent assessment, rather than to “talk about” it. “AFRL and MOATEL’s verification validates one of the fundamental design decisions behind Barracuda: build the weapon around a simple, modular architecture so that programs can integrate new technology without redesigning the entire system,” he explained.

Open Systems Architecture capability and Anduril

Open systems architecture, which allows hardware and software modularity, has become a new cornerstone of the Department of War’s acquisition doctrine, particularly in the Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program, where Anduril is the prime contractor for the FQ-44 Fury.

This approach can prevent vendor lock-in, potentially helping to mitigate cost overruns and acquisition delays while supporting mass producibility and scalability to meet protracted conventional wars, as well as allowing third-party component and software modification to meet various mission needs.

Anduril (@anduriltech) announced a production agreement for Surface-Launched Barracuda-500M with U.S. Department of War (@DeptofWar).

“Under the agreement, Anduril will scale production to deliver a minimum of 1,000 all-up rounds per year, with the first tranche of… pic.twitter.com/V4fNSYiK7c

— Counter Unmanned Systems (@CUAS_NEWS) May 13, 2026

Anduril has long touted a different industrial model than the legacy companies. It favors simple designs, engineering decisions and proven components from existing supply chains for its weapons. These can be produced using non-specialized manufacturing equipment and tooling on reconfigurable factory lines, supporting both weapons modifications and flexible production rates. 

Barracuda family of weapons

Anduril describes the Barracuda family as a series of Autonomous Air Vehicles (AAV) consisting of three variants: the Barracuda-100, Barracuda-250 and Barracuda-500. The ‘M’ suffix represents the kinetic effect variant of the munition.

The company designates the ground-fired version as the Surface Launched Barracuda (SLB). The U.S. Army contracted 3,000 SLB-500Ms in May 2026 for its Program Acquisition Executive FIRES (PAE FIRES) effort. 

Anduril will deliver thousands of air-launched cruise missiles per year under a new 7-year agreement with the @DeptofWar.

This framework establishes a clear pathway to move the pallet-and lug-launched Barracuda-500M from development and prototyping into large-scale production.… https://t.co/H1pa4lW1jE pic.twitter.com/TLyplb9TTt

— Anduril Industries (@anduriltech) July 15, 2026

Anduril puts the air-launched Barracuda-500M’s range at more than 500 nautical miles and claims an approximate speed of 190 to 500 knots. In September 2025, the U.S. Air Force designated the Barracuda-500M as the AGM-189A.

Anduril is also expanding internationally. It has tied up with Brazilian aerospace company Embraer to integrate the Barracuda-500M on the C-390 Millennium for palletized launches.

Additionally, An MoU with Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa S.A. (PGZ) covers the weapon’s localized production in Poland. The agreement concens the surface launched variant of the Barracuda-500M.

Another potential European customer is Latvia. President Edgars Rinkēvičs visited Anduril and posted about his visit on X on September 25.

“It was great to visit Anduril to meet with Palmer Luckey and to witness signing of memoranda of cooperation with MOD of Latvia and Origin Robotics Looking forward to complete acquisition of Barracuda long-range missiles and [Latvian-U.S.] defense industry cooperation,” said Rinkēvičs. The class of Barracuda missile, the number of weapons Latvia aims to buy, the cost and the delivery timeline are not known.

It was great to visit @anduriltech to meet with @PalmerLuckey and to witness signing of memoranda of cooperation with MOD of Latvia and @OriginRobotics. Looking forward to complete acquisition of Baracuda longe range missiles and defense industry cooperation pic.twitter.com/JafnNy5RAe

— Edgars Rinkēvičs (@edgarsrinkevics) September 25, 2026

© Anduril

Belgium is set to deliver its first three F-16AM/BM fighters to Ukraine following a several-year delay, as Kyiv also discusses with Lockheed Martin about adopting the latest variant of the fighter jet.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy announced on Sept. 29, 2026, that Belgium will begin the transfer of its elderly F-16AM/BM Fighting Falcons to Ukraine by the end ‌of the year. The first delivery will see three aircraft sent, with the rest of the 30 promised aircraft being delivered as Belgium equips itself with F-35A Lightning IIs bought directly from the United States. The promised delivery follows a long delay, with the aircraft originally pledged in May 2024 to be delivered towards the end of the year and up until 2028.

Unlike the Dutch and Norwegian F-16 deliveries, these transfers were held up by the slow roll out of Belgium’s F-35s, as the country was not willing to part with its combat aircraft until it had at least some replacements in service. To this date, only seven F-35s have been delivered to Belgium, of which three aircraft were delivered on Sept. 24. 

Making the announcement, President Zelenskyy emphasised the importance of the deliveries of new kit to Ukraine to combat the Russian threat, with the expedited delivery of “F-16 ammunition from Belgium and other countries, including Spain” being instrumental to Ukraine’s air defence.

These deliveries likely included a number of AIM-120 AMRAAM, AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missiles and cannon rounds which are instrumental in the Ukrainian Air Force’s (UkrAF) defensive counter air campaign, shooting down large numbers of Russian drones and cruise missiles. The F-16s have also recently been augmented with the supply of the Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS) guided rockets, which allow Ukrainian fighters to shoot down Russian drones at a far cheaper cost than the use of a normal missile.

There is an important agreement with Belgium on the transfer of three F-16 fighter jets by the end of this year. We will work to receive these aircraft through an accelerated procedure. We have already received urgent deliveries of F-16 ammunition from Belgium and other…

— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) September 29, 2026

On this point, during a meeting with Lockheed Martin representatives to discuss Ukraine’s future fighter capabilities, the Commander of the Ukrainian Air Force, Lieutenant General Anatolii Kryvonozhko, announced that F-16 pilots have shot down “over 3,150 enemy aerial targets which include 666 cruise missiles and an estimated 2,500 drones of various types.”

The F-16 is a potent counter cruise missile and drone platform, having the speed to chase them down and destroy them before they impact civilian areas. The F-16 has also been an effective close air support platform, conducting “650 airstrikes” against the ground forces of the Russian Federation.

The principle air-to-ground munitions employed by Ukrainian F-16s appear to be the GBU-39 Small Diameter Bombs (SDB). A single jet can carry up to eight of the 250 lb munitions without having to renounce to drop tanks and air-to-air munitions.

Ukraine also employs several variants of the Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM). This weapon comes in a number of different weight classes, with 500 lb and 1000 lb variants seen in use in Ukraine, and can be equipped with a glide kit or a rocket kit to extend the range, however they have not yet been photographed on Ukrainian F-16s.

Ukrainian F-16 pilots have shot down over 3,150 enemy aerial targets, including 666 cruise missiles and about 2,500 drones of various types, and have also carried out more than 650 airstrikes against enemy ground targets. This was reported by the Commander of the Ukrainian Air… pic.twitter.com/A9136JeJkF

— MilitaryNewsUA (@front_ukrainian) September 29, 2026

The F-16s and their Ukrainian pilots have proven themselves to be extremely effective since their introduction with the aircraft, now forming the bedrock of the current and future Ukrainian fighter force. However, the models delivered were all original A and B variant F-16s that were built in the 1970s and 1980s, making them similar in age to their former ex-Soviet fleet of aircraft.

These fighters did receive a midlife update to extend their service lives and to give them more advanced air-to-air and air-to-ground capabilities. However, they are reaching the end of their useful service lives due to airframe fatigue and they are facing increasing maintenance demands after intensive use in the Russo-Ukrainian War.

It was reported by the Wall Street Journal that maintenance of these aircraft is fast becoming an issue with an unnamed source stating that “more than half of Ukraine’s F-16s are currently in maintenance limbo” and that “Kyiv will exhaust the rest by the end of the year.” This is a worrying development if confirmed, as the F-16 is essential for Ukraine’s continued defence of its skies.

Reportedly, this is due to delays at Sabena Aerospace Engineering, a Belgian company that is responsible for the long term maintenance of the F-16s used by Ukraine. Retired U.S. Navy Rear Adm. Mark Montgomery stated that the aircraft need to undergo regular phase inspections every 300 hours, which should take weeks. However, in Belgium it’s “taking as long as 40 weeks,” delaying maintenance and leaving aircraft unable to fly.

