US military taps commercial space firms for hypersonic testing program

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In a March 2024 flight test, Stratolaunch’s Roc aircraft took off from California’s Mojave Spaceport and, after reaching its designated position off the California coast, released its payload, the Talon-A test vehicle, designed to test hypersonic flight profiles. Stratolaunch celebrated a successful test but remained tight-lipped about who would use the hypersonic test vehicle. Those customers... Read more about US military taps commercial space firms for hypersonic testing program
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Wright State Boonshoft School of Medicine, AFRL researchers collaborate on study of individuals’ risk to toxicants

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Wright State University’s Boonshoft School of Medicine has launched a research project that could reveal why individuals respond differently to exposures such as burn pits or other military-relevant chemicals. The study breaks new ground in identifying key components, which differ between individuals, that may trigger diverse molecular responses to the same chemical exposures. The project is... Read more about Wright State Boonshoft School of Medicine, AFRL researchers collaborate on study of individuals’ risk to toxicants
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New Air Force Plan: Just 7 Aircraft Maintenance AFSCs

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A new Air Force memo lays out how the service aims to condense its list of more than 50 aircraft maintenance job specialties down to seven, starting in 2027. In a memo dated Jan. 24, maintenance career field managers at Headquarters Air Force said the change will focus younger maintainers on entry-level tasks and free up experienced hands for more technical work. The memo was leaked on the... Read more about New Air Force Plan: Just 7 Aircraft Maintenance AFSCs
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U.S. military space tracking systems strain under new threats

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U.S. military officials are scrambling to upgrade decades-old systems that track objects in space — a critical capability they say is falling dangerously behind modern threats — as thousands of new satellites crowd Earth’s orbit and rival powers demonstrate increasingly sophisticated space capabilities. Military leaders and industry experts warn that this Cold War-era tracking infrastructure and... Read more about U.S. military space tracking systems strain under new threats
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INDUSTRY PERSPECTIVE: Transforming Acquisitions With Digital Electronic Systems Engineering

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At the 2024 Air, Space and Cyber Conference, Norm Augustine was presented the Lifetime Achievement Award, rightfully recognizing his significant contributions to aerospace. With the many achievements cited, there was a glaring omission. There was no mention of his entertaining and clairvoyant book, “Augustine’s Laws.” When he was undersecretary of the Army, he made a series of tongue-in-cheek... Read more about INDUSTRY PERSPECTIVE: Transforming Acquisitions With Digital Electronic Systems Engineering
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AFRL Digital Transformation Champion Urges People to Embrace, Not Fear AI

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Home / News ORLANDO, Fla. – If Alexis Bonnell had her way, every person would embrace Artificial Intelligence (AI) fearlessly as a tool that gives them back “minutes for their mission” and enables them to “tackle the toil” of mundane work tasks. The charismatic former Googler, now serving as chief information officer and director of Digital Capabilities Directorate for the Air Force Research Lab... Read more about AFRL Digital Transformation Champion Urges People to Embrace, Not Fear AI
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Air Force to brief industry on projects for combat identification of ocean targets using machine learning

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WRIGHT-PATTERSON AFB, Ohio – U.S. Air Force researchers will brief industry next month on two initiatives that seek to locate and identify ocean targets from satellites and aircraft imagery; and improve predictive air-to-air combat identification. Officials of the Sensors directorate of the Air Force Research Laboratory will brief industry on the upcoming Maritime Automated Ingestion for Scene... Read more about Air Force to brief industry on projects for combat identification of ocean targets using machine learning
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New engine for B-52J passes design review on time, but upgrade program still lags

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The B-52’s new engine, the Rolls Royce F130, has cleared its critical design review, meaning it can enter final development, test, and production on time, the company announced Dec. 13. However, the overall B-52J upgrade, which is integrated by Boeing, continues to run about three years behind. The review of the F130 “is the culmination of over two years of detailed design work and close... Read more about New engine for B-52J passes design review on time, but upgrade program still lags
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AFWERX Says Agility Prime eVTOLs Lack Range, Shifts To Hybrid

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In a significant shift of its strategy, the U.S. Air Force’s AFWERX Agility Prime program has acknowledged that the battery-powered electric-vertical-takeoff-and-landing (eVTOL) aircraft it has been funding and testing over the past four years lacks the range necessary to be useful over the vast reaches of its operational theaters, such as across the Pacific Ocean. “We’re always balancing... Read more about AFWERX Says Agility Prime eVTOLs Lack Range, Shifts To Hybrid
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Allvin: USAF Force Design Maps Out Plan to Scale Up—or Down

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Air Force Chief of Staff David W. Allvin said the principal aim of his much-advertised but still secret force design is to refine the service’s thinking and give it options to maneuver in the face of evolving threats—or different budgets. “The design is, it’s almost more conceptual, but we’re designing the force to be able to account for the environment. That environment is one that has varying... Read more about Allvin: USAF Force Design Maps Out Plan to Scale Up—or Down
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