The Air Force Research Lab has given $12.5 million to General Electric to provide a near-term solution making aircraft immune to electromagnetic environmental effects. GE must demonstrate that aircraft flight control, electric actuation, and power management and distribution subsystems are resilient against high power microwaves and electromagnetic pulses—by November 2011.
Amid NATO’s continued push to ramp up air defenses in Eastern Europe, Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall swung by seven allied countries to boost relations last week, including those on Russia’s and Ukraine’s doorstep.