Airmen 
from the 341st Missile Maintenance Squadron at Malmstrom AFB, Mont., have emplaced the final Minuteman III ICBM upgraded with new propellant and internal components in its silo. “We’re relieved it’s done,” said SSgt. Matthew Truitt, 341st MMXS missile handling team chief, who was among the airmen that fit the 68,000-pound missile in its launch facility earlier this month. The Air Force added new propellant to the boosters on its fleet of 450 Minuteman III missiles under the Propulsion Replacement Program. The changes were part of the modifications to keep these missiles viable out to at least 2020. The first 100 boosters did not initially receive the new internal components, just the propellant. So the Air Force went back and had them done later. Those first 100 were known as “2012 boosters” before the addition of the extra components. Now they are known as “2020 boosters,” just like the other upgraded Minuteman missiles. (Malmstrom report by SSgt. Dillon White)
Collaborative Combat Aircraft designs from Anduril and General Atomics passed their critical design reviews early in November, clearing the way for detailed production efforts to get underway, the Air Force said. How future versions will be upgraded is still under discussion.