U.S. Air Force

The U.S. Air Force (USAF) plays a significant role in the space industry, historically serving as the Department of Defense's executive agent for space, and developing early military space programs and launch vehicles. Although the U.S. Space Force was established as an independent branch in 2019, the Air Force continues to contribute to space operations, including training personnel, research and development, and maintaining partnerships. The USAF's space-related activities encompass satellite operations, missile warning, communication support, and collaboration with allies to ensure regional stability. Key partners include the U.S. Space Force, other branches of the military, and international allies.

gov defenseFounded 1947

Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States

www.af.mil/

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All verified mentions of this organization in source documents.

Responsibility for oversight of the Paraglider Landing System shifted from the Gemini program office to NASA's Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base in California.

GovernanceCapabilityValue 3.5Sep 29, 2025Geminiâs wing and a prayer (part 3): boilerplates and El Kabong

The Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) defines the Kármán line at 100 km, while NASA, the FAA, and the U.S. Air Force define space as being more than 80 km above Earth.

GeneralValue 1.5Sep 25, 2025米ヴァージン・ギャラクティック、米大学との微小重力体験飛行を2027年に打ち上げ

Leonardo Aviation Services operates as a facilitator and partner of the Kuwait Air Force by providing integrated logistic support, including Engineering Support, Maintenance, Repair, Overhaul, and Upgrade, Supply Chain Management, and training solutions for flight and ground crews of the Eurofighter Typhoon.

RelationshipsCapabilityValue 4.0Sep 25, 2025Eurofighter, estesi i servizi di supporto di Leonardo in Kuwait

Chen Zhongrui enlisted in the People’s Liberation Army Air Force in 2003 and joined the Communist Party of China in 2005.

GovernanceValue 1.2Sep 25, 2025Taikonauts Tie Chinese Record With Fourth Spacewalk [SZ-20 EVA-4]

Chen Dong enlisted in the People’s Liberation Army Air Force in 1997 and joined the Communist Party of China in 1999.

GovernanceValue 1.0Sep 25, 2025Taikonauts Tie Chinese Record With Fourth Spacewalk [SZ-20 EVA-4]

The Kuwait Ministry of Defense has decided to exercise the option to extend support services for the Kuwait Air Force's Eurofighter fleet.

RelationshipsValue 3.9Sep 25, 2025Eurofighter, estesi i servizi di supporto di Leonardo in Kuwait

Cameron Jones, 35, is a test pilot and Air Force major from Savanna, Illinois.

GovernanceValue 1.0Sep 23, 2025NASA announces 10 new astronaut candidates

Adam Fuhrmann, 35, is a test pilot and major in the U.S. Air Force from Leesburg, Virginia.

GovernanceValue 2.0Sep 23, 2025NASA announces 10 new astronaut candidates

Cameron Jones, 35, is a U.S. Air Force major with more than 1,600 flight hours and degrees in aerospace engineering from the University of Illinois.

GovernanceValue 2.0Sep 23, 2025All-American 2025 Class of Astronaut Candidates

The Titan IIID launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base on June 15, 1971.

PlanGeneralValue 4.0Sep 22, 2025Shhhhhh!!! Pay no attention to the Big Birdâ¦

The U.S. Air Force uses the information from the detection network to determine the location, time, and yield of a nuclear detonation.

CapabilityGeneralValue 3.0Sep 22, 2025Sandia + Los Alamos: Space-based nuclear detonation detection mission endures

The Titan IIID was the biggest, most powerful rocket ever launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.

CapabilityGeneralValue 2.0Sep 22, 2025Shhhhhh!!! Pay no attention to the Big Birdâ¦

GA-ASI has made deliveries of MQ-9B to the U.K.’s Royal Air Force and the Belgian Air Force.

RelationshipsValue 5.0Sep 21, 2025GA-ASI UAS offerings pass 9 million flight hours

The U.S. Air Force changed the designation of the Predator to MQ-1 in 2002.

GeneralCapabilityValue 3.0Sep 21, 2025GA-ASI UAS offerings pass 9 million flight hours

GA-ASI is fulfilling orders for MQ-9B from Canada, Denmark, Poland, Japan, Taiwan, India, and the U.S. Air Force in support of the Special Operations Command.

RelationshipsValue 4.5Sep 21, 2025GA-ASI UAS offerings pass 9 million flight hours

The Air Force Research Lab (AFRL) selected Blue Origin and Anduril Industries for a rocket logistics transportation research project.

RelationshipsValue 4.0Sep 16, 2025ロケットで世界中に1時間で物資運ぶ–米軍プロジェクトにブルーオリジンら選ばれる

The YJ-15 is likely to be integrated with the PLA Air Force's J-16 fighter aircraft.

