Inside the Air Force highlights

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

1. Aerojet Rocketdyne announced this week it completed a successful critical design review for its AR1 rocket engine development and expects to begin full-scale testing next year. Meanwhile, the company is awaiting a decision from the Air Force on whether it will provide a second wave of development funding for the effort.

Full Story: Aerojet's AR1 passes critical design; company awaits more USAF funding

2. The military still lacks a technical solution for next-generation nuclear command, control and communications, though the operational requirements are "in good shape," the leader of U.S. Strategic Command told Inside the Air Force this week.

Full Story: Pentagon wrestling with closed nuke C3 in the cloud-computing era

3. L3 Technologies officials said in a recent earnings call the Air Force's decision to use a lead systems integrator for the EC-130H Compass Call cross-deck effort could become a trend as the service recapitalizes its intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft.

Full Story: L3: Role in EC-130H cross-deck could position company for other ISR recaps