More than half of Ukraine’s F-16 fighter jets are currently not operational due to maintenance delays in Belgium – WSJ

A significant number of the fighter jets remain grounded due to a lack of spare parts and the need for more frequent repairs following intensive use.

Given the… pic.twitter.com/9tWkGDSb8F

— Jürgen Nauditt (@jurgen_nauditt) September 30, 2026

Details on this issue are scarce, but they paint a worrying picture for the UkrAF which has already undergone years of degradation due to the war. It is hoped that the integration of further aircraft into the force would alleviate some of these maintenance issues, allowing for a large pool of spare aircraft, and the possible maintenance of the jets in Ukraine itself.

The importance of the F-16 to Ukraine’s current and future air force needs is likely what led to the meeting between Ukrainian representatives and Lockheed Martin to explore the possibility of supplying Ukraine with the far more advanced F-16 Block 70/72, which uses capabilities derived from the F-22 and F-35 programmes. The introduction of newer jets could ease the maintenance burden as these aircraft would be fresh and infinitely more capable than their forefathers.

Conor McGuire, Lockheed’s F-16 capability development lead, praised the work of Ukrainian pilots and ground crews and expressed his intention to help improve the aircraft Ukraine already operates. Whether this could be through further upgrades to the F-16AM/BM fleet or in the provision of further maintenance infrastructure is currently speculation.

Ukraine’s Ex-Soviet Force

Ukraine started the war with a mixed fleet of ex-Soviet aircraft which were already ageing out at the start of the conflict.

Its mainstay air-to-air fighters in 2022 consisted of a force of around 70 MiG-29 Fulcrums and 34 Su-27 Flanker jet fighters, which bore a significant brunt of the early air war. When the Ukrainian ground based air defences had to be displaced during the opening days, it was up to these aircraft and their pilots to absorb the might of Russia’s air power.

The MiG-29 and Su-27 fleets suffered several losses during those opening days, but they managed to stem the Russian tide long enough for the ground based air defences to secure the skies over Ukraine. Since then, these fleets have been upgraded to employ western missiles and bombs, including the AGM-88 High Speed Anti-Radiation Missile (HARM), which is used to suppress Russia’s air defence systems, as well as the 1,000 lb GBU-62 JDAM-ER and the 500 lb GBU-39B Small Diameter Bomb precision glide bombs.

Their primary role however remained air defence, with these aircraft maintaining the defensive counter air mission against missiles and drones until the introduction of the F-16. The actions of the 40th Tactical Aviation Brigade, who flew MiG-29s over Kyiv during the early days of the war, birthed the legend of the ‘Ghost of Kyiv’, the name of which was later awarded to them in 2024 via presidential decree.

There have been a number of attrition replacements for Ukraine’s MiG-29 fleet, including 13 from Slovakia, 14 from Poland, along with a number of spare parts that allowed Ukraine to reactivate some of its stored fighters as well as three that Azerbaijan had in Ukraine for maintenance. However, losses have been heavy, with 39 aircraft visually confirmed damaged or destroyed, leaving the MiG-29 fleet significantly depleted over time.

The Su-27 has not received any attrition replacements, with 20 confirmed lost over the course of the fighting. This included the tragic loss of Colonel Oleksandr Oksanchenko ‘The Grey Wolf’, Ukraine’s principal Su-27 display pilot, who was killed in combat on Feb. 25, 2022. His loss was sorely felt in the air show community, with the Royal International Air Tattoo dedicating a memorial to him at the show that same year.

Ukraine’s primary air-to-ground aircraft at the war’s start were the 14 or so Su-24 Fencer and the 30 odd Su-25 Frogfoots which have also played key parts in the war to date. The Fencer fleet was essential early in the war to provide close air support and interdiction against Russian forces that landed at the Hostomel airport in 2022.

Their attack here helped to block the runway that the Russian paratroopers of the VDV were going to use to bring in reinforcements by air, which gave the Ukrainian units of the National Guard the time to counter attack and contain the Russian landing. The actions here prevented the loss of Kyiv and allowed the country to stay in the fight for the long term.

The Su-24 was also the aircraft chosen to carry the British, French and Italian donated Storm Shadow and SCALP-EG air launched cruise missiles (ALCMs), which have proven devastating against Russian supply depots, bridges and naval forces. Parts from the Panavia Tornado were bolted on to the airframe to allow for the missile to be integrated, allowing it to carry the weapon into combat.

Due to this mission set, losses have been lighter than during the early war, as the Storm Shadow has a long stand-off launch distance, enabling the Su-24 to stay out of Russia’s air defences. However, the fleet has still lost 22 airframes in total, along with many of their pilots.

Keen eyed observers will see that losses for the Su-24 are higher than their initial fleet total. This is thanks to the maintainers and engineers who were able to bring back a significant number of aircraft from storage, giving them a new lease of life to fight the invasion.

Rare footage of the release of French guided aerial bombs AASM Hammer from the board of a Ukrainian Su-25 attack aircraft. pic.twitter.com/J7lFfzA0dr

— MilitaryNewsUA (@front_ukrainian) April 11, 2026

Likewise, the Su-25 has been Ukraine’s primary close air support weapon, delivering volleys of unguided rockets at long distance early in the war due to heavy losses. The supply of Soviet munitions dwindled over time due to a lack of resupply, and so the Su-25 took more of a backseat to the MiG-29 in the ground attack role.

However, the fleet was significantly augmented with deliveries of French AASM Hammer bombs which gave the Frogfoot the stand off distance it needed to get back into the fight. Losses have still been unfortunately high, with 22 aircraft lost over the last five years of war, significantly degrading the fleet.

The ex-Soviet force of fighter planes and their pilots have soldiered on far longer than anyone had expected them to when the war started in 2022. However, it is the assistance of NATO and Ukraine’s Western allies that will enable the UkrAF to develop into the future.

The Future Fighter Fleet

The first F-16s entered Ukrainian airspace in August 2024, following extensive training programs abroad in multiple European partner nations as well as the United States. Jointly,they set up the European F-16 Training Center (EFTC) at the 86th Air Base in Fetești, Romania, which serves to train Ukrainian and Romanian pilots on the platform.

With this and several other training programmes in place, F-16AM/BM aircraft were then donated by Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, and soon to be Belgium, to sustain the UkrAF. According to retired USAF pilot Lt. Gen. David Deptula, Ukraine’s F-16s now fly “80 percent” of all Ukrainian combat sorties, marking a significant change in the makeup of the overall fighter force. Even with the maintenance problems already discussed above, the F-16, being a Western jet, has more available spares than the ex-Soviet fleet, with the majority of spare parts being controlled by the Russian Federation.

Ukraine currently has an estimated 39 F-16s in service, so far having lost five to attrition over the last few years, but it is expected to raise to a maximum of 80 aircraft once deliveries from Denmark and Belgium are completed. At that point, the F-16 will be the most numerous fighter in Ukrainian service.

Tragically, Ukrainian MiG-29 pilot Captain Andrii Pilshchykov ‘Juice’, who played a key role in advocating for the delivery of F-16s to Ukraine, was killed in a training exercise in August 2023.

Following his initial wartime service, he spent months giving interviews to Western media and even traveled to the U.S. to meet and convince American lawmakers to enable the donation of the fighters to Ukraine. He was very much the public face of the campaign to see Ukrainian pilots in F-16s and their current impact on the war is in no small part due to his efforts.

A message from ‘Juice’ — the Ukrainian MiG-29 pilot I interviewed a few weeks ago.

Story: https://t.co/t4fRmqaQXI https://t.co/zOpPzN2cYI

— Nolan Peterson (@nolanwpeterson) April 16, 2022

Alongside the F-16, Ukraine has also received six Mirage 2000-5 fighter jets from France, with one lost to attrition quite soon after their initial delivery. These aircraft also allow for the employment of SCALP-EG ALCMs, taking some of the strain off the dwindling Su-24 force. It is expected that France will send more to Ukraine as it retires its current fleet, with between 12 and 20 aircraft expected to be delivered over the coming years.

