“The Air Force needs to act fast to counter Chinese capabilities but still provide critical and cost-effective air support for counter extremist operations. The teaming-capable light fighter is the key to doing both. The light fighter will free up resources and training burdens for fifth-generation fighters while also building trust and confidence with autonomous loyal wingman aircraft,” writes Maj. Alex Biegalski, a pilot with the Syracuse Air National Guard and a former U-28A Draco pilot who is currently aiding the development of AI systems with the Air Force Research Laboratory and is a member of an action group defining light fighter capability requirements.
Polar Quake, a "proof-of-concept" exercise held for the first time, comes as the U.S. military focuses more on the Arctic, which climate change is making more accessible to friends and foes. For several days in mid-January, tactical air-control party Airmen, pararescuemen, and communications specialists deployed near Utqiagvik, the U.S.'s northernmost town, and Point Barrow, the U.S.'s northernmost point, to set up a network with which to "find, fix, track, target, engage, and assess" in the Arctic.
A report for the Defense Department inspector general said providing COVID-19 vaccines on bases was particularly important since they were less available in civilian facilities overseas. The report said the installations also had trouble identifying DOD employees and contractors eligible for the shot since they didn’t regularly come into the base for medical attention.
Defending against missile threats launched in, at, or through space has never been more challenging—or important. Learn more on Air Force Magazine’s Missile Warning & Defense page.
The Air Force must pay more than $230 million in damages to survivors and victims’ families of a 2017 Texas church massacre for failing to flag a conviction that might have kept the gunman from legally buying the weapon used in the shooting, a federal judge ruled in San Antonio on Feb. 7.
The overwhelming majority of Active-duty service members of color report having positive military experiences—but they and family members also report discrimination, racial slurs, racial profiling, and safety concerns, according to the results of a survey just released by Blue Star Families. Some of these families are making career decisions—such as whether to stay in the military or turn down orders to a new duty station—based on concerns related to their race or ethnicity.
Scientific Systems Company Inc. developed an artificial intelligence-enabled edge computer for the experiment known as POET, short for prototype on-orbit experimental testbed. The POET payload rode to orbit on a Loft Orbital satellite that launched June 30 on the SpaceX Transporter-2 rideshare mission. Autonomous data processing in space is a key technology sought by SDA so its satellites can analyze data ingested from third-party sources and send it back to users.
A UH-60A Black Hawk outfitted with the Aircrew Labor In-Cockpit Automation System, or ALIAS, flew over Fort Campbell, Ky., for 30 minutes with no humans on board. The helicopter, running through a preprogrammed mission, flew autonomously through a simulated “obstacle run” designed to look like New York City, DARPA and Sikorsky officials told reporters today. Through the half-hour simulation, the helicopter flew “through downtown Manhattan, with all the buildings,” said Igor Cherepinsky, director of Sikorsky Innovations. “The aircraft was avoiding potential buildings in real time. So think about the operational need for that.”
The U.S. Navy is asking personnel, employees, and their families in 11 European countries to update a master contact list with their information—a precaution that could help the service evacuate its people should Russia invade Ukraine. An administrative message published Feb. 4 orders Navy people and dependents in Belarus, Bulgaria, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, and Ukraine to ensure their contact information and location are accurate. These countries border Ukraine or Russia, except for Bulgaria, which borders the Black Sea where Russia has a naval fleet.
A Denver area-based hotel management company envisions a hotel to be built adjacent to the Air Force Academy's planned new visitors center as a "one-of-a- kind iconic property" that will pay tribute to flight. André Fournier, executive vice president of CoralTree Hospitality, which will manage the 375-room hotel, said the company hopes the hotel will become as linked to the academy as the historic Thayer Hotel near West Point is to the U.S. Military Academy and the upscale Westin Annapolis is to the Naval Academy.