Michael Marrow covers air warfare for Breaking Defense. He holds a BA in history from the University of Virginia and started out as a freelance reporter covering local news in Fairfax County, Virginia and policing in Charlottesville, Virginia. Michael previously reported on the Air Force and Space Force for Inside Defense, where he tracked major acquisitions, policy changes and modernization efforts.
An Air Force spokesperson told Breaking Defense following the hearing that there are seven E-11s in the current fleet, and confirmed that the plan is to replace them with the emerging DAF (Department of the Air Force) Battle Network.
Marines could begin operational testing with drone wingmen in 2029, and in the future could conduct their own intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions in lieu of contractors, officials said during the Modern Day Marine conference in Washington.
From emerging data networks to missile tracking and cyber resilience, Breaking Defense’s latest eBook brings together essential reporting on the evolving role of satellites in national security.
With nearly 30,000 copies envisioned, even among a spending spree for munitions, the Air Force’s Family of Affordable Mass Missile stands out.
The service pledged it would demonstrate an “initial capability” for the orbital missile killers by 2028.
Supporters say the program could enhance national security by strengthening DoD’s energy sources. Critics, meanwhile, have argued that ANPI’s benefits are illusory, and come with too much cost and risk.
After the surprise move, the field of competitors for the Navy’s Undergraduate Jet Training System has now narrowed to SNC, Boeing, and Textron Aviation Defense in partnership with Leonardo.
The challenge for Western democratic institutions is not a lack of capability — it is a structural one.
A project previously called MILNET will now be funded in a budget line labeled “proliferated LEO SATCOM,” which the Space Force is seeking $1.6 billion in reconciliation funding to kick off.
Erich Hernandez-Baquero has been selected to serve as the Space Force’s next acquisition czar, while Roger Mason has been nominated as the next director of the National Reconnaissance Office.
The service’s fiscal 2027 budget shows boosts for other aircraft like the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, while slowing retirements of platforms like the A-10 Warthog.
The modified Joint Direct Attack Munitions were launched from Navy F/A-18E Super Hornets in back-to-back tests, according to JDAM-maker Boeing.
The Pentagon will instead continue with a current ground control system managed by Lockheed Martin.
Pentagon officials are seeking lawmakers’ authorization to buy weapon systems through multi-year deals “across the board, not only with munitions, but actually with the production of aircraft, with the production of spacecraft,” said Air Force Secretary Troy Meink.
The Space Force did not disclose when the contracts were awarded or their individual dollar values.
Awards will be issued “fairly shortly” for the first operational satellites that can track aircraft and from space, according to Air Force Secretary Troy Meink.