According to a Washington Post report, Air Force officials said last week that the move to encrypt video feeds from MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper remotely piloted vehicles will take until at least 2014. An earlier Wall Street Journal report sparked the ongoing debate over the implications for current operations, but the Post noted, too, that Adm. Mike Mullen, Joint Chiefs Chairman, said Friday that there are no reports of operational damage from the vulnerability. The insurgents have been able to see what the RPVs see, but they have not gained control of the vehicles.
The Air Force and Boeing agreed to a nearly $2.4 billion contract for a new lot of KC-46 aerial tankers on Nov. 21. The deal, announced by the Pentagon, is for 15 new aircraft in Lot 11 at a cost of $2.389 billion—some $159 million per tail.