Air Force Priorities - Defense News

Former Air Force acquisition boss joins drone maker Volansi

Roper will help the Volansi grow its business in the defense market, the company said.
MDA says Alaska-based missile defense radar will be operational in 2021

The Air Force’s powerful radar being built in Alaska that will be able to detect and track ballistic and hypersonic is on track to reach initial operational capability by the end of 2021, according to the Missile Defense Agency.
NORAD is using artificial intelligence to see the threats it used to miss

NORAD’s Pathfinder program uses machine learning to fuse data from more than 300 sensors into a common operating picture.

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Air Force general worried US won’t field sixth-gen fighter in time to beat China

America’s adversaries will “suffer a very tough day” if faced with the Next Generation Air Dominance system, the head of Air Combat Command says.
Report broadens conversation on space militarization and Space Force satellite defense

The Center for Strategic and International Studies outlines the various threats posed to space systems and the strategies the Space Force can adopt to counter them.
Top US Air Force general isn’t ready to buy E-7 Wedgetail just yet

“It would be premature for me to commit to the Wedgetail right now, or a timeline,” says Gen. CQ Brown.
Space Force chief sees larger role for commercial industry in its missions

“Almost every mission that we do in space has a commercially viable path,” Gen. Jay Raymond said.
Air Force general busts myth that enemies always try to stop rivals’ communications

What adjustments must the military make to counter adversaries that want to get inside communications systems instead of cutting them?
‘Too early to say’ when B-52 engine contract will be awarded

Companies are still moving through the process of furnishing the government with additional information about their proposals.
Lockheed Martin has a new F-35 sustainment proposal for the Pentagon that may improve readiness

The new proposal may not lead to the massive savings Lockheed pitched with its more expansive first pitch.
Air Force Research Laboratory wants to add more Vanguard programs

As AFRL targets its investments on transformational capabilities, the lab wants to have three to six Vanguard programs in development at any one time.
Despite growing pains, KC-46 tanker will begin ‘limited operations’

Due to technical problems, the KC-46 will remain prohibited from operating in combat.
Air Force to begin assembly of airborne laser

The Self-Protect High Energy Laser Demonstrator (SHiELD) program’s goal is to build a laser weapon that can be installed on fighter jets to take out incoming missiles.
US Air Force eyes budget-conscious, clean-sheet fighter jet to replace the F-16

An ongoing study will help the Air Force decide whether to add more types of tactical aircraft to its inventory.
The ‘Bone’ heads to the boneyard

The Air Force retired the first of 17 B-1 bombers planned to be divested as part of the fiscal 2021 budget.
Special ops still bullish on new armed overwatch plane

A demo of off-the-shelf aircraft is set to occur this year.
An engine shortage is the newest problem to hit the F-35 enterprise

By 2022, five to six percent of the F-35 fleet could be without engines, a defense official said.
The tiny tech lab that put AI on a spyplane has another secret project

Software updates? Check. AI copilot? Check. So what comes next?
These three companies won contracts for DARPA’s new LongShot drone

LongShot will be able to launch from a fighter or bomber and then repeatedly attack targets with its own weapons cache.
US Air Force’s ‘Golden Horde’ swarming munitions program to get second chance

The next test will involve four networked bombs capable of shifting its target as the battlefield changes.