This fleet acts more as an interim option before 16 Dassault Rafales can be delivered to the country, following an announcement made by French President Macron in July this year. The first four aircraft will be delivered following completion of their pilots training which is starting this year.

It is still unknown if these will be new build fighters, or more likely aircraft from existing French stocks, though they are part of a purchase that aims to see 100 Rafales in Ukrainian colours. Unlike the donated Mirages, these aircraft are paid for by the Ukraine Support Loan and will give the Ukrainians a new advantage over their Russian opponent with the introduction of the Meteor missile to the battlefield.

The Rafale will be the premier fighter of the future UkrAF, but it will not be alone. Up to 16 Gripen C/Ds are expected to be donated to Ukraine in early 2027, coming directly from the Swedish Air Force. These aircraft will then be joined by a further 20 Gripen E/F fighters, which have a capability comparable to the Rafale but with a significantly improved rough strip performance.

Sweden will donate 16 Gripen C/D fighters to Ukraine, with deliveries starting early next year.

Ukraine will additionally purchase 20x Gripen E fighters, with deliveries starting in 2030. Sweden will additionally provide maintenance and training support. pic.twitter.com/y748IDg1Bq

— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) May 28, 2026

The final tally of expected aircraft will be around 150 aircraft, rising to around 300 if Ukraine’s aspirational orders of 100 Rafales and 100 Gripen Es come to fruition. Either way, the added aircraft more than make up for the losses in material incurred so far during the war and will give Ukraine an advantage over Russia in the air for the very first time.

It is still a long road until Ukraine receives all its fighters, and the logistical nightmare that such a diverse fleet represents will be a tough manage for a force already operating six types of frontline aircraft.

The F-16 Block 70/72

Given the progress made in F-16 training, UkrAF performance and the logistical challenges that introducing a new aircraft into service becomes, Ukraine is also exploring a possible pivot to newer block models of the aircraft. The F-16 training centre is a long term investment that could be greatly improved upon with the acquisition of 4.5 generation F-16s, which have capabilities similar to Gripen and Rafale, but in a package that Ukraine is already using en masse.

Finally, after years of delay, the first of the 66 new F-16V Block 70s for the Taiwanese Air Force has been delivered. Packing an AESA radar, modern avionics, and a much nastier electronic warfare suite, this latest Viper is a very different beast from the F-16 that first took to… pic.twitter.com/zcXHlmydzT

— Air Power (@RealAirPower1) August 29, 2026

The F-16 Block 70/72, or F-16V in the case of existing aircraft upgraded to the new standard, is the most modern variant of the aircraft, representing both new builds directly from Lockheed Martin as well as upgrade packages for older aircraft. The variant uses an advanced APG-83 AESA radar, a massive improvement over the older mechanically scanned arrays that Ukraine currently uses, having better range, better electronic warfare capabilities and better data links. The radar leverages hardware and software commonality with F-22 and F-35 AESA radars, giving it some of the benefits of a 5th generation aircraft.

The aircraft utilises a modernized cockpit to allow for better systems integration, and vastly improved avionics. Some versions come with conformal fuel tanks to improve the aircraft’s baseline range, which could drastically improve the survivability of the aircraft on the ground, operating further away from the front.

These capabilities could be added onto existing F-16s through a modification programme similar to that undergone by Taiwan’s F-16 force, but it would require significant assistance from the United States. Relations between Ukraine and the U.S. are at a warmer point than they were the previous year, with Ukraine having reached an agreement with U.S. President Donald Trump for the production of the missiles used in Patriot air defence systems.

The Block 70/72 variants would be a significant boon to the UkrAF, but only time will tell if the force is able to acquire them.

© Ukrainian Air Force

The new award is a step towards the Air Force’s planned fleet of 267 F-15EXs, replacing the aging F-15C/D Eagle and also beginning the recapitalization of the F-15E Strike Eagle fleet.

The U.S. Air Force awarded Boeing Defense on Sept. 29, 2026, a new contract for 22 F-15EX fighters as part of Lot 7, worth $2.38 billion, which will bring the total number of jets under contract to 120 units. The Air Force had originally planned a fleet of 129 jets but increased the planned size to 267 aircraft in April 2026.

As The Aviationist had reported, the larger acquisition will allow the service to begin the recapitalization of the aging F-15E Strike Eagle fleet, in addition to replacing the F-15C/D Eagle which the F-15EX was originally meant to supplant. The award of the new contract also comes on the same day Boeing was chosen by the Navy for its F/A-XX next-generation fighter jet, after being selected last year for the Air Force’s F-47 NGAD.

Air and Space Forces Magazine, considering the $2.38 billion contract value disclosed by Boeing, estimated an average cost per airframe of $108 million. This value does not include the GE Aerospace F110-GE-129 engines, which the Air Force will purchase separately. 

Boeing, for its part, said that it is currently delivering Lot 3 aircraft, and will continue for the remainder of this year. The deliveries of the Lot 3 started earlier this month with the delivery of the EX-22. The company also added that it is working with the Department of War (DoW) and the U.S. Air Force to hike F-15EX production to two aircraft a month.

EXciting progress for F-15EX!

We’ve delivered the 22nd F-15EX to the @usairforce. The aircraft will be the first F-15EX destined for @KadenaAirBase in Japan. pic.twitter.com/RlrTKuCCFl

— Boeing Defense (@BoeingDefense) September 3, 2026

The DoW also awarded on Sept. 29 another F-15EX-related contract to the Wisconsin-based Astronautics Corp. of America for the fighter’s engine fuel hydraulic display depot activation. The $10 million sole-source acquisition contract covers the “knowledge, skills and operational resources to independently perform depot-level repair of F-15EX engine fuel hydraulics display.” Work will be performed at Oak Creek, Wisconsin, and is expected to be completed by October 2029.  

F-15EX Lot 7 contract

Air & Space Forces Magazine also reported that the Sept. 29 contract came just before a deadline for using funds allocated through last year’s $2.8 billion ‘One Big Beautiful Act’ reconciliation package and the $115 million in the FY 2026 budget. The Trump administration’s 2025 reconciliation bill mandated a reduction of the allotted funds by 8.3% if they were not spent by Oct. 1, creating pressure to award the contract to Boeing before the fiscal year ended on Sept. 30.

The press release by the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center (AFLCMC) reflected the urgency in closing the deal with Boeing:

“Through focused, complex negotiations, the F-15 Program Office and Boeing reached an agreement that maintains the procurement of all 22 Lot 7 aircraft within available funding […] This award followed extensive collaboration among program management, contracting, pricing, engineering, financial management, logistics and other acquisition professionals. The team assessed the impacts of changing production conditions and inflation, aligned the aircraft procurement with available funding, and completed the action before the fiscal-year deadline.”

Portfolio Acquisition Executive for the Fighters and Advanced Aircraft Directorate Brig. Gen. Timothy Helfrich described the Lot 7 contract as a disciplined approach that balanced available resources and industrial capacity. “The team remained focused on affordability, production continuity and delivering the aircraft needed to modernize the U.S. Air Force’s fighter fleet for the threats we face today and into the future,” Helfrich said in the release. 

The release noted functional areas such as senior-level decisions, cost, schedule, and aircraft quantity that the team carefully accounted for before awarding the contract to Boeing. 

“The Lot 7 award demonstrates what is possible when the acquisition enterprise moves with purpose, remains accountable to the taxpayer and stays focused on delivering capability to the warfighter,” said Col. Jonathan Varoli, System Program Manager of the directorate’s F-15 Program Office. “This effort brought together the right expertise, at the right time, to achieve an outcome that strengthens the F-15EX program and supports the future fighter force.”

Flying high for 5⃣!

Five years ago, the first #F15EX test jet flew. Since then, F-15EX has really taken off, completing hundreds of test flights and achieving several milestones — including Initial Operational Capability. Now, we’re delivering over 100 jets to the @USAirForce. pic.twitter.com/qwz6yEulL1

— Boeing Defense (@BoeingDefense) February 2, 2026

F-15EX 

The F-15EX is the modern evolution of the twin-engine heavyweight multirole jet, featuring advanced avionics, large-area displays, digital backbone architecture and enhanced survivability capabilities. “It is intended to replace aging F-15C and F-15D aircraft while providing a platform for continued modernization as operational requirements evolve,” the Air Force said. 

