MilitaryUSAF Expects to Field BTAR Fix for KC-46A Late in Fiscal 2027 The U.S. Air Force expects to field a fix for the stiff aerial refueling boom (ARB) on the Boeing KC-46A Pegasus tanker late in fiscal 2027. “The stiff boom deficiency is being…
AI & AutonomyMerlin to Integrate Its Mission Autonomy Software Onto Northrop Grumman M437 Boston-based Merlin said on July 30 that it is to integrate its Merlin Pilot autonomy software for Northrop Grumman‘s Beacon testbed project using the Scaled Composites Model 437 (M437) aircraft. Merlin said…
AI & AutonomyHASC Wants USAF to Lay Out Plan for Full-Scale Production of CCA Increment 1 The House Armed Services Committee (HASC) wants the U.S. Air Force to lay out its plan for full- scale production of Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) Increment 1. “The committee expects the Air…
AI & AutonomyGrynkewich: Autonomous Drones, Mass ‘Essential to European Security’ Proliferating systems in the European theater will be vital for bolstering NATO and deterring Russian revanchism, as Ukraine continues to battle Russia in the latter’s latest 2022 invasion of Ukraine, according to…
Editor's NoteB-52H Upgrades Face Supply Challenges BARKSDALE AFB, La.–Announced by Boeing in 2009 and first fielded in 2014, the company’s Combat Network Communications Technology (CONECT) upgrade for the B-52H has been to replace old displays and communications on…
MilitaryUSAF Says Wind Tunnel Testing Validated F130 Engine Inlet Redesign, As B-52 CERP Looks to Enter Development This Summer The U.S. Air Force said that wind tunnel testing that finished in early June validated inlet redesign of the Rolls-Royce F130 engine for the U.S. Air Force’s Commercial Engine Replacement Program (CERP)…
Electrification and SustainabilityAFWERX Agility Prime to Take Hit in FY 2026 Budget In the upcoming fiscal 2026 budget request, the U.S. Air Force is to request a winding down of the Agility Prime electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) project by the service’s AFWERX…
AI & AutonomyPrototype CCA Range to Be Greater Than F-35A and F-22 The range of the U.S. Air Force’s prototype autonomous Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) is to be at least 700 nautical miles–greater than the 590 nautical mile range of the Air Force F-22…