Pentagon acquisition officials cleared the Family of Advanced Beyond Line-of-Sight Terminals (FAB-T) to enter low-rate initial production following a successful review, officials at Hanscom AFB, Mass., announced. “FAB-T will allow seamless, uninterrupted command and control of our strategic forces in any denied-access arena,” Space and Missile Systems Center Commander Lt. Gen. Samuel Greaves said in the Oct. 26 release. The Air Force awarded Raytheon a $298 million production contract for 23 airborne terminals, and 61 ground stations in 2014. The airborne terminals will equip the Air Force E-4B and Navy E-6B Mercury nuclear command and control fleets. The overall $4.6 billion FAB-T program will enable the President and national leaders to secure satellite communications, as well as command and control of US strategic forces, even in a nuclear environment. In addition to AEHF and Milstar satcom, FAB-T will give leaders secure voice conferencing, emergency action message transmission, satellite telemetry, and strategic force report-back capabilities, according to the release. The Air Force also intends to equip its nuclear-capable B-2 and B-52 bombers, and RC-135 ISR aircraft with FAB-T terminals under a future contract. Full operational capability is planned for 2022.
Work Has Begun to Adapt Qatari 747 to Fly as Air Force One
Sept. 15, 2025
The Air Force has started modifying a Boeing 747 donated by Qatar for "executive airlift," a spokesperson said Sept. 15. President Donald Trump has said he wants to fly the jet as “Air Force One” since new presidential transports, held up by delays, won't be ready until after his term…