One of its defining features is the AN/ALQ-250 Eagle Passive Active Warning Survivability System (EPAWSS), an electronic warfare suite that provides integrated radar warning, threat detection and advanced jamming and countermeasure capabilities.

Thanks to its capabilities, the F-15EX is also being introduced in the Indo-Pacific, with Kadena Air Base in Japan, home to the Air Force’s 18th Wing, selected as its first permanent overseas operating location.

© U.S. Air National Guard photo by Master Sgt. Steph Sawyer

Flying the Line

Jay Lacklen is a retired Air Force reserve pilot with 12,000 military flying hours. He grew up in Arlington, VA, and graduated from the University of North Carolina-Chapel in 1969. He entered service in 1970 and retired in 2004 as a Lt Col with 12,500 flying hours. Lacklen taught Air Force T-1 pilot training simulators at Columbus AFB, Mississippi from 2005-2014. He grew up in Arlington, VA and graduated from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill in 1969. In addition to pilot training aircraft, he flew 330 hours in the C-7 Caribou, 2000 hours in the B-52 bomber, and 9,500 hours in the C-5 Galaxy transport.

He flew in all major military actions from Vietnam to the Iraq War. Lacklen lives in northern Virginia and is married with four adult daughters and two granddaughters.

Lacklen is also the author of three books, Flying the Line: An Air Force Pilot’s Journey, Flying the Line: An Air Force Pilot’s Journey Volume Two: Military Airlift Command and Flying the Line: An Air Force Pilot’s Journey Volume Three: Air Mobility Command. The following story comes the last book of the trilogy.

C-7 Caribou landing on Austere Field Over Hilltop

“Caribou Ops, 1971

The Central Highlands could present challenges. The often austere fields lay between ridge lines or, in one case, sat on a planed-off hilltop that sloped away in all directions.

I once watched my aircraft commander make three attempts to land on one. The steeply sloping terrain made judging the landing difficult. All normal visual cues told the brain you were still far above the field, and yet, suddenly there it was, immediately below you, leaving the plane too high to land. Finally, on the third frustrating try, the pilot, although still too high, decided to put it down anyway. I couldn’t believe he would try it, but I had no control over the situation except, perhaps, to scream.

The pilot dove the aircraft at the 1,500-foot runway, then yanked back hard on the yoke just above it. Unfortunately, the dive had increased our airspeed, so the plane floated, possibly catastrophically, down the short runway.

Metal runway

We touched down with about seven hundred feet remaining on the slippery PSP metal runway before the terrain dropped steeply into the jungle. The pilot slammed on the brakes and yanked the engines into reverse. The plane skidded and rotated slowly sideways as the reversed props threw up a huge dust cloud that enveloped us. Even though I couldn’t see the precipice through the dust, I knew it was approaching and we’d be lucky not to roll off the end and down the steep slope.

We stopped, blessedly, on level ground. The pilot took the throttles out of reverse, and the dust cloud slowly dissipated as we both sat gasping and speechless. Looking forward, I could not see level ground, only the jungle a hundred feet below. We had stopped with just enough runway overrun remaining to turn sharply to taxi back to the cargo ramp area. Another five feet and we’d have been bouncing down the slope into the jungle, and infamy.”

Photo credit: U.S. Air Force

B-36 Peacemaker survived to five cancellation attempts

The B-36 was first conceived in 1941 as a transatlantic bomber to strike Europe from bases in the US. By 1943, the focus switched from the European Theater to the Pacific for use against the Japanese home islands. After more design changes and greater success of the B-29s, the prototype XB-36s first flight was delayed until Aug. 8, 1946; nearly six years after initial design contracts were signed.

When production ended in August 1954, more than 380 B-36s had been built for the US Air Force. In 1958-1959, the USAF replaced the B-36 with the B-52. Although never used in combat, the B-36 was a major deterrent to enemy aggression.

As explained by Meyers K. Jacobsen in his book Convair B-36: A Comprehensive History of America’s “Big Stick”, it is interesting to note that the B-36 program might have been canceled at least five times during the big bomber’s career. It is a testament to the plane itself that it did manage to survive during a difficult transitional period in Air Force history.

First possible cancellation:

The letter of intent, dated Jul. 23, 1943, from the Army Air Forces to Convair, was superseded a year later by a definitive contract for 100 B-36 airplanes. This $160 million contract included a $6 million fixed fee, and the cost of all spare parts and engineering data. However, the contract had no priority by that time, but delivery schedules remained the same, with the first B-36 off the production due in August 1945 and the last in October 1946.

With victory in sight, war contracts were being scrutinized for cancellation, or drastic cutback. Aircraft production was actually cut by 30% on May 25, 1945, a reduction of 17,000 planes. As far as the B-36 was concerned, there was no question that a long range bomber was needed. In 1945; the B-36 seemed the best answer, so, on Aug. 6, 1945, General Arnold approved the Air Staff recommendation to keep the B-36 production contract intact.

Second possible cancellation:

On Dec. 12, 1946, General Kenney, who had been promoted to four star general in March 1945, and had headed SAC since April 1946, suggested reducing the procurement contract for the 100 B-36s to just a few service-test aircraft. After studying available performance estimates on the B-36, the SAC commander believed it to be inferior to the forthcoming B-50, an advanced B-29 design. Among the shortcomings of the B-36 cited by General Kenney, were a useful range of only 6,500 miles, insufficient speed, and lack of protection for the bomber’s fuel load.

Neither the Air Staff or Lt. General Nathan F. Twining, AMC commanding general, agreed. General Twining said that the B-36 should not be judged solely from the XB-36, which had just started its flight testing. He added, all new airplanes encounter teething problems, including the B-17 and B-29. Moreover, the B-36 was the only suitable aircraft far enough along to serve as an interim long range atomic bomb carrier until the B-52 arrived. General Carl Spaatz, the AAF’s new commander, wholly agreed with General Twining. The B-36 contract was retained in full.

Third possible cancellation:

The new Air Force Aircraft and Weapons Board, formed by new Deputy Chief of the Air Staff General Hoyt S. Vandenberg, met on Aug. 19, 1947, and discussed the future role of strategic bombing, and the means of accomplishing such missions, if so needed. The senior officers were to recommend the weapons that best supported the long range plans for the Air Force’s development and gradual buildup to 70 groups.

The board members differed on how to solve these complex problems. Some considered the B-36 already obsolete and favored buying fast jet bombers—a gamble, since these would have insufficient range and would not be available for years. Others wanted to increase the B-36’s speed with the new proposed VDT engine, using the plane as an all-purpose bomber. Still others preferred the B-50, because it was faster than the present B-36 and could also obtain greater range and speed with the addition of VDT engines.

However, after prolonged discussion, a consensus emerged to retain the B-36 as a special purpose bomber, which would eventually be replaced by the B-52 (1953 at the earliest). The B-36 program avoided cancellation once again.

Fourth possible cancellation:

When it became obvious that a faster B-36 (designated B-36C, equipped with VDT engines) could not be obtained, the Air Force once more thought of cancelling the entire B-36 program. Yet, various factors had to be considered. Twenty-two of the basic and relatively slow B-36As were nearly completed by spring 1948. A great deal of money had already been spent on the controversial program. Therefore, the Air Force decided to postpone any decisions. It instructed Air Materiel Command to waive the modification of several shop-completed B-36As that had been awaiting adjustments, and to expedite their delivery. This would allow Convair to speed up the aircraft’s flight test program. Also, new yardsticks, the VR diagrams, were to be used to measure the B-36’s real performance against other bombers under similar conditions.

Test results, though not spectacular, favored the B-36. It seemed that the B-36, so maligned, might turn out to be a better airplane than had been expected. If so, any hasty reduction of the production contract might wreck the program, just as it was beginning to pay off. The beginning of the Russian blockade of West Berlin on Jun. 18, 1948, spared the Air Force’s indecision. USAF officials, deeply concerned by the Soviets’ aggression, unanimously agreed to stay with the B-36. The proposed 34 VDT-equipped B-36Cs would revert to the B-36B configuration, assuring the Air Force of getting 95 of the 100 B-36s under contract since June 1943. The B-36 was saved from cancellation another time.

