Raytheon officials said the company successfully tested its Secure Mobile Anti-Jam Reliable Tactical Terminal with the Air Force’s on-orbit Advanced Extremely High Frequency communications satellite. AEHF-1 has been in space since August 2010 and last month reached its operational position, allowing operational testing to commence. In this testing, SMART-T demonstrated interoperable communications using the AEHF satellite’s eXtended Data Rate waveform, moving data more than five times faster than previous EHF systems, said the officials in a company release. “This increased capability will provide our armed services with more mission flexibility and significantly increased capacity to provide protected voice, data, and video communications supporting strategic and tactical missions,” said Scott Whatmough, Raytheon’s vice president of integrated communication systems. SMART-T is in production and already fielded by the Army, according to the company.
Air Force Changes Rules for Pregnant Aircrew—Again
April 3, 2025
The Air Force is changing its policy for pregnant aircrew, generally reverting to rules set in 2019 that barred female aviators from flying during the first trimester—or from flying in aircraft with ejection seats at all—due to potential risks to the pilot and her unborn fetus.