Latest news with #DavidAllvin
South China Morning Post
24-05-2025
- South China Morning Post
Could next-gen fighter jets and ‘loyal wingmen' help US offset China's numbers?
America's next-generation fighter jets and their 'loyal wingmen' drones could counter China's fleet size advantage and widen the operational range for a potential conflict in the Indo-Pacific, according to analysts. Advertisement But they also say that China is catching up in this area of military technology, and the gap is 'narrowing'. General David Allvin, chief of staff of the US Air Force, posted a photo of the YFQ-42A unmanned combat aerial vehicle on social media on Monday in the 'world's first look' at the UCAV. The drone is part of the air force's collaborative combat aircraft programme, or CCA, which Allvin said would 'prove not only cost-effective, but truly lethal'. 'No doubts these uncrewed fighters will put our adversaries on notice!' he wrote. US Air Force Chief of Staff General David Allvin (centre) said CCA would 'prove not only cost-effective, but truly lethal'. Photo: AFP The UCAV is being developed by General Atomics and is one of two designs in the first phase of the CCA programme, which aims to develop drones to augment crewed fighter aircraft in air-to-air missions. The US Air Force said earlier this month that it had begun ground testing of the two initial CCA designs, unveiling images of Anduril's YFQ-44A – the other drone being developed under the programme. Their propulsion systems, avionics, autonomy integration and ground control interfaces are being put to the test to see how they perform, inform future design decisions and prepare for flight testing later this year. If that goes to plan, production is expected to take place in 2026 along with development of the second phase designs. Advertisement Richard Aboulafia, an aviation analyst and managing director of AeroDynamic Advisory, said the first two designs were 'primarily for relatively simple strike missions, or for basic air-to-air missile carriage'.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Iowa Senator Ernst pushes for military construction funds for 185th
(KCAU) — Iowa Senator Joni Ernst continues to ask the U.S. Air Force about the 185th Air Refueling Wing's runway project. During Wednesday's Senate Committee on armed services hearing, the senator brought up the runway upgrade project. U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff General David Allvin said the design work for the project is 65% complete, which is pass the minimum 35% design stage for military construction, or MILCON, projects in order for them to be submitted for congress' approval for funding. Story continues below Top Story: Blue Lake water levels suffering from dry conditions Lights & Sirens: 2 air conditioning units stolen from Siouxland Habitat for Humanity project Sports: Local Iowa high school baseball highlights and scores (5-20-25) Weather: Get the latest weather forecast here 'I'd just like to know how many more times that I have to bring this up, in personal meetings, in my office, and in front of the committee to get a commitment to get the milcon done for this runway,' said Senator Joni Ernst. 'You've got my commitment. I will continue to push on this. The design work is now limiting any of the obstacles on our path to actually do it,' said is Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin. Ernst said the F16s were taken away from the 185th back in 2003, with the Air Force's commitment that when the unit got the KC135s, a runway would be built to support the aircraft's weight, but that hasn't happened yet. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Our First Look At The YFQ-42 ‘Fighter Drone' Collaborative Combat Aircraft
We now have our first actual look at General Atomics' YFQ-42A 'fighter drone' prototype. The YFQ-42A, as well as Anduril's YFQ-44A, are being developed under the first phase, or Increment 1, of the U.S. Air Force's Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program, and both designs are expected to make their maiden flights later this year. Chief of Staff of the U.S. Air Force Gen. David Allvin shared the picture of the YFQ-42A seen at the top of this story on social media today. The Air Force had announced the start of ground testing of both Increment 1 CCA designs on May 1, at which time the first images of a Anduril's YFQ-44A were also released. 'THE WORLD's FIRST LOOK AT OUR NEW YFQ-42A!' Allvin wrote in an accompanying post on X. 