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Air Data News • Ricardo Meier

USAF extends life of B-1B and B-2 fleets, budgets nearly $1.7B for upgrades as B-21 transition slips

The U.S. Air Force is planning nearly $1.7 billion in upgrades to keep the Rockwell B-1B Lancer and Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit bombers flying longer than the service previously targeted for an early-2030s retirement. The shift reflects how the B-21 transition schedule has stretched.

2026-04-24T22:57:04.210342-07:00

FlightGlobal

USAF graduates final class of new A-10 pilots as service winds toward Thunderbolt II retirement

2026-04-24T18:18:14.422780-07:00

Air Data News

F-22 Raptor gets first production anti-jam navigation upgrade for GPS-denied missions

2026-04-24T16:24:01.316703-07:00

AeroTime

Russia warns European hosts of French Rafale nuclear-capable strategic bombers will become priority targets

2026-04-24T07:03:21.261074-07:00

News Timeline

Air Data News

USAF extends life of B-1B and B-2 fleets, budgets nearly $1.7B for upgrades as B-21 transition slips The U.S. Air Force is planning nearly $1.7 billion in upgrades to keep the Rockwell B-1B Lancer and Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit bombers flying longer than the service previously targeted for an early-2030s retirement. The shift reflects how the B-21 transition schedule has stretched.

2026-04-24T22:57:04.210342-07:00

USAF extends life of B-1B and B-2 fleets, budgets nearly $1.7B for upgrades as B-21 transition slips

FlightGlobal

USAF graduates final class of new A-10 pilots as service winds toward Thunderbolt II retirement The US Air Force has graduated its last class of newly qualified A-10 pilots, marking a final step in the pipeline as the service proceeds—albeit gradually—toward retiring the A-10 Thunderbolt II. The move signals near-term sustainment pressures for manned ground-attack force generation.

2026-04-24T18:18:14.422780-07:00

USAF graduates final class of new A-10 pilots as service winds toward Thunderbolt II retirement

Air Data News

F-22 Raptor gets first production anti-jam navigation upgrade for GPS-denied missions Northrop Grumman has delivered the first production unit of a new anti-jam navigation upgrade for the F-22 Raptor. The system is designed to enable GPS-denied or GPS-jammed operations, with the article noting the Navy’s E-2D will also receive a related navigation upgrade.

2026-04-24T16:24:01.316703-07:00

F-22 Raptor gets first production anti-jam navigation upgrade for GPS-denied missions

The War Zone

USAF plans to modify HH-60W Jolly Green II for VIP airlift and continuity-of-government “doomsday” evacuation missions, replacin The Air Force will modify its HH-60W Jolly Green II fleet for VIP airlift and continuity-of-government evacuation missions in Washington, D.C., moving away from aging UH-1N Twin Hueys. The change reframes the HH-60W as a broader continuity-of-operations platform, not only combat rescue.

2026-04-24T12:22:49.827182-07:00

USAF plans to modify HH-60W Jolly Green II for VIP airlift and continuity-of-government “doomsday” evacuation missions, replacin

DefenseNews.com

NATO builds momentum for Saab GlobalEye AWACS replacement amid shift away from Boeing E-3 Political momentum is reportedly building for NATO to pursue the Swedish-Canadian Saab GlobalEye as an AWACS-type solution, reflecting a shift away from Boeing’s E-3 Sentry fleet. The reported push comes as NATO reconsideres its broader airborne early warning posture.

2026-04-24T09:49:25.898469-07:00

NATO builds momentum for Saab GlobalEye AWACS replacement amid shift away from Boeing E-3

AeroTime

Russia warns European hosts of French Rafale nuclear-capable strategic bombers will become priority targets Russia’s deputy foreign minister, Grushko, said Moscow will add European nations that host French nuclear-capable Rafale aircraft to its priority target list following President Macron’s Gdansk visit. The warning ties potential hosting arrangements directly to “immediate” targeting in a conflict scenario.

2026-04-24T07:03:21.261074-07:00

Russia warns European hosts of French Rafale nuclear-capable strategic bombers will become priority targets

FlightGlobal

USAF and Netherlands formalize prototype Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) partnership The U.S. Air Force and the Netherlands Ministry of Defence have signed an agreement to acquire and develop a prototype Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) in the United States, advancing autonomy-focused human-machine teaming and cross-nation interoperability. The deal positions the Netherlands to plug into future allied air-combat experimentation using open-architecture approaches.

2026-04-24T04:13:50.483328-07:00

USAF and Netherlands formalize prototype Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) partnership

DefenseNews.com

Congress faces oversight challenge on the B-21 Raider stealth bomber program A congressional oversight gap is emerging around the B-21 Raider, a stealthy Air Force bomber program. With lawmakers balancing classified complexity against delivery and industrial-base expectations, the oversight environment is becoming a key factor in how the program is evaluated and steered.

2026-04-23T17:49:33.527366-07:00

Congress faces oversight challenge on the B-21 Raider stealth bomber program

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USAF extends life of B-1B and B-2 fleets, budgets nearly $1.7B for upgrades as B-21 transition slips

USAF graduates final class of new A-10 pilots as service winds toward Thunderbolt II retirement

F-22 Raptor gets first production anti-jam navigation upgrade for GPS-denied missions

Russia warns European hosts of French Rafale nuclear-capable strategic bombers will become priority targets

News Timeline