Advanced TechnologyBoeing Aims to Use 5G for Aircraft Maintenance Improvements Boeing is aiming to increase military aircraft mission capable rates and increase military technician safety through two efforts leveraging 5G technology—Autonomous Aircraft Inspection (AAI), using drones to take high-resolution photos of aircraft to…
Advanced TechnologyReplacing F-35 PTMS May Cost $3 Billion, Honeywell Estimates Whether and when the Lockheed Martin F-35 fighter will need a new Power and Thermal Management System (PTMS) or an upgrade has been a matter of debate within industry and the F-35 program.…
Advanced TechnologyUSAF Moving to Field KC-46A Communications "Backbone" DAYTON, Ohio – The U.S. Air Force intends to field a communications “backbone” for the Boeing KC-46A Pegasus in the next year in Capability Release 1 (CR1) of the service’s Advanced Battle…
MilitaryHouse Appropriators Propose Funding Reinstatement of $150M for AETP The House Appropriations Committee’s version of the fiscal 2024 defense funding bill turns back the U.S. Air Force’s proposal to cancel the Advanced Engine Transition Program (AETP) and provides $150 million for…
MilitaryUSAF Looks to Additive Manufacturing for Hypersonic Ground Testing The U.S. Air Force’s Arnold Engineering Development Complex (AEDC) in Tullahoma, Tennessee, wants additive manufacturing to aid the building of parts for DoD hypersonic test facilities, including Northrop Grumman‘s [NOC] Hypersonic Aerothermal…
AI & AutonomyUSAF Plans Sensor Testing for Autonomous F-16s The U.S. Air Force plans to integrate and test sensors, including advanced electronically scanned array radar, on autonomous F-16 fighters to feed the service’s Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) program. The Air…
MilitaryU.S. Air Force Decides on Engine Core Upgrade for F-35 Fighter The U.S. Air Force has decided to move forward on Raytheon Technologies‘ Pratt & Whitney Engine Core Upgrade (ECU) for the F-35 fighter and end the service’s Advanced Engine Transition Program (AETP), which…
MilitaryUSAF Budget to Include About a Dozen New Starts The upcoming U.S. Air Force fiscal 2024 budget request is to include about a dozen new start programs that will require congressional authorization, and Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall told reporters on…