RC-135V/W Rivet Joint is a dedicated electronic intelligence platform, adapted from the legacy C-135 airframe and extensively modified to perform signal intelligence (SIGINT) tasks.

RC135 Spy Plane Deployment: US Expands Intelligence Capabilities in Asia-Pacific as RC-135V Spy Plane Lands in Australia

United States Air Force RC-135V Rivet Joint aircraft and its team of 55 personnel from the 82nd Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron operated from Royal Australian Air Force Base Darwin between May 19 and 23, 2025. Though officially assigned to the 55th...
Boeing F-47. U.S. Air Force

US Offers F-47 Stealth Fighter to Japan Amid GCAP Uncertainties: A Strategic Crossroads in Indo-Pacific Air Power

The trajectory of sixth-generation fighter programs and regional security alignments, reports indicate that U.S. President Donald Trump has extended an offer to sell the newly unveiled F-47 stealth fighter jet to Japan. If confirmed, this would mark the first formal...
Boeing B-52 with AGM-69A SRAM missiles loaded under wing pylons

The Rise, Reign, and Retirement of the AGM-69 SRAM: A Cold War Nuclear Spearhead

In the thick fog of Cold War tensions, the United States Air Force (USAF) was under relentless pressure to stay ahead of evolving Soviet defenses. The survival of its manned bomber fleet—and, by extension, the credibility of U.S. nuclear deterrence—depended...
YFQ-44A production representative test vehicle is staged in a testing chamber at Costa Mesa, Calif.

Uncrewed Fighters Take Flight: USAF Unveils General Atomics’ YFQ-42A and Anduril’s YFQ-44A as Future of Air Combat

The United States Air Force has officially lifted the curtain on the YFQ-42A and YFQ-44A — the first generation of purpose-built, jet-powered, uncrewed fighter aircraft designed to fight alongside and beyond human-piloted jets. General David Allvin, Chief of Staff of...