Curtailment of the defense budget

Curtailment of the defense budget in 1949 brought interservice disagreements to a boil. The Air Force and the Navy had long recognized that whichever service possessed the atomic mission would eventually receive a larger share of the budget. Thus, they had grown more and more wary of each other’s strategic programs. Meanwhile, the B-36, the Air Force’s atomic carrier, had been the target of much criticism, even though few people had even seen it, let alone flown in it.

In early 1949, the B-36’s future was highly questionable. An anonymous document began making the rounds in the press, congressional, and aircraft industry circles charging that corruption had entered into the B-36’s selection, and that the aircraft’s performance did not live up to Air Force claims. In August, a second unsigned paper accused the Air Force of having greatly exaggerated the importance of strategic air warfare. The charges of corruption and favoritism were investigated by the Armed Services Committee of the House of Representatives, and were quickly proven false. On Aug. 25, 1949, the investigation closed, after clearing the Air Force and Convair.

Fifth possible cancellation:

However, hearings on the B-36 resumed in October. Briefly stated, the committee had to decide, at least for the time being, whether the nation should rely on massive retaliation with intercontinental bombers in case of attack, or depend upon the Navy’s fleet and air arm, to defend the North American continent. Even though there were doubts about the B-36’s ability to evade enemy fighters, the Air Force emerged triumphantly from the October hearings.

This direct challenge to the B-36, done in a very public national debate, resulted in the bomber being vindicated. The B-36 program was retained and AF avoided cancellation for the fifth time.

Convair B-36: A Comprehensive History of America’s “Big Stick” is published by Schiffer Publishing and is available to order here.

Photo credit: U.S. Air Force

Flying the Line

Jay Lacklen is a retired Air Force reserve pilot with 12,000 military flying hours. He grew up in Arlington, VA, and graduated from the University of North Carolina-Chapel in 1969. He entered service in 1970 and retired in 2004 as a Lt Col with 12,500 flying hours. Lacklen taught Air Force T-1 pilot training simulators at Columbus AFB, Mississippi from 2005-2014. He grew up in Arlington, VA and graduated from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill in 1969. In addition to pilot training aircraft, he flew 330 hours in the C-7 Caribou, 2000 hours in the B-52 bomber, and 9,500 hours in the C-5 Galaxy transport.

He flew in all major military actions from Vietnam to the Iraq War. Lacklen lives in northern Virginia and is married with four adult daughters and two granddaughters.

Lacklen is also the author of three books, Flying the Line: An Air Force Pilot’s Journey, Flying the Line: An Air Force Pilot’s Journey Volume Two: Military Airlift Command and Flying the Line: An Air Force Pilot’s Journey Volume Three: Air Mobility Command. The following story comes the last book of the trilogy.

B-52 Arc Light mission

At the end of May, the B-52 Arc Light mission ended as the final three-ship cell, with our crew in the lead, departed U-Tapao. For many years, SAC crew members had joked about “putting out the Arc Light for good,” and here we were about to do just that. I had only flown two actual Arc Light bombing missions in 1973, and the rest of the crew had flown none, but we got to put out the “Light” for the thousands of crewmen who had flown the tens of thousands of hours over the previous ten years. They had done the heavy lifting; we had done little for the time we were at U-Tapao, but we got to take it home for good.

We would fly in cell formation until we reached the coast of California, then “two” and “three” would leave the formation to land at March AFB, CA, and we would continue on as a single ship to Carswell AFB, TX, a sixteen-hour mission.

Indignity

We had an indignity to suffer before takeoff, however. The staff told us to report an hour early so we could string up a room full of rattan furniture in the bomb bay to deliver to the deputy commander for operations at Carswell. This did not sit well. We faced a tortuously long mission without any extra duties, and this was an absolutely unnecessary task. No doubt one of the commanders at U-Tapao garnered a significant kudo for shipping the colonel’s furniture for free, but we were the ones providing the service. We hoped to be required to cycle the bomb bay doors en route over the Pacific, one final rattan bomb run.

(On a similar mission during Gulf War 1 in 1990, I had to personally deliver two live lobsters sent by General Colin Powell from Massachusetts to General Norman Schwarzkopf in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Getting them there alive was my assigned mission. I await my grandkids asking what I did during the war. Why, I babysat two lobsters!)

When the time came, the three B-52s sat behind the runway hold line awaiting permission for the final B-52 takeoff from U-Tapao. Then tower cleared us for takeoff. On interplane frequency, I said, “OK, guys, let’s take our Buffs and go home,” and with that we took off. As we climbed out the Gulf of Siam, U-Tapao fell silent for the first time in a decade and would largely remain that way.

Interesting things

At cruise over the Philippine Sea at 42,000 feet, two interesting things happened. First, a jet contrail passed over us. This was unusual because we were already at our max altitude over eight miles high, and the other contrail was so far above us I couldn’t see the aircraft. I decided it must be a U-2 or SR-71 spy plane because I didn’t expect to encounter any aircraft higher than we were, much less so far above us I would be unable to see it.

Next, a U.S. Navy ship broadcast on guard channel asking if any American military aircraft were in the area. We answered that we were, and he asked if we could go “cipher” mode, or the scrambled, secret mode on one of our radios. The ship said they had an unknown target apparently shadow them and asked if we could drop down and take a look. I said I’d have to get permission to do so because I couldn’t make my destination if I used the extra gas to chase a shadow.

Shortly thereafter, the ship said they had resolved the issue and we wouldn’t be needed. I thought, briefly, we might find an excuse to cycle the bomb bay doors to rain rattan on the mysterious shadow, but it was not to be. The Carswell colonel would get his damn furniture. As the final indignity, neither colonel met us at either end to thank us for our efforts.

Photo credit: U.S. Navy

NASA to bring back to fly SR-71 Blackbird?

27 years after it was retired, one of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) SR-71 Blackbird reconnaissance aircraft may soon fly again.

Several former engineers who worked on the Mach 3+ Spy Plane were contacted by NASA as the agency is looking for their help with a possible return-to-flight project.

Former US Air Force (USAF) and NASA test engineer Mike Relja was reached out by David Ash, a former US Navy and Joby test pilot, to help with the effort. Now in his late 70s, Relja was surprised when NASA contacted him about the project he told Aviation Week.

“I told the guy, ‘You know, I’m too old to be doing this. I wish you well. I’d like to see you make it. It would be interesting. But I just don’t think you can get there from here,” Relja explained.

SR-71A Tail No. 844 is the Blackbird at the centre of the effort. Since her last flight, the HABU (as the SR-71 is dubbed by her aircrews) has been sitting on display at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base (AFB), California.

Aviation Week obtained commercial satellite images that showed that the spy plane was removed from its display pole sometime before April this year. The Blackbird was moved into the hangar that was once used for the Space Shuttle by NASA employees.

A NASA spokesperson told Aviation Week that the agency recognizes “the interest in the SR-71 and its remarkable history at NASA but have no additional information to share regarding the aircraft at this time.”

A new fleet of experimental X-planes

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman spoke about NASA plans to build a new fleet of experimental X-planes at the All-In Summit in Los Angeles earlier in September where Isaacman showed an image of a new aircraft. As the image below shows, the new plane seemed to feature something in common with the Blackbird such as its tail design, engine areas and cockpit. Isaacman added that NASA would soon be flying as high and as fast as it had in the past, and then go beyond those limits.

Tail No. 844 has not flown for nearly 27 years and it would be difficult to operate since it could have water and sand inside it after spending so many years on display, Relja explained.

“I do know they’ve got people working on it. But again, without equipment, it’s beyond me what they’re doing,” he pointed out.

He also explained that even though the aircraft has two J58 engines and one spare engine under it, the J58 may not have been properly maintained or rotated for decades.

“When we were operational, if we had a spare engine, every 90 days we had to rotate the engine. Every 180 days, we had to run it to keep it as a ready spare. Now you’re talking about engines that have been sitting for 30-plus years,” Relja explained.

