Thursday, February 13, 2025
Leigh Giangreco covered unmanned air vehicles, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, munitions and the nuclear enterprise until June 2016. Previously, she has reported for the Delmarva Media Group, USA Today, The Washington Examiner and The Durango Herald.
Transcranial direct-current stimulation, a new technology that sends electric impulses to the brain in an effort to enhance cognitive skills, could impact airmen across the service from fighter to RPA pilots, but the chief scientist at the Air Force Research Laboratory's 711th Human Performance Wing is cautioning against a rush to field the capability.
The Air National Guard is discussing allowing enlisted pilots to perform missions carried out by Predator and Reaper unmanned air systems, according to the director of the Guard.
In the case of a domestic nuclear attack or detonation of a dirty bomb, the Air Force could deploy small, unmanned aerial vehicles from cities around the country to collect information rapidly and without exposing humans in a cockpit to high levels of radiation.
A study from the Air Force Office of Transformational Innovation has found that the use of a common business jet would not offer significant cost savings for multiple battle management command-and-control platform recapitalizations, according to the office's director.
A milestone A decision on the Air Force's Long-Range Standoff Weapon is expected this month, service officials told Inside the Air Force this week.
U.S. Special Operations Command plans to field a new precision-guided munition, the small glide munition built by Dynetics, on its AC-130J and AC-130W gunships by April 2017, according to industry and SOCOM officials.
The Air Force anticipates achieving a milestone C decision for its Combat Rescue Helicopter recapitalization around June 2019, moving the program at least eight months ahead of schedule, the Air Force's CRH program manager told Inside the Air Force this week.
As radio frequencies become more cluttered by both military and commercial communications, the Defense Department is looking to develop new situational awareness systems and spectrum control capability on its testing ranges.
While Congress debates the acquisition strategy for the UH-1N Huey helicopter replacement, the Joint Staff is evaluating a request from U.S. Strategic Command for more forces to help maintain security at intercontinental ballistic missile sites.
The Pentagon's top procurement official is asking the Air Force to further examine the cost of the Long-Range Standoff Weapon, but there is no question the Defense Department will move ahead with the program, according to the service's deputy chief of staff for strategic deterrence and nuclear integration.
Highlights from this week's Inside the Air Force.
The Air Force is looking to conduct high-energy laser beam control research using its small-scale wind tunnel and tactical beam control laboratory housed at Kirtland Air Force Base, NM, according to a May 18 request for information posted on the Federal Business Opportunities website.
A recent draft study published by the under secretary of defense for intelligence examining the European Partner Integration Enterprise could have implications for the future of the Air Force's Distributed Common Ground System, according to the service's director for DCGS.
Senate authorizers proposed funding in their mark of the fiscal year 2017 defense policy bill to support key hypersonics testing facilities, pointing to a larger effort to maintain critical test infrastructure and accelerate hypersonic weapons development.
The Air Force has awarded Boeing a $3.2 billion contract modification to continue developing the guidance system for the Joint Direct Attack Munition, the Defense Department announced Tuesday.
Some must-reads from this week's Inside the Air Force.
The Senate Armed Services Committee is pushing the Air Force to use enlisted pilots for the majority of its remotely piloted aircraft missions, urging the service to adopt the Army's operator training model despite hesitation from the service to use non-officer personnel to perform kinetic strikes.
The Senate Armed Services Committee is recommending fencing off funding for the EC-130H Compass Call recapitalization unless the Air Force conducts an open competition to acquire a replacement aircraft, but some Senate authorizers are still pushing for a sole-source option.
Senate authorizers have called on the Air Force to deliver options to accelerate the recapitalization of its Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System fleet, including alternatives that would push initial operational capability two years ahead of the service's schedule.
The Air Force is preparing to release a technology-maturation and risk-reduction contract request for proposals this month for its Ground Based Strategic Deterrent System.