'As the @DeptofDefense matches threats to capabilities under @SecDef's [Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth's] leadership, Collaborative Combat Aircraft will prove not only cost-effective, but truly lethal…No doubts these uncrewed fighters will put our adversaries on notice!' THE WORLD's FIRST LOOK AT OUR NEW YFQ-42A! As the @DeptofDefense matches threats to capabilities under @SecDef's leadership, Collaborative Combat Aircraft will prove not only cost-effective, but truly lethal…No doubts these uncrewed fighters will put our adversaries on notice! — General David Allvin (@OfficialCSAF) May 19, 2025 'The YFQ-42A is an exciting next step for our company,' David Alexander, President of General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc., said in a separate statement. 'It reflects many years of partnership with the U.S. Air Force of advancing unmanned combat aviation for the United States and its allies around the world, and we're excited to begin ground testing and move to first flight.' What can be seen in the head-on view of the YFQ-42A we have now is largely in line with renderings and physical models that General Atomics has shown in the past. The design has some low-observable (stealthy) features and shares some broad similarities with past company designs like the Avenger. It is also notably less slender than Anduril's YFQ-44A, which could offer advantages and disadvantages. General Atomics has also previously confirmed that its CCA design is derived from the experimental XQ-67A drone originally developed for the Air Force's once-secretive Off-Board Sensing Station (OBSS) program. A core aspect of OBSS was a so-called 'genus/species' concept, involving a core 'genus' set of components from which multiple 'species' of differently configured drones could be crafted, lessons from which the Air Force has said are being incorporated broadly into the CCA program. General Atomics has been further proving that concept out via its Gambit family of drones, which all feature a common 'chassis' that incorporates landing gear, as well as key mission and flight control computer systems. The XQ-67A has been flying for more than a year now, offering General Atomics a valuable risk reduction asset for its CCA work, as well. Though partially obscured by the flight-test data probe, there is a notably different colored section on the bottom of the front of the nose with what looks to be a grill and an additional feature of some kind above it, the purpose of which is not immediately clear. Past renderings of the General Atomics CCA design have shown a trapezoidal window in the same general location, a feature typically associated with forward-facing electro-optical and/or infrared sensor systems. As TWZ has noted in the past, the position under the nose could be a likely location for an infrared search and track (IRST) sensor. IRSTs can spot stealthy targets and offer other benefits, and would align with the air-to-air combat role that is expected to be the main focus of the Increment 1 CCAs, at least initially. General Atomics has been separately using its stealthy Avenger drones to demonstrate potential air-to-air combat capabilities, including while equipped with podded IRST systems. Anduril's YFQ-44A also notably has what appears to be a forward-facing camera system prominently on top of its nose, which could, at least, be used to provide visual inputs for control and additional situational awareness during initial testing. General Atomics' YFQ-42A prototype could have a broadly similar system installed in its nose. What may be the doors for the YFQ-42A's ventral payload bay are also visible, along with the drone's tricycle landing gear. 'I think CCA can actually be, in some cases, a mobility aircraft,' Mike Atwood, vice president for Advanced Programs at General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI), had said during a panel discussion at the Air & Space Forces Association's (AFA) 2025 Warfare Symposium in March. 'One of the reasons that GA chose to have an internal weapons bay was for carrying not just missiles and kinetics, but to do that logistics.' 'We showed up at these World War II leftover airfields. And we quickly realized these airfields are in really bad shape, really bad shape, and we started to really appreciate runway distance,' Atwood had also said at AFA's annual Warfare Symposium. 'It's hard to make a fast-moving aircraft use a lot less runway. And so what we realized is we needed a trailing-arm landing gear.' A trailing-arm landing gear arrangement helps ease the impact of landing, which in turn can help reduce wear and tear, something that is especially beneficial for operations from short and potentially rough fields. It can also similarly help with rough field takeoffs. The Air Force said that the Increment 1 CCAs are the first aircraft, crewed or uncrewed, to be developed from the ground up to align with its Agile Combat Employment (ACE) concepts of operations. ACE centers heavily on short-notice and otherwise irregular deployments, including to far-flung locations with limited infrastructure. You can read more about how the Air Force's CCA vision aligns with ACE here. As it stands now, the Air Force is still looking to acquire 1,000 CCAs, if not more, across a series of iterative development cycles. Service officials have previously said that between 100 and 150 Increment 1 CCAs could be acquired, but it remains unclear whether that fleet with consist of YFQ-42As, YFQ-44As, or a mix of both types. 