The combined Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve Command Weapons and Tactics Conference (WEPTAC), which met at Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz., in late October was the biggest to date, said Col. Jon Mott, commander of the ANG and AFRC Test Center in Tuscon. The annual conference, which brought together nearly 1,200 airmen to discuss warfighting requirements and tactics, this year included new mission areas such as space and cyberspace, where the active and reserve components are forming new partnerships, explained Mott. WEPTAC generates a tactics improvement proposal and a prioritized research, development, and acquisitions list of the “five most important, critical” warfighting needs, said Mott. Weapon system working groups discuss individual requirements, but then those groups also form up with other groups to discuss tactics for common missions. The WEPTAC experience prompted the Air Guard in September to conduct the first Domestic Operations Essential Requirements conference. (National Guard Bureau report by MSgt. Mike Smith)
The Air Force will likely award a contract or contracts for the first increment of Collaborative Combat Aircraft in late September or early October, sources familiar with the program said. It’s not yet been decided if the Air Force will carry one or both of its Increment 1 competitors—Anduril and…