CapabilityPlanValue 3.0Sep 4, 2025RT by @luritie: 🇨🇳 The ramjet-powered YJ-15 supersonic anti-ship cruise missile mockups that were displayed at the recent military parade in Beijing feature suspension lugs, which is to say that these were meant to represent air-launched anti-ship cruise missiles. The YJ-15 is likely to be integrated with the PLA Navy Air Force's (PLANAF) carrier-borne catapult-assisted take-off barrier arrested recovery (CATOBAR) J-15T fighter aircraft, the PLA Air Force's J-16 fighter aircraft, and perhaps the PLAAF's H-6K/H-6J/H-6N bomber aircraft. The PLAAF, which currently holds a near monopoly over air-launched anti-ship munitions in the People's Liberation Army (PLA), received the bulk of the PLANAF's land-based fixed-wing crewed combat aircraft in 2023. This includes the PLANAF's H-6G/H-6L and H-6J bombers, which were optimized for maritime strike, unlike the PLAAF's H-6 bomber variants, which were until ca. 2020 primarily used to employ stand-off land-attack munitions. While all of the PLAAF's H-6K, (ex-PLANAF) H-6J—and seemingly the closely related and reportedly nuclear-armed H-6N—bombers as well as the older (ex-PLANAF) H-6G/H-6L are capable of launching the preceding ramjet-powered YJ-12 supersonic anti-ship cruise missile, which was unveiled at the 2015 iteration of the recent military parade, all of the aforementioned versions of the H-6 bomber design other than the older (ex-PLANAF) H-6G/H-6L appear to be limited to carrying no more than 4x YJ-12 air-launched anti-ship cruise missiles per sortie. This is despite each of these aircraft having a total of six wing-mounted weapons stations that can be used to carry and launch the likes of the long-range KD-20 (subsonic) air-launched land-attack cruise missile. The new YJ-15 appears to be considerably smaller and lighter than the preceding YJ-12. Should it be integrated onto the PLAAF's H-6K/H-6J/H-6N bombers—likely alongside the PLAAF's J-16 fighters (and perhaps other aircraft) and the PLANAF's carrier-borne CATOBAR J-15T fighters—the deployment of the YJ-15 will likely substantially enhance the maritime strike capabilities of the PLAAF's sizeable bomber force. https://x.com/shahpas/status/1958220105768153250

The combination of the H-6N bomber and the JL-1 air-launched ballistic missile represents the PLA Air Force's (PLAAF) adoption of a nuclear strike role.

CapabilityGeneralValue 3.0Sep 4, 2025RT by @luritie: 🇨🇳 The combination of the specially-configured aerial-refuelling capable H-6N bomber and the likes of the JL-1 air-launched ballistic missile is understood to be the primary current manifestation of the PLA Air Force's (PLAAF) (re)adoption of a nuclear strike role, a development that offers China a so-called nuclear triad after decades of heavy—in practice near-total—reliance on ground-launched nuclear-armed ballistic missiles. While the PLAAF currently appears to be turning to air-launched ballistic missiles to deliver nuclear warheads, it may come to deploy nuclear-armed air-launched cruise missiles for its future bomber aircraft going forward. The subsonic turbofan-powered H-6N and the underlying turbofan-powered H-6K are the latest Chinese derivatives of the 1950s-origin turbojet-powered Soviet Tupolev Tu-16 bomber aircraft design. While the longevity of the Tu-16 design in Chinese service is often spoken of in the same light as the U.S. Air Force's ongoing use of the 1950s-origin B-52 bomber aircraft design, the Tu-16/H-6 is best characterized as a medium bomber design, while the B-52 is best characterized as a heavy bomber design. The latest B-52H—a highly modified version of airframes that were built through the early 1960s—is likely to have a maximum take-off weight (MTOW) that is over 200% that of the closely related turbofan-powered H-6K and H-6N, the production of which continued into the 2020s. The difference in MTOW between the H-6N and B-52H is broadly comparable to the difference in MTOW between a late model Boeing 737 airliner and a late model Boeing 767 airliner. All things considered, the H-6N design is severely limited in terms of payload-range and range-endurance and cannot be employed in the highly flexible manner that the USAF employed the versatile B-52 design throughout the Cold War and to the present day. Given the prevailing threat environment, China's military-geographical context, and the logistical realities associated with operating the likes of the H-6N and even the American B-52H from China to attack distant targets, the H-6N requires a very long-range standoff strike munition to target Hawaii and the continental United States. The JL-1 appears to be one of at least two air-launched munitions that the H-6N can carry on its single semi-recessed centerline (external) weapons station—the other is a boost-glide vehicle/hypersonic glide vehicle design. There is no public indication of the existence of a nuclear-armed air-launched cruise missile for the H-6N, and the aforementioned considerations indicate why this is likely to be the case. The PLAAF is, however, likely to acquire a nuclear-armed air-launched cruise missile for the reportedly forthcoming H-20 bomber aircraft, which is widely thought to be a flying wing low observable design in the vein of the American B-2 and B-21. Such a bomber aircraft design will be limited to carrying munitions in one or more internal bomb bays. The JL-1 is an extremely large—oversized munition—such an air-launched ballistic missile is an unlikely candidate for carriage by the reportedly forthcoming H-20 bomber. While the air-launched ballistic missiles have certain advantages over air-launched cruise missiles, ballistic missiles employ rockets for propulsion that are inherently inefficient and uneconomical by virtue of carrying the weight and volume of oxidizer necessary for combustion within the missile. A prospective Chinese nuclear-armed air-launched cruise missile design is, in contrast, likely to use an air-breathing propulsion system such as a turbofan engine or a ramjet engine that makes use of atmospheric oxygen as oxidizer. All else being equal, a munition equipped with an air-breathing propulsion system of a given range-payload class is going to be much smaller and lighter—and more suitable for internal carriage—than a munition that is equipped with a non-air-breathing propulsion system, namely a liquid-propellant rocket engine or solid-propellant rocket motor. The PLAAF's future course will, of course, be shaped by the various other considerations at play, above all those concerning the logistical realities of having an H-20 bomber/a future PLAAF bomber design more generally take off from China to target Hawaii and/or the continental United States and the nature of envisaged American air and ballistic missile defence capabilities. It is, therefore, possible that H-20 bombers/a future PLAAF bomber aircraft design, more generally, will be equipped with a smaller and lighter nuclear-armed air-launched ballistic missile design. It is important to note that a subsonic air-launched cruise missile is not the only option available to China. The recent parade was used to unveil the new and previously unseen YJ-19, which is reported to be a sustained supersonic/hypersonic high-altitude anti-ship cruise missile that is equipped with a reported air-breathing scramjet (i.e., supersonic combustion airflow ramjet) engine. While the YJ-19 is reliant on a large and heavy (non-airbreathing) solid-propellant rocket booster as its booster, it amounts to another approach that China can pursue to equip its future bomber aircraft with nuclear-armed air-launched strike munitions that are very different than the likes of the very large and bulky JL-1 air-launched ballistic missile.