'A competitive Increment 1 production decision is expected in fiscal year 2026,' which begins on October 1, 2025, the Air Force had said as part of the announcement about the start of ground testing at the beginning of the month. The Air Force is now in the process of finalizing requirements for Increment 2 of CCA, which are expected to be significantly different from those for Increment 1. In March, Air Force Maj. Gen. Joseph D. Kunkel, director of Force Design, Integration, and Wargaming and deputy chief of staff for Air Force Futures, indicated that the second phase of the program could call for designs that are both less complex and cheaper. More details are likely to continue to emerge about the Increment 1 CCA designs, as well as other plans for the program, as the YFQ-42A and YFQ-44A progress through ground testing toward their first flights. Contact the author: joe@
Scottish Sun
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Scottish Sun
Incredible details of ‘world's most lethal weapon' emerge…Trump's F47 fighter jet boasts huge range & ‘double X' stealth
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) INCREDIBLE new details about the US jet touted as the "world's most lethal weapon" have emerged, setting out Trump's plan to rule the skies. The chief of the US airforce dropped bombshell new stats about the F-47 - designed to destroy anything China can fly. 6 The state-of-the-art weapons will slice through the air at twice the speed of sound Credit: instagram 6 General David Allvin, US airforce chief, released this graphic Credit: US Air Force 6 The lethal jet is named after Trump - though he insists it wasn't his idea Credit: EPA 6 General David Allvin posted a new graphic showing off America's "next generation of air dominance". He revealed that the incoming F-47 - named after Trump, the 47th president - will be operational in the period 2025-2029. There are two keys stats that mark out the F-47 as the most advanced US jet ever. First is the stealth rating; the next gen fighter is the first to be stamped with "Stealth++" - meaning it will be the most covert yet. And the combat radius was revealed to be at least 1000 nautical miles - much further than the next-highest figure of 690nm from the F-15E(X)E. The general defined the top speed as Mach 2+, which means it will fly at more than twice the speed of sound. We also learned that at least 185 of the F-47s are on order - matching the size of the F-22 fleet. General Alvin vowed that, with the next generation of airborne gadgets, the US air force would "continue to be the world's best example of speed, agility and lethality". He added: "Modernization means fielding a collection of assets that provide unique dilemmas for adversaries - matching capabilities to threats - while keeping us on the right side of the cost curve." The spanking-new jet was first announced back in March by Trump, alongside Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth in the Oval Office. US military stages biggest EVER 'elephant walk' with supersonic jets, helicopters & drones in show of force to China At its launched, another key feature was flaunted. Embracing the development of new warfare technology, the F-47 will be accompanied by its own drone swarm. Program coordinators plan to use sophisticated robotic wingmen designed by Anduril Industries and General Atomics in the drones, according to Axios. Trump didn't confirm how much the project would cost, but a source close to the Next Generation Air Dominance pegged it at upwards of $20billion. A huge cash wad has been set aside to fund the programme and ensure America's air defences remain dominant. 6 The F-47 has been stamped with the highest stealth rating ever Credit: instagram 6 Trump proudly unveiled the new-gen jet in March Credit: EPA Two months ago, Trump hailed these jets as 'the most advanced, most capable, most lethal aircraft ever built'. He added: "The F-47 is equipped with state-of-the-art stealth technologies, virtually unseeable and unprecedented power," and called the title a "beautiful name". "There's never been anything like it," he concluded. It's no wonder Trump approves of the name - as it comes from his own position as 47th president. However, he insisted that it was not his own work, but devised by his generals. The contract for the deadly new military aircraft was awarded to the struggling American company Boeing - replacing Lockheed Martin's F-22 Raptor. This marked a major improvement in the company's fortune. Boeing will eventually receive hundreds of billions of dollars in orders over the contract's multi-decade lifetime.