Problems

Moreover, in 2007 the USAF and NASA destroyed around $600 million worth of SR-71 spare parts so the supply of spare parts is another big problem. JP-7 fuel (a special type of fuel used only by the SR-71) would also be needed.

Besides these, the aircraft also needs triethylborane (TEB, a chemical used to start its engines) special engine oil and hydraulic fluids. Special carts were needed for several jobs Relja pointed out. “To get the engine out, you need a cart. You need equipment to pull the [engine] spikes, pull the [ejection] seat. All that stuff is gone.”

Nine SR-71s were flown to museums in the US and UK, hence their engines and other parts could be used for the project.

NASA SR-71s

During the 1990s two SR-71 Blackbird aircraft were used by NASA as testbeds for high-speed and high-altitude aeronautical research at Dryden. The aircraft included an SR-71A and SR-71B (the trainer version), loaned to NASA by the US Air Force.

The SR-71, the most advanced member of the Blackbird family that included the A-12 and YF-12, was designed by a team of Lockheed personnel led by Clarence “Kelly” Johnson, then vice president of Lockheed’s Advanced Development Company Projects, commonly known as the “Skunk Works” and now a part of Lockheed Martin Corp.

The Blackbird design originated in secrecy during the late 1950s with the A-12 reconnaissance aircraft that first flew in April 1962 and remained classified until 1976. President Lyndon Johnson publicly announced the existence of the YF-12A interceptor variant on Feb. 29, 1964, more than half a year after its maiden flight. The SR-71 completed its first flight on Dec. 22, 1964. More than a decade after their retirement the Blackbirds remain the world’s fastest and highest-flying production aircraft ever built.

The Blackbirds were designed to cruise at Mach 3.2, just over three times the speed of sound or more than 2,200 miles per hour and at altitudes up to 85,000 feet. The extreme operating environment in which they flew made the aircraft excellent platforms for conducting research and experiments in a variety of disciplines: aerodynamics, propulsion, structures, thermal protection materials, high-speed and high-temperature instrumentation, atmospheric studies, and sonic boom characterization.

SR-71 activities at Dryden were part of NASA’s overall high-speed aeronautical research program and involved other NASA research Centers, other government agencies, universities, and commercial firms.

Tail No. 844 made the final flight of an SR-71 Blackbird on Oct. 9, 1999.

Photo credit: NASA

Flying the Line

Jay Lacklen is a retired Air Force reserve pilot with 12,000 military flying hours. He grew up in Arlington, VA, and graduated from the University of North Carolina-Chapel in 1969. He entered service in 1970 and retired in 2004 as a Lt Col with 12,500 flying hours. Lacklen taught Air Force T-1 pilot training simulators at Columbus AFB, Mississippi from 2005-2014. He grew up in Arlington, VA and graduated from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill in 1969. In addition to pilot training aircraft, he flew 330 hours in the C-7 Caribou, 2000 hours in the B-52 bomber, and 9,500 hours in the C-5 Galaxy transport.

He flew in all major military actions from Vietnam to the Iraq War. Lacklen lives in northern Virginia and is married with four adult daughters and two granddaughters.

Lacklen is also the author of three books, Flying the Line: An Air Force Pilot’s Journey, Flying the Line: An Air Force Pilot’s Journey Volume Two: Military Airlift Command and Flying the Line: An Air Force Pilot’s Journey Volume Three: Air Mobility Command. The following story comes the last book of the trilogy.

Sigonella Pickoff

In November 1992, my Westover C-5 crew got “picked off” from our scheduled mission to fly another mission. The original mission was a standard Navy run to Rota, Spain; Sigonella, Italy; Bahrain; and return by the same bases to Westover.

When we alerted at Sigonella for our next leg, the command post offered us another mission. It seemed a Travis AFB active duty crew was in delay at Sig and their flight engineer was going non-current for a check ride and could not complete the mission. They asked if we would assume that mission instead of continuing our own.

C-5 mission around the world

The new mission would take us around the world, eastbound, through Pakistan, Australia, Samoa, and Hawaii. Had this been a crew with standard reservists, who needed to be home on time for their “real” jobs, we could not have taken the new mission. But this crew consisted of reserve bums (no other job) and ARTS. If I’d had a standard reservist crew, when asked if they would volunteer, they would have said “Hell, no!” But the bum/ART crew said “Hell, yes!” So around the world we would go. This would be my final mission hurrah at Westover.

The first leg would be a max crew-day body wrecker: Sig to Bahrain; to Islamabad, Pakistan; to Diego Garcia in the middle of the Indian Ocean. We took off late in the afternoon from Sig, quick-turned Bahrain for fuel around midnight, and arrived overhead Islamabad just before sunrise.

I hoped for daylight because we would be within 20 miles or so of the Himalayan mountain chain and its 20,000-foot peaks. I didn’t want to fool around in the dark at an unfamiliar field with towering mountain peaks. Thankfully, the early predawn light allowed us to see the mountain outlines as we began our steep penetration to the field.

Our approach went routinely until we departed the final approach fix. I then saw as bizarre a sight as T have ever seen. In the dim predawn light, a heavy smoke fog rose from dozens of individual chimneys used to make bricks. These were apparently personal kilns for small family-run brick businesses, and even in the dim light I could see smoke rising that gave the area the look of an industrial ecological disaster, a dark sooty landscape that might have appeared similar to thermal vents on some alien planet inhospitable to humans.

Typical military outpost

In another surprise, about an hour later, the sun rose above the mountains and revealed an entirely different view. The Pakistani air base seemed Mediterranean in its climate. Warm air from the south provided short-sleeved shirt weather, and colorful flower gardens surrounded by verdant grass covered the base campus. We could have been back in Sigonella.

The base seemed a typical military outpost; cadets marched in formation and uniformed Pakistani Air Force personnel went about their tasks as we do in the States. After this second quick turn, we took off in bright sunlight headed south down the Indus River valley to the Indian Ocean enroute to Diego Garcia, about five and a half hours south.

Again I found the unexpected while flying down the Indus Valley. The river’s shores were barren, as was the entire valley. At least the Nile had a ten-mile, or so, wide strip of green along the river, but the Indus had once. It seemed to run through a barren desert, a landscape unchanged by its presence.

I had stayed awake the entire mission thus far, almost 20 hours, and I was winding down hard as we approached the Indian Ocean. My two fellow pilots, Keith Guillotte and Craig Peters, had taken sleep breaks previously, so I told them they had the leg to Diego and I hit the bunk to sleep like a dead man.

The lights of Darwin

The other pilots rousted me out of my slumber cave in the forward bunk room prior to descent late in the afternoon on a sunny tropical day. After landing and getting our rooms, we visited a beachcomber style bar and grill that provided a marvelous view of the ocean waves breaking on the reef about a mile away, as picturesque a tropical view as I’ve seen. Unfortunately, that is about all there is to see on Diego.

Late the next afternoon, we alerted for the second leg of our eastward journey, about 2,500 nautical miles and six hours to Darwin on the north shore of Australia. We flew this segment almost totally at night, and rarely have I felt more alone in the universe, with no signs of land or humans for hours on end over the East Indian Ocean.

My only connection with civilization, the HF radio, made communications, as mentioned previously, sound as if I were calling Oceanic Control from Mars from my spaceship.

Finally, the lights of Darwin appeared far in the distance surrounded by nothing, the outback to the south and the Indian Ocean to the north. I’d report to you on Darwin except I saw almost none of it except base operations at the air field. We refueled, filed our flight plan and ate in about three hours. Then we launched south across the Australian continent for the three-hour flight to the isolated radar tracking station of Woomera, 300 miles north of the south coast port city of Adelaide. On the way we would pass almost directly over Alice Spring in the interior.

Southern Cross

Midway in our climb to FL 330, the earth below us went black with no signs of human habitation. The view remained this way for most of our cross-continent trek across the outback.

After a while at cruise, I sat alone as Keith and Craig slept. Checklists were complete and there was no chatter on interphone. I experienced silence and darkness for long stretches of time, except for the stars. The stars! I remembered the Crosby, Stills & Nash song “Southern Cross” and my promise to finally see this constellation mostly invisible from the Northern Hemisphere.

