Michael Scanlon
Contributor
Michael Scanlon is a defense journalist covering air and space warfare. A former U.S. Air Force A-10 crew chief, he has supported land and sea programs for the U.S. Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard.
All Stories By Michael
An Air Force robot made the C-17 part no vendor would
A U.S. Air Force robot made a replacement part for a damaged C-17 Globemaster III when no vendor would.
Boeing wins first production contract for jet-powered JDAM
Boeing won the first production contract for a jet-powered guided bomb that can fly more than 300 nautical miles.
F-15EX drops bombs from an operational unit for the first time
Test crews at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, previously dropped bombs from an F-15EX, but this is the first time an operational squadron has done so.
The BRRRRT Act would keep more Warthogs flying and force the Air Force to reverse course
The bill comes as the Air Force has ramped up A-10 divestment yet has not identified the aircraft that can, and will, replace the storied plane.
US Air Force turns to cheaper cruise missiles it can buy by the thousands
The U.S. Air Force is turning to cruise missiles it can buy by the thousand, cheap enough to shoot many for less than it once cost to shoot one.
Pilot shut off fuel supply, leading to October 2025 Skyraider II crash, Air Force finds
A student pilot reached for the wrong fuel control in his Block-1 OA-1K Skyraider II, forcing a crash-landing, an Air Force investigation found.
House backs $1.55 billion to revive E-7 Wedgetail, spares Navy Hawkeye
The White House budget office wants to raid a Navy radar-plane account and a classified Air Force line to pull the E-7 Wedgetail back from the dead.
F-35 program chief warns fleet has outgrown its support system amid record-low readiness
The hearing comes on the heels of a Government Accountability Office report this month that found just one in four F-35s were fully mission capable.
