Us Air Force One

New US Air Force policy denies transgender troops discharge hearings

The Air Force says in a new memo that transgender airmen ousted under a recent Trump administration directive will no longer have the chance to argue before a board of their peers for the right to continue serving their country. The memo dated Tuesday says military separation boards cannot independently decide whether to keep or discharge transgender airmen and instead must recommend separation of the member if the airman has a diagnosis of gender dysphoria when a person's biological sex does not match up with their gender identity. Military legal experts who have been advising transgender troops told The Associated Press that the new policy is unlawful, and while they were not aware of the other services releasing similar memos, they fear it could serve as a blueprint across the military. Advocacy groups say the change threatens to weaken trust in the military's leadership. It is the second policy change the Air Force has taken in recent weeks to crack down on transgender service

Luxury jet being gifted by Qatar will be temporary Air Force One: Trump

Under the arrangement, which officials from both countries have acknowledged discussing, Qatar would offer a luxury Boeing 747-8 jumbo jet for use as Air Force One

How secure is Air Force One and why is Trump considering a jet from Qatar?

The royal family of Qatar is set to gift an aircraft, hailed as a "flying palace", featuring lavish interiors with private bedrooms, elegant bathrooms and a staircase, to US President Donald Trump

'Gift, free of charge': Trump defends Air Force One jet deal with Qatar

Donald Trump defends a reported plan to use a Qatari Boeing 747 jet as temporary Air Force One while critics raise constitutional concerns over foreign government influence

Top 10 countries with most powerful air forces in 2025; Know India's rank

Leading with the most powerful air force globally is the United States Air Force, owing to its variety of cutting-edge aircraft like stealth fighters and strategic bombers

Trump slams Iran for slow nuclear talks, says they're 'tapping us along'

President Donald Trump complained Monday about the pace of nuclear talks between the United States and Iran as the two countries start a new round of pivotal negotiations. I think they're tapping us along, he said in the Oval Office during a meeting with El Salvador's president. The next meeting is expected to take place on Saturday in Rome, according to a source in the Italian government who spoke on condition of anonymity to The Associated Press because they weren't authorised to speak publicly. While Iran did not specifically acknowledge the plans, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the talks would happen in Rome while speaking to his Iraqi counterpart on Monday, according to the state-run Iraqi News Agency. Speaking of Iran, Trump said I want them to be a rich, great nation. However, he said these are radicalised people, and they cannot have a nuclear weapon." The first round of talks over Tehran's rapidly advancing nuclear programme took place over the weekend in Om

US Air Force intercepts aircraft flying in restricted zone near Mar-a-Lago

Air Force fighter jets intercepted a civilian aircraft flying in the temporarily restricted airspace near Donald Trump's Florida home Sunday, bringing the number of violations to more than 20 since the president took office on Jan. 20. North American Aerospace Defense Command said in a statement that Sunday's incident, which took place as Trump finished a round of golf at his West Palm Beach golf course, saw F-16s deploy flares to get the attention of the civilian pilot. Jets also conducted an intercept on Saturday morning shortly after Trump arrived at the course from his private Mar-a-Lago club and residence. The airspace intrusions in the heavily congested south Florida airspace have prompted fighter jet intercepts but did not alter Trump's schedule or impact his security, officials said. NORAD says the flares may have been visible from the ground but that they burn out quickly and don't pose danger. Federal officials maintain a permanent flight restriction over Trump's club that

Boeing names Jeff Shockey as new top lobbyist amid criticism from Trump

On Wednesday, Trump said he was not happy with Boeing for significant delays delivering next-generation Air Force One planes and warned he might pursue a new option

Prez Trump vents at Boeing, suggests 'different route' for Air Force One

Trump was personally involved in negotiations with Boeing for new versions of the planes - which have been in service for three decades - during his first term

Trump tours Boeing plane to highlight delay in delivering new Air Force One

President Donald Trump toured a Boeing airplane to check out new hardware and technology features and highlight the aircraft maker's delay in delivering updated versions of the Air Force One presidential aircraft, the White House said Saturday. Trump visited the 13-year-old private aircraft parked at Palm Beach International Airport. President Trump is touring a new Boeing plane to checkout the new hardware/technology," said Steven Cheung, the White House communications director. This highlights the project's failure to deliver a new Air Force One on time as promised. Air Force One is a modified Boeing 747. Two exist and the president flies on both of the more than 30-year-old planes. Boeing Inc. has the contract to produce updated versions, but delivery has been delayed while the aircraft maker has lost billions of dollars on the project. Delivery initially was set for 2024, but has been pushed to some time in 2027 for the first plane and in 2028 Trump's final year in office for

Trump signs executive order to rename 'Gulf of Mexico' as 'Gulf of America'

Donald Trump's order, titled 'Restoring Names That Honour American Greatness', instructs the US Secretary of the Interior to formalise the name change within 30 days

