Air Mobility Command said Jan. 10 that the Air Force had not yet accepted the completed design of the proposed replacement for the KC-46’s Remove Vision System, RVS 2.0, or closed its preliminary design review. AMC originally expected that review, held in May 2021, to close in fall 2021, a spokesperson said.
Air Force Special Operations Command boss Lt. Gen. James C. “Jim” Slife is calling for an inspector general investigation after claims surfaced of his organization unfairly pushing an unqualified female Airman through special tactics officer training. If she completes the program, she would become the first woman to make it into the elite special tactics field, a major win for the Air Force.
The U.S. and Japan agreed Jan. 9 to keep American troops within their bases as worries grew about a sharp rise in coronavirus cases in the country. The restrictions starting Jan.10 will last 14 days, confining U.S. military personnel to base facilities except for “essential activities,” a statement from U.S. Forces in Japan said. The Japanese Foreign Ministry released the same statement.
Four more deaths in the final days of 2021 capped off what have been the military’s deadliest months of the pandemic. After reporting a total of 14 deaths in 2020, the services jumped from 27 deaths overall in June to 86 total, making the 2021 toll for service members 72. All eight deaths reported in December were either members of the Reserve or National Guard who were given extra time to finish their mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations.
Millennium Space Systems' CEO explains why the Space Force's Track Custody Prototype program is so critical. “The threats are here now, and they’re getting more advanced,” said Jason Kim, CEO of Millennium Space Systems, a subsidiary of The Boeing Company.
In episode 58 of the Aerospace Advantage podcast, host John “Slick” Baum engages with the Mitchell Institute’s Explorer Chair for Space Warfighting Studies retired Gen. Kevin Chilton. Chilton flew RF-4s and F-15s then moved to the test pilot community, then to NASA, going to space three times and serving as the deputy program manager for operations for the International Space Station. He later held commands including those of Air Force Space Command and U.S. Strategic Command.
Military bases are still housing about 19,500 Afghan refugees as they seek resettlement in the U.S., according to the Department of Homeland Security. The refugees are now spread across five domestic bases, with the highest number—9,700 Afghans—being hosted by Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J. Thousands more are at facilities in Wisconsin, Virginia, Indiana, and New Mexico.
GPS III satellites are already a substantial upgrade to the current constellation, providing three times greater accuracy and eight times better anti-jamming capability than their predecessors. In addition to introducing a new civil signal that is compatible with other navigation satellite systems, the five GPS III satellites on orbit completed the space component of M-code—an even more secure and accurate signal for military use.
The Air Force is at a crossroads when it comes to its efforts to drive software innovation within the service branch and the wider Defense Department. In mid-November, the Air Force’s Platform One and Kessel Run innovation units signed an agreement to collaborate and support each other’s efforts. Meanwhile, the service branch is on the hunt for a new chief software officer following the stormy departure last year of Nicolas Chaillan, the Air Force’s first head of software. Taken together, they point to a desire to streamline software efforts and drive momentum around IT innovation, including DevSecOps and other leading-edge software initiatives in government.
A robot described as ‘Roomba for runways’ that’s under development for the Air Force could help prevent foreign objects from damaging aircraft. Foreign object debris, or FOD—anything that is not supposed to be on the tarmac—causes an estimated $4 billion in losses each year to the aviation industry.