DefenseNews

Joby’s air taxis to help US Air Force usher in electric aviation era

September 25, 2023
WASHINGTON — The Air Force’s project to add electric air taxis to its fleet took a big step forward Monday, as Joby Aviation delivered the first such vehicle to Edwards Air Force Base in California for real-world testing. AFWERX, the Air Force’s innovation cell, launched its Agility Prime effort in 2020 to work with industry to develop electric vertical takeoff-and-landing aircraft. Until…
Read more
DefenseNews

GAO blasts contractor-led F-35 maintenance as costly, slow

September 22, 2023
WASHINGTON — A lack of spare parts and technical data, poor training of maintainers, and a lagging effort to expand repair depots are dragging down the U.S. military’s ability to keep the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter in the air, a government watchdog said in a report…
DefenseNews

Army picks four to build robotic combat vehicle prototypes

September 21, 2023
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Army selected McQ, Textron Systems, General Dynamics Land Systems and Oshkosh Defense to build light robotic combat vehicle prototypes for a total of nearly $25 million, the service said Sept. 20. The companies have until August 2024 to build the prototypes and deliver them to the Army for testing and evaluation with soldiers. This marks the first phase of a competition…
Read more
DefenseNews

Biden taps Melissa Dalton for Air Force’s No. 2 civilian post

September 21, 2023
President Joe Biden on Thursday named Melissa Dalton as his pick to serve as the next under secretary of the Air Force, a shift from her current Pentagon post as the top civilian defense leader on homeland security issues. If confirmed, Dalton would replace Gina Ortiz Jones…
DefenseNews

KC-135 tanker autopilot now safer to use in flight, Air Force says

September 21, 2023
Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker pilots are inching closer to normal operations after incremental software fixes to the tanker’s glitchy autopilot have led the service to ease flight restrictions on the jets. Airmen are now allowed to fly KC-135s with the Block 45 software upgrade — which includes the autopilot in question — at altitudes below 10,000 feet, Air Mobility Command boss Gen. Mike…
Read more
DefenseNews

Old is new again as Air Force special ops branch revamps training

September 19, 2023
NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. — Air Force Special Operations Command is going back to the future. As the U.S. enters its third year since 2001 without major combat operations, AFSOC Commander Lt. Gen. Tony Bauernfeind sees an opportunity to reset how the Air Force trains its most elite corps — and he’s looking to the 1990s for inspiration. “The intent, as we’re looking at all of our pipelines, is…
Read more