US F-35 fighter aircraft to feature at Aero India 2025 in Bengaluru

US Air Force's F-35 fifth generation fighter aircraft is participating at the Aero India air show that begins on Monday in BengaluruPreparations are on for the Aero India 2025; scheduled to be held from February 10-14 at Yelahanka Air Force Station in the city. Aero India 2025 is the 15th edition of Asia's top aerospace exhibition."For the 15th time, the United States is proud to participate in Aero India 2025 -- Asia's premier aerospace and defense trade show exhibition. The United States will showcase a range of advanced aircraft, reinforcing the strong and growing defense and aerospace partnership between the United States and India, which share a commitment to promoting regional security, stability, economic prosperity through diversified trade, and strategic investment ties," a statement by the US embassy stated.At Aero India 2025, more than two dozen American exhibitors will engage Indian counterparts, explore new business opportunities, and demonstrate innovative solutions in .

Boeing cleaned up on Air Force parts, including soap dispensers: Pentagon

Boeing overcharged the Air Force nearly USD 1 million for spare parts on C-17 cargo planes, including an 8,000 per cent markup for simple lavatory soap dispensers, according to the Pentagon's inspector general. The Defense Department's auditor reviewed prices paid for 46 spare parts on the C-17 from 2018 to 2022 and found that 12 were overpriced and nine seemed reasonably priced. It couldn't determine the fairness of prices on the other 25 items. The Office of the Inspector General said it reviewed the soap dispenser prices after getting a hotline tip. Boeing disputed the findings. We are reviewing the report, which appears to be based on an inapt comparison of the prices paid for parts that meet aircraft and contract specifications and designs versus basic commercial items that would not be qualified or approved for use on the C-17," Boeing said in a statement. We will continue to work with the OIG and the US Air Force to provide a detailed written response to the report in the .

Three suspected Houthi attacks target a ship off Yemen: US authorities

Three suspected attacks by Yemen's Houthi rebels targeted a ship in the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait linking the Gulf of Aden to the Red Sea, including one that saw private security guards shoot and destroy a bomb-loaded drone boat, authorities said Friday. The Houthis did not immediately claim the assaults, though they follow a monthslong campaign by the rebels targeting shipping through the Red Sea corridor over Israel's war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip. After a recent two-week pause, their attacks resumed following the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Iran, amid concerns of a wider regional war. Iran backs the Houthis as part of what it calls a regional Axis of Resistance. The operations are ongoing our operations toward occupied Palestine to target the Israeli enemy, our operations at sea, the inevitable forthcoming response, as well as coordination with the axis in any joint operations, warned the Houthi's secretive leader, Abdul Malik al-Houthi, in a speech ...

Next-generation US jet fighter programme may get hit by budget constraints

Sources briefed on the Air Force's internal budget deliberations said the anticipated 2026 fiscal-year NGAD budget of $3.1 billion would be slashed as funding shrinks

World UFO Day feted amid surge in sightings, government denials

Aliens? Or just balloons and crash test dummies? World UFO Day has its roots in the so-called Roswell Incident on July 2, 1947

US targets Houthi radar sites in Yemen after merchant sailor goes missing

The United States military unleashed a wave of attacks targeting radar sites operated by Yemen's Houthi rebels over their assaults on shipping in the crucial Red Sea corridor, authorities said Saturday, after one merchant sailor went missing following an earlier Houthi strike on a ship. The attacks come as the US Navy faces the most intense combat its seen since World War II in trying to counter the Houthi campaign attacks the rebels say are meant to halt the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip. However, the Iranian-backed rebel assaults often see the Houthis target ships and sailors who have nothing to do with the war while traffic remains halved through a corridor vital for cargo and energy shipments between Asia, Europe and the Mideast. US strikes destroyed seven radars within Houthi-controlled territory, the military's Central Command said. It did not elaborate on how the sites were destroyed and did not immediately respond to questions from The Associated Press. These radars ..

Germany looking into buying 8 additional Lockheed Martin F-35 fighter jets

The jets are equipped with advanced sensors and other gear, and nearly impossible to track with radar

AI pilot operates experimental F-16 fighter jet: What this means for war

With the midday sun blazing, an experimental orange and white F-16 fighter jet launched with a familiar roar that is a hallmark of US airpower. But the aerial combat that followed was unlike any other: This F-16 was controlled by artificial intelligence, not a human pilot. And riding in the front seat was Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall. AI marks one of the biggest advances in military aviation since the introduction of stealth in the early 1990s, and the Air Force has aggressively leaned in. Even though the technology is not fully developed, the service is planning for an AI-enabled fleet of more than 1,000 unmanned warplanes to be operating by 2028. It was fitting that the dogfight took place at Edwards Air Force Base, a vast desert facility where Chuck Yeager broke the speed of sound and the military has incubated its most secret aerospace advances. Inside classified simulators and buildings with layers of shielding against surveillance, a new test-pilot generation is training A