“There’s been some exceptional recognition ... but it is not at all where I want it to be,” Air Mobility Command boss Gen. Mike Minihan said. The shortfall makes it more difficult for the service to fill a pilot shortage of around 2,000 people that has persisted for years. Key to benchmarking the Air Force’s future communication abilities is the Shadow Operations Center-Nellis, or ShOC-N, in Nevada. The Air Force secretary wants his department to start implementing changes by January 2024 and move rapidly that year. The Senate added a slimmed-down version of this proposal to its NDAA, and the Air Force is talking to the House to ensure it stays in the final version. The F-35 Joint Program Office says the upgraded jet is showing software troubles in flight tests, prompting it to push the schedule back. The F-15EX took part in 19 large-force events to test how well it could integrate with fifth-generation aircraft and fire missiles. GhostEye MR is a medium-range radar that can detect, track and identify threats including cruise missiles and drones. In recent years, the advanced digital engineering techniques the service once thought would be revolutionary have not always panned out. Ukrainian pilots with prior experience flying other fighters could learn to fly the F-16 in as short as five months, the Air Force said. Load More