The Irish Sun
16-05-2025
- Politics
- The Irish Sun
Incredible details of ‘world's most lethal weapon' emerge…Trump's F47 fighter jet boasts huge range & ‘double X' stealth
INCREDIBLE new details about the US jet touted as the "world's most lethal weapon" have emerged, setting out Trump's plan to rule the skies. The chief of the US airforce dropped bombshell new stats Advertisement 6 The state-of-the-art weapons will slice through the air at twice the speed of sound Credit: instagram 6 General David Allvin, US airforce chief, released this graphic Credit: US Air Force 6 The lethal jet is named after Trump - though he insists it wasn't his idea Credit: EPA 6 General David Allvin posted a new graphic showing off America's He revealed that the incoming F-47 - named after Trump, the 47th president - will be operational in the period 2025-2029. There are two keys stats that mark out the F-47 as the most advanced US jet ever. First is the stealth rating; the next gen fighter is the first to be stamped with "Stealth++" - meaning it will be the most covert yet. Advertisement And the combat radius was revealed to be at least 1000 nautical miles - much further than the next-highest figure of 690nm from the F-15E(X)E. The general defined the top speed as Mach 2+, which means it will fly at more than twice the speed of sound. We also learned that at least 185 of the F-47s are on order - matching the size of the F-22 fleet. General Alvin vowed that, with the next generation of airborne gadgets, the US air force would "continue to be the world's best example of speed, agility and lethality". Advertisement Most read in The US Sun Latest He added: "Modernization means fielding a collection of assets that provide unique dilemmas for adversaries - matching capabilities to threats - while keeping us on the right side of the cost curve." The spanking-new jet was first announced back in March by Trump, alongside in the Oval Office . US military stages biggest EVER 'elephant walk' with supersonic jets, helicopters & drones in show of force to China At its launched, another key feature was flaunted. Embracing the development of new warfare technology, the F-47 will be accompanied by its own drone swarm. Advertisement Program coordinators plan to use sophisticated robotic wingmen designed by Anduril Industries and General Atomics in the drones, according to . Trump didn't confirm how much the project would cost, but a source close to the Next Generation Air Dominance pegged it at upwards of $20billion. A huge cash wad has been set aside to fund the programme and ensure America's air defences remain dominant. 6 The F-47 has been stamped with the highest stealth rating ever Credit: instagram Advertisement 6 Trump proudly unveiled the new-gen jet in March Credit: EPA Two months ago, Trump hailed these jets as 'the most advanced, most capable, most lethal aircraft ever built'. He added: "The F-47 is equipped with state-of-the-art stealth technologies, virtually unseeable and unprecedented power," and called the title a "beautiful name". "There's never been anything like it," he concluded. Advertisement It's no wonder Trump approves of the name - as it comes from his own position as 47th president. However, he insisted that it was not his own work, but devised by his generals. The contract for the deadly new military aircraft was awarded to the struggling American company Boeing - replacing Lockheed Martin's F-22 Raptor. Read more on the Irish Sun This marked a major improvement in the company's fortune. Advertisement Boeing will eventually receive hundreds of billions of dollars in orders over the contract's multi-decade lifetime. List of fighter jets used by the Air Force THE US Air Force uses four different F-series fighter jets. Here is an inside look at the top-tier weapons. F-15 Eagle - This is an extremely maneuverable fighter built to operate in all weather conditions. According to the Air Force, the Eagle can, "penetrate enemy defense and outperform and outright any current enemy aircraft." F-16 Fighting Falcon - This craft is more compact and can have several roles in the Air Force. It's quick and excels in air-to-air combat. The Falcon, "provides a relatively low-cost, high-performance weapon system for the United States and allied nations." F-22 Raptor - The Raptor is the pinnacle of US air combat excellence. This model takes a more operational role in the skies with stealth capabilities that are ideal for recon missions. The jet assists multiple military branches and "cannot be matched by any known or projected fighter aircraft." F-35A Lightning II - This model is an upgraded version of the Air Force's aging fleet of F-16 Fighting Falcons and A-10 Thunderbolt II's. The jets, "bring with it an enhanced capability to survive in the advanced threat environment in which it was designed to operate."
