The Air Force intends to purchase 12 General Atomics MQ-9 Reapers for $361 million in fiscal year 2020.
Monday, May 6, 2024
Monday, May 6, 2024
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Sara Sirota was an associate editor for Inside the Air Force until April 2021. 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 intends to purchase 12 General Atomics MQ-9 Reapers for $361 million in fiscal year 2020.
The milestone B decision and engineering and manufacturing development phase for the Air Force's new land-based nuclear deterrent are each scheduled to begin about three months earlier than expected.
Following successful testing, the Air Force is pressing forward with an ambitious effort to field directed-energy weapons and expects high-power microwave prototypes to be delivered this year, according to a senior Air Force Research Laboratory official.
The Air Force aims to field an unmanned autonomous vehicle that can serve as a platform for operational artificial intelligence by the end of 2023, according to the program's manager.
The Air Force estimates a total cost of $643 million over the next five fiscal years for directed energy basic research to support aircraft protection, force protection and precision strike.
The Air Force is launching a three-phased strategy for its new Advanced Battle Management System, a family of systems that will use data from separate sensors to provide battle management and command-and-control capability.
The recovery of Tyndall Air Force Base, FL, devastated by Hurricane Michael last October, will require $750 million in supplemental funding in fiscal year 2019, according to Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson.
The Air Force is requesting $36 million for research and development for the Advanced Battle Management System in fiscal year 2020, according to spokeswoman Capt. Cara Bousie.
The Air Force is seeking to expand its missile inventory and hypersonics research, according to its fiscal year 2020 defense budget request.
The Air Force's $165.5 billion fiscal year 2020 budget request -- a $10 billion increase over FY-19 -- would buy 48 F-35s, procure eight new F-15EX fighters, boost research and development efforts by more than $4 billion and fund the creation of a Space Force headquarters.
Preston Dunlap joined the office of the assistant secretary of the Air Force for acquisition, technology and logistics as chief architect this week, according to service spokeswoman Capt. Hope Cronin.
Kratos' XQ-58A Valkyrie long-range, high subsonic unmanned aerial system completed its inaugural flight March 5, according to a Wright-Patterson Air Force Base news release.
The Air Force's fuel consumption decreased by 6.2 percent between fiscal years 2017 and 2018, but costs rose by $230 million during the same time frame, according to a service spokesman.
An Air Force instruction published last month mandates the use of energy-specific key performance parameters and supportability analyses for new acquisition programs.
Funds used to repair damages at Tyndall Air Force Base, FL, taken from existing operations and maintenance accounts, will likely not be diverted to pay for President Trump's southern border wall, an Air Force official told a House subcommittee this week.
The operations center of the Air Force's deployable air traffic control surveillance system will move temporarily to Tyndall Air Force Base, FL, resulting in a four-month delay to the program schedule, according to a service spokeswoman.
U.S. Strategic Command's long-awaited move into a headquarters facility at Offutt Air Force Base, NE, will likely begin next week, the head of the organization told lawmakers at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing today.
The Combat Rescue Helicopter program office is aiming for a September 2019 milestone C decision, despite concerns from the Pentagon’s senior weapons tester.
The Air Force is hosting a second experiment this fall to determine whether off-the-shelf directed energy technology can be used to counter unmanned aerial systems, and if successful, the service intends to acquire this technology using accelerated acquisition authorities, according to a Feb. 8 announcement.
The Air Force Research Laboratory is calling for industry insight into the bioeffects of directed-energy applications, according to a Feb. 12 request for information published on Federal Business Opportunities.