#air-force

The U.S. Air Force conducted a test launch of a Minuteman III ICBM equipped with multiple reentry vehicles, demonstrating the aging missile system's continued capability ahead of its Sentinel replacement.

The U.S. Air Force has completed a significant manned-unmanned teaming exercise pairing an F-22 Raptor stealth fighter with a General Atomics MQ-20 Avenger drone. The flight demonstrates progress toward a future where autonomous wingmen fly alongside piloted aircraft in combat.

U.S. Air Force test pilots have demonstrated a tactical AI system that successfully guided evasive maneuvers against an incoming missile during a live test. The milestone marks a significant leap in AI-assisted aerial combat, where split-second decisions can mean the difference between survival and destruction.

The U.S. Air Force now expects to field the first Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile by early 2030, crediting a new Pentagon-controlled program manager role with helping accelerate the troubled timeline. The Sentinel program replaces the aging Minuteman III system that has been in service since the 1970s.

Mounting evidence suggests the U.S. military has been accepting new F-35A Lightning II fighters without their next-generation AN/APG-85 radars since mid-2025, a consequence of persistent delays in the jet's troubled Block 4 modernization program.