The YJ-15 is a ramjet-powered supersonic anti-ship cruise missile integrated with the PLA Navy Air Force's J-15T fighter aircraft and the PLAAF's J-16 fighter aircraft.

CapabilityValue 4.5Sep 4, 2025RT by @luritie: 🇨🇳 The ramjet-powered YJ-15 supersonic anti-ship cruise missile mockups that were displayed at the recent military parade in Beijing feature suspension lugs, which is to say that these were meant to represent air-launched anti-ship cruise missiles. The YJ-15 is likely to be integrated with the PLA Navy Air Force's (PLANAF) carrier-borne catapult-assisted take-off barrier arrested recovery (CATOBAR) J-15T fighter aircraft, the PLA Air Force's J-16 fighter aircraft, and perhaps the PLAAF's H-6K/H-6J/H-6N bomber aircraft. The PLAAF, which currently holds a near monopoly over air-launched anti-ship munitions in the People's Liberation Army (PLA), received the bulk of the PLANAF's land-based fixed-wing crewed combat aircraft in 2023. This includes the PLANAF's H-6G/H-6L and H-6J bombers, which were optimized for maritime strike, unlike the PLAAF's H-6 bomber variants, which were until ca. 2020 primarily used to employ stand-off land-attack munitions. While all of the PLAAF's H-6K, (ex-PLANAF) H-6J—and seemingly the closely related and reportedly nuclear-armed H-6N—bombers as well as the older (ex-PLANAF) H-6G/H-6L are capable of launching the preceding ramjet-powered YJ-12 supersonic anti-ship cruise missile, which was unveiled at the 2015 iteration of the recent military parade, all of the aforementioned versions of the H-6 bomber design other than the older (ex-PLANAF) H-6G/H-6L appear to be limited to carrying no more than 4x YJ-12 air-launched anti-ship cruise missiles per sortie. This is despite each of these aircraft having a total of six wing-mounted weapons stations that can be used to carry and launch the likes of the long-range KD-20 (subsonic) air-launched land-attack cruise missile. The new YJ-15 appears to be considerably smaller and lighter than the preceding YJ-12. Should it be integrated onto the PLAAF's H-6K/H-6J/H-6N bombers—likely alongside the PLAAF's J-16 fighters (and perhaps other aircraft) and the PLANAF's carrier-borne CATOBAR J-15T fighters—the deployment of the YJ-15 will likely substantially enhance the maritime strike capabilities of the PLAAF's sizeable bomber force. https://x.com/shahpas/status/1958220105768153250

The YJ-15 is likely to be integrated with the PLA Navy Air Force's J-15T fighter aircraft.

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