Inside the Air Force highlights

Some must-reads from this week's issue of Inside the Air Force:

1. Senate defense authorizers this week laid out pieces of a plan to speed development of a next-generation battle management network to replace the E-8C Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System, to include legacy command-and-control aircraft, remotely piloted aircraft and a new target-tracking radar.

Full story: Senate floats plus-ups for ABMS as bills aim to block JSTARS retirement

2. Senate authorizers are asking the Defense Department for details on what it would take to upgrade the legacy GPS Operational Control Segment to match, or come close to matching, the capabilities being built into the troubled next-generation control segment development effort.

Full story: Senate policymakers want GPS OCX mitigation plan from DOD

3. Senate lawmakers want the Air Force to prototype capabilities to operate a tanker in a contested environment, providing funding in their mark of fiscal year 2019 defense policy legislation to pursue the effort.

Full story: Senate authorizers propose tanker prototyping to test unmanned, survivable capabilities

4. The Air Force's Low-Cost Attritable Aircraft Technology effort would get an $80 million boost under the Senate Armed Services Committee's version of the fiscal year 2019 defense policy bill, more than doubling the program's $50.5 million prototyping request.

Full story: Senate offers attritable UAS program an extra $80 million to speed prototyping