I didn’t really know what I was looking for—something the size of Orion or the Big Dipper? There was something of a moon lighting the sky so only bright stars shone brightly enough to be seen as I scanned the cosmos. After a few moments I looked up and there it was, a large four-point cross in the southern sky, four bright stars rising above me. I stared in awe at this symbol from heaven that southern mariners had used for thousands of years to guide them. This seemed a near-religious moment, and I felt as if I were in a celestial cathedral with a soaring needed to complete the moment.

Woomera wave

We landed in morning sunshine in Woomera for a stay of several days. On landing rollout, however, we got a “Det Fail” light on our annunciator panel telling us one or more of our 24 wheel brakes was free-wheeling and not providing any braking action. Sometimes this malfunction can be cured by adjusting the wheel hubs, but sometimes it cannot and more extensive maintenance is required. Except there was no maintenance in Woomera and such a fix might require a week or more to fly in from Travis AFB in California. We adjusted the hubs and hoped that would be sufficient, something we would not know until takeoff roll.

I had anticipated Woomera providing an outback showcase of the Australian interior, a hiking opportunity and photo bonanza. As soon as I exited the plane, however, I met the scourge that would hound us over the entire crew rest, leave us cowering inside buildings in self-defense and longing for an opportunity to leave this hell hole.

When outdoors we constantly employed what the locals term the “Woomera wave,” or a flapping arm motion in front of your face in a futile attempt to hold the creatures at bay. As the only targets for miles in any direction, we became the hunted prey for these outback denizens as they invaded Woomera in huge swarms. Being indoors provided some relief, although the pests had penetrated even this space to a minor extent. Outside excursions around the small town that covered only a few dozen acres were limited to the local bank to cash checks (debit cards were still ten years or so in the future) and grocery store.

Launch for Sydney

My one unrequired foray to the modest zoo on edge of town left me longing for a hat with mosquito netting. l employed a constant Woomera wave while quickly reviewing the caged kangaroos, koalas, kookaburras, and parrots before fleeing back to the hotel.

After a few days in this purgatory we launched for Sydney. At 60 knots on takeoff roll, the “Det Fail” light again illuminated – and no one said a word. Technically this would demand an abort call and termination of the takeoff, but that would mean perhaps a week in Woomera waiting for a maintenance team from the States to fix the problem. No way, Jose, we were leaving this place!

On landing roll at Richmond AFB in Sydney a few hours later the “Det Fail” light again illuminated and immediately all three of us shouted “Det fail light!” We told the station manager he’d have to fly in a Maintenance Recovery Team from the States to fix this gear malfunction. He said he had a C-141 due in the next day and could do that. Drat! The next day? However, when I called in the next day, the manager apologized profusely that Travis had sent the wrong parts! “Oh, no!” I replied, smiling. “Call us when you have the parts,” I continued. “We’ll be roaming Sydney until you do!”

This good fortune could not be fully exploited, however, because much of the crew, to include all three of us pilots, were coming down with head colds. This had been precipitated by several grueling crew days that impaired our immune systems and would crimp our forays around Sydney to allow us extra sleep time to fight the malady.

Pago Pago

We spent three days in Sydney, mostly nursing our head colds. What a waste, to finally get to Sydney and then get sick for most of the stay.

Our next trip segment promised to be exotic in a South Pacific manner, five hours to Pago Pago in American Samoa and about another five hours to Hickam AFB, Hawaii. We took off in early morning sunshine and stayed in it all the way to Hickam.

Pago Pago proved as marvelous as I anticipated, a small speck of green on an endless blue ocean, about twenty miles long east to west and ten miles wide north to south. The runway seems built on the ocean, as waves break almost on the edges of the concrete.

Just to the north the highest island peak rose 2145 feet above the Pago Pago harbor. That is about as much of the island as we saw. We spent our three-hour turn time in a large open-air thatch roofed arena where Samoan dancers performed for us.

We had to be on our way, unfortunately. My cold had gotten worse as it threatened to close my right ear’s Eustachian tube and cause an ear block on descent. I kept my sinus spray at the ready as we took off and climbed out to the north toward Hawaii, five hours away.

C-5 mission around the world: grounded in Hawaii

I knew from flight surgeon briefings and from experience not to use the nose spray on the way up. The air pressure in my inner ear would soon be greater than cabin pressure and would blow congestion out of the ear tube. About thirty minutes prior to descent I would use the spray and hope it dampened Eustachian tube inflammation and prevented the ear block. This rarely worked, however, because the spray only briefly passed by the Eustachian tube entry into the throat and had limited effect. And, sure enough, my right hear blocked on descent into Hickam.

However, this would be a relatively mild block that cleared a few minutes after landing. It did ground me for three days, something my squadron mates back at Westover found suspicious. Yeah, sure, you get yourself grounded in Hawaii, what a fairy tale! The other two pilots were also grounded for the same style head cold, so they provided me with cover.

Photo credit: Brett Snow / U.S. Air Force

After U.S. forces at RAF Fairford rapidly stepped up security precautions yesterday, police have now confirmed that arrests have been made and residents evacuated in the adjacent village of Whelford as explosive ordnance disposal teams investigate a number of vehicles. 

Following widespread reports on Sep. 26, 2026 regarding security levels at RAF Fairford – with spotters reporting alerts audible over the base’s Giant Voice tannoy system, aircraft being dispersed across the airfield, crash gates being blocked and reinforced, and an apparent rise in security level to FPCON Delta – we now have an indication as to the kind of imminent threat the base might have been preparing for. 

BREAKING: Major incident declared and number of properties evacuated in Gloucestershire after men arrested on suspicion of offences under the Explosives Act.https://t.co/bvcwRBh8HP pic.twitter.com/lpBj6ePvEw

— Sky News (@SkyNews) September 27, 2026

Whelford, a small village just outside RAF Fairford’s security fencing, has seen a large police presence descend and vehicles are investigated by British Army explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) teams. As a precaution, many local residents have been evacuated from their homes to a temporary emergency shelter established at a nearby leisure centre. 

#UKPolice National Police Air Service

Airbus EC-135 1x
#406176 G-HEOI – POLICE 01

Another Police helicopter is currently circling Whelford Village near RAF Fairford. The last helicopter departed around 2am. https://t.co/yyMwOjdEQO pic.twitter.com/Y3Hke9Yqc7

— Armchair Admiral (@ArmchairAdml) September 27, 2026

Gloucestershire Police, in an official statement, said: “A number of properties are currently being evacuated in the Whelford area following the declaration of a major incident. It follows the arrest of several men on suspicion of offences under the explosives act.”

Tractors have been seen blocking the entrances to the RAF base in Fairford. pic.twitter.com/flCTjcPMwH

— Lydia (@LydiaB_reports) September 27, 2026

Exclusive footage from Whelford shows a Oshkosh JLTV armored vehicle patrolling the perimeter of RAF Fairford, UK.

Helicopters continue to fly over the airbase, while all roads leading to it are currently closed and guarded by police. pic.twitter.com/I5NFzmXnsn

— MoloMonitor (@MoloWarMonitor) September 27, 2026

“A cordon is currently in place but we’d like to reassure people that we believe this incident is contained,” the force added.

As well as Fairford, other U.S. bases in the UK – including RAF Lakenheath and RAF Mildenhall – have stepped up their own security. Yesterday, unusually, an air ambulance was even denied a requested transit across Mildenhall’s military air traffic zone (MATZ). 

HELIMED 85, an Air Ambulance operated by East Anglian Air Ambulance, was denied transit through the Mildenhall MATZ this evening.

These helicopters frequently transit through the airspace. https://t.co/pFUzGNCStz pic.twitter.com/f0uXTr7lWE

— Armchair Admiral (@ArmchairAdml) September 26, 2026

While U.S. military force protection condition (FPCON) levels are not directly advertised to the public, clues to them being changed can be seen from outside the fence, and occasionally the boards advising arriving personnel of the current FPCON level can be seen at entry/exit gates. 

It is still unconfirmed, though very likely, that Fairford went to FPCON Delta – the highest level possible – while other bases like Lakenheath went to FPCON Charlie.

