Thursday, January 21, 2021
Sara Sirota is an associate editor for Inside the Air Force. Previously, she reported for The Hill and The Cazenovia Republican. She has a master's degree in security studies from Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service and a bachelor's degree in political science from Colgate University.
The Air Force Research Laboratory is fixing its software processes for the next flight test of the experimental Golden Horde swarming weapons capability after an unforeseen error hindered successful airstrikes last month, according to Col. Garry Haase, commander of AFRL's munitions directorate.
Air Force acquisition executive Will Roper is responding to intense congressional pushback against his bypassing of the traditional requirements process for his prized Advanced Battle Management System by signing a formal acquisition strategy ahead of President-elect Biden's inauguration.
Pentagon chief weapons tester Robert Behler warns the MH-139A Grey Wolf program's continued delays obtaining a military flight release is not only driving the Air Force to rely on suboptimal, contractor-led testing but potentially jeopardizing the milestone C decision to begin production.
The Air Force's decision last year to bet on Raytheon to build the multibillion-dollar Long Range Standoff Weapon and later remove Lockheed Martin from the program entirely may have come down to inferior design performance by the latter company.
The Golden Horde program flew a "collaborative autonomy" payload on Small Diameter Bombs for the first time last month but ran into a software update issue that drove the weapons to strike a failsafe target, the Air Force announced in a press release Thursday.
Air Force Chief Software Officer Nicolas Chaillan has demanded a heightened defense posture following the recent massive SolarWinds breach and warns the service is bound to be a major target for cyberattacks in the years ahead.
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is in discussions with several military organizations to eventually take over its Gremlins drone program, but recent setbacks have delayed any transition to 2023 at the earliest.
The Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System program will soon begin testing a new key engine component and install updated pylons on the E-8C aircraft as part of a broader effort to mitigate the 1960s-era jet's many sustainment challenges.
The Air Force's new search-and-rescue helicopter program is running about two months behind schedule to achieve key milestones as a result of reduced testing site availability and production-related issues amid the COVID-19 pandemic, service spokesman Brian Brackens told Inside Defense.
The Air Force has partnered with Volansi, a logistics company providing vertical-takeoff-and-landing drones, to support the Skyborg autonomous aircraft program, the Defense Department announced Monday.
Lawmakers delivered a major blow to Air Force leadership today by stripping nearly half the funding the service requested to develop the Advanced Battle Management System in their fiscal year 2021 defense spending bill.
The Air Force is willing to consider buying used commercial derivative aircraft for its replacement to the E-4B National Airborne Operations Center, according to a Dec. 18 industry notice.
The Air Force is ready to integrate artificial intelligence with "attritable" drones and may soon put ARTUµ -- an algorithm that controlled a U-2 Dragon Lady's sensor and navigation systems in flight earlier this week -- inside a Skyborg aircraft, according to service acquisition executive Will Roper.
The Air Force Research Laboratory has demonstrated the Tactical High-Power Operational Responder directed-energy weapon's ability to defend bases from airborne threats during a recent test deployment to Africa, according to the service's chief scientist. (UPDATED)
The Air Force made a significant breakthrough in advancing human-machine teaming Tuesday when an artificial intelligence algorithm operated a U-2 Dragon Lady's sensor and navigation systems during a flight demonstration -- the first time AI has controlled any part of an aircraft in U.S. military history.
A communications gateway prototype successfully facilitated a secure two-way data path across multiple platforms but lost connectivity while integrated with an XQ-58A Valkyrie during the drone’s first semi-autonomous flight alongside F-22 and F-35 fighter jets, the Air Force announced in a press release Monday.
The Air Force has finished a round of record-breaking hypersonic weapons experiments with an air-breathing engine and is planning an initial flight demonstration of the boost-glide Air-Launched Rapid Response Weapon later this month.
The Air Force Research Laboratory has successfully demonstrated a small warhead designed to increase the distance high-speed weapons can travel.
Three X-61A Gremlins drones failed to enter the proper position for mid-flight recovery during the program’s latest test, again delaying the long-awaited first demonstration of the signature airborne retrieval system to 2021, according to a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency press release Thursday.
The Air Force released a solicitation Wednesday inviting defense industry companies to apply for a $953 million contract to support more aggressive U.S. air base air defense (ABAD) in Europe and Africa as the service adapts its power projection concepts to operate under a greater threat of attack.