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Air Force Academy is buying 25 SR20 airplanes from Cirrus Aircraft of Duluth, Minn., for use in training cadets, reported the Colorado Springs Gazette. These two-seat trainers, which the Air Force is designating T-53As, will replace the academy’s leased fleet of Diamond DA-40s, according to the report. The new aircraft have a digital cockpit; they also come equipped with a built-in parachute called the Cirrus Airframe Parachute System that can be deployed in case of an emergency to control the aircraft’s rate of descent to enable a safe landing, according to the company’s website. The aircraft has a top cruising speed of almost 180 miles per hour and a maximum range of nearly 700 miles. Cadets are expected to begin training with the T-53s next January.
The Space Force awarded Northrop Grumman a $398 million contract to design and build a communications satellite prototype with advanced anti-jam and data processing capabilities. The service announced the contract for the Enhanced Protected Tactical SATCOM-Prototype program, or Enhanced PTS-P, May 15, and said the satellite will launch no sooner than…