Another user on Facebook posts:

‘Can confirm base has apparently declared FPCON Delta, meaning highest threat level, civilians are told to stay clear of the base perimeter’ https://t.co/OAACqHD7CD

— Christopher Sharp (@ChrisUKSharp) September 26, 2026

FPCON Delta is reserved for when an attack is deemed imminent or has just occurred. Entry to the base becomes limited to strictly essential personnel only, with ID and vehicle checks strictly enforced, while on the base personnel are effectively locked down to their specific place of work. FPCON Delta can sometimes be accompanied by an order to shelter in place. 

Covering the situation last night, you could tell people were on edge.

Spotters were spooked upon hearing about the FPCON Delta.

I called the UK MOD for comment, they declined to issue the comment.

But the USAF did provide a statement – in essence they didn’t deny the reports… https://t.co/C6xXLsF6Fm

— Christopher Sharp (@ChrisUKSharp) September 27, 2026

Though the investigation has only just begun, eyes will almost certainly first turn towards Iran, who said any base used to support Operation Epic Fury is seen as a valid target, including those in Europe. Fairford is still home to a forward deployed contingent of B-1B Lancer strategic bombers which, along with B-52 Stratofortresses, flew daily missions from the Gloucestershire airfield during the height of the U.S.-Iran War. 

Munitions, including cruise missiles, could be seen being loaded onto the aircraft before departure to the south or southwest. They would then return after almost a full day in the sky. 

Iranian agents are widely known to operate quite extensively on foreign soil, and previous arrests have been made in the UK of Iranian-linked individuals under the National Security Act. Other arrests have been made of Iranian nationals under the Terrorism Act. 

In many cases, agents are thought to have arrived in their assigned countries through legal means – under work or student visas – in order to attract as little attention as possible. Homegrown agents with national citizenship can also be recruited, allowing them to operate even further below ‘radar’. 

Earlier this month, we reported on a security alert at RAF Fairford following the surprise landing of a civilian business jet, though in that case all details were relatively quickly resolved and the landing established as accidental. 

Update: Sept. 27, 1230 UTC (1330 local time)

Live camera feeds from news helicopters have documented activity by military EOD robots inspecting three vans in Whelford. One of these vans is marked with what is apparently fake branding for a fuel delivery company, displaying a mobile phone number which is not publicly linked to any such company. 

This appears to be an L3Harris T7 explosive ordnance disposal robot. The max lifting capacity is 250lbs near the chassis with it’s single arm, and 60lbs at full extension.

It seems unlikely that the robot would be able to manipulate full barrels from the back of the van onto the… https://t.co/LzesC0GRRM

— TheIntelFrog (@TheIntelFrog) September 27, 2026

Video of British military EOD robots defusing suspected bomb vans near RAF Fairford courtesy of SkyNews. pic.twitter.com/PbrrVH6V1x

— WarMonitor (@WarMonitor3) September 27, 2026

An image is also circulating purporting to show the arrest of several men by armed police (regular police in the UK are not routinely armed) early in the morning in Whelford. They appear shirtless, likely having been made to undress as a precaution against suicide vests. 

PICTURED: The four men arrested over the major incident near RAF Fairford pic.twitter.com/tUAlK2KGyq

— Politics UK (@PolitlcsUK) September 27, 2026

Gloucestershire Police were due to deliver a press briefing before 1300 local time, but at the time of writing this has been delayed with no details as to when it will now happen. 

Update: Sept. 27, 1300 UTC (1400 local time)

Gloucestershire Police’s short press briefing began shortly before 1400 local time, in which they confirmed five arrests had been made following an emergency call placed at 0045 regarding three suspicious vehicles near RAF Fairford. 

Around 85 households have been evacuated inside the 400 metre cordon. 

“Work to establish the full nature of this incident is ongoing,” a police spokesperson said. “We are in constant communication with our partners both locally and nationally, in particular we are working closely with our partners in counter-terrorism policing.”

The BBC live shot shows the proximity of the vans (red circle) to the base.

A stone’s throw. https://t.co/S2fbgSCgQZ pic.twitter.com/TcMpR8nsTV

— TheIntelFrog (@TheIntelFrog) September 27, 2026

Update: Sept. 27, 1315 UTC (1415 local time)

The five men have now been rearrested by counter-terrorism police on suspicion of the preparation of an act of terrorism. This rearrest (a formal measure – they had not been released from custody) means the expanded allowances of the Terrorism Act may now be applied, and the men are able to be detained for a longer period without being charged. 

Confirmed: Armed officers arrested five men in the Whelford area on suspicion of committing offences under the Explosives Act. They were further arrested on suspicion of preparation of a terrorist act, contrary to section 5 of the Terrorism Act.

— Michael Knowles (@Express_Knowles) September 27, 2026

Under the Terrorism Act, suspects can be detained for up to 14 days without formally being charged with an offence. Usually detention without charge is limited to 24 hours, with extensions up to 96 hours allowed with judicial approval.

Update: Sept. 27, 1400 UTC (1500 local time)

A NOTAM has now been issued restricting airspace within a 4 nautical mile radius around the incident site to approved traffic only. News helicopters are now unable to gain a view of the scene.

The NOTAM reads: 

RESTRICTED AREA (TEMPORARY) INSTALLED (WHELFORD, GLOUCESTERSHIRE) WI 4NM RADIUS OF PSN 514120N 0014527W. APPLIES TO ALL ACFT INCLUDING ANY SMALL BALLOON, ANY KITE, ANY UAS AND ANY PARACHUTE INCLUDING A PARASCENDING PARACHUTE OR PARAMOTOR. PILOTS ARE FORBIDDEN TO FLY WITHIN THE DESIGNATED AREA WITHOUT THE PERMISSION EMERGENCY CONTROLLING AUTHORITY GLOUCESTERSHIRE POLICE DRONE TEAM, CTC TEL 07966 516802. ATC UNITS CLOSE TO THE AREA ARE REQUESTED TO ADVISE AIRCRAFT ON THEIR FREQUENCIES OF THE CONTENTS OF THIS NOTAM. RESTRICTION OF FLYING REGULATIONS MADE UNDER ARTICLE 239 OF THE AIR NAV ORDER 2016.

It applies up to an altitude of 9,500 feet, and has a notional end date of Oct. 5 – though it could be cancelled before this date.

Update: Sept. 27, 1530 UTC (1630 local time)

Both UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham and U.S. President Donald Trump have commented on the unfolding events. Burnham, who wrote his statement on social media, said: “I know today’s incident near RAF Fairford will be deeply concerning for local residents and for many people following developments across the country. My thanks go to Gloucestershire Police, Counter Terrorism Policing, our Armed Forces and all those working to keep the public safe.”

I know today’s incident near RAF Fairford will be deeply concerning for local residents and for many people following developments across the country.

My thanks go to Gloucestershire Police, Counter Terrorism Policing, our Armed Forces and all those working to keep the public…

— Andy Burnham (@andyburnham) September 27, 2026

“I am especially grateful to those residents who have been asked to leave their homes while precautionary checks are carried out. The safety and security of the public is our first priority, and I want people to know that we will always take every step necessary to protect our communities and keep our country safe. The investigation remains ongoing, and I would urge people not to speculate while the authorities establish the full facts,” he added.

This is the first major security incident faced by Burnham’s government after he succeeded Keir Starmer as Prime Minister in July.

BREAKING: Donald Trump responds to the suspected bomb plot at RAF Fairford

“Working with Britain, it was an amazing job. We had them under investigation. They were looking to do big damage to our fort, and working with the British worked out great and we got them” pic.twitter.com/PlChiTQlSx

— Politics UK (@PolitlcsUK) September 27, 2026

President Trump, who spoke informally to reporters after stepping down from Air Force One (notably a VC-25A) in Chicago, said: “Working with Britain, it was an amazing job. We had them under investigation. They were looking to do big damage to our fort [sic], and working with the British worked out great and we got them.”

This article concerns a developing story, and may be updated if and when new information becomes available.

© Main image: Ian Capper/CC BY-SA 2.0. Inset left: U.S. Air Force. Inset right: Google Maps, annotated by The Aviationist.