Raytheon expects to demonstrate new target-recognition technology developed under Air Force Research Lab sponsorship this fall in the laboratory, leading to a flight evaluation next spring aboard a Raytheon test aircraft, the company said in a May 14 release. The company aims to show that software designed under its Air-to-Ground Radar Imaging II program would permit manned or unmanned aircraft equipped with current radar technology to detect, track, and target hostile forces in motion on the ground while operating from standoff distances of more than 50 miles away.
Depot-level maintenance took longer than expected for nearly three-quarters of Air Force aircraft from fiscal 2019-2024, according to a new report, as unplanned repairs rise across the aging fleet. The report, from the Government Accountability Office, also found that the extent of the delays has been masked because officials often revise their target timelines after unplanned work occurs.