In a first, Reaper makes highway landing, Air Force says

In a first, Reaper makes highway landing, Air Force says
In a first, Reaper makes highway landing, Air Force says

During a military exercise in Wyoming, an MQ-9 Reaper made history by conducting its first highway landing alongside what the Air Force says is the greatest number of aircraft to pull off the tactic.

AFSOC AC-130J gunship to fire laser weapon in flight test in 2023

AFSOC AC-130J gunship to fire laser weapon in flight test in 2023
AFSOC AC-130J gunship to fire laser weapon in flight test in 2023

Flight demos will take place in summer or fall 2023, but it remains unclear whether development will turn into a bonafide program of record.

AFSOC commander cautiously optimistic on V-22 clutch problem, though root cause elusive

AFSOC commander cautiously optimistic on V-22 clutch problem, though root cause elusive
AFSOC commander cautiously optimistic on V-22 clutch problem, though root cause elusive

“I was asking myself, what would I say to myself in the aftermath of fatal mishap if we discovered that the reason for this was this clutch issue,” said AFSOC commander Lt. Gen. Jim Slife. “Would I look back and say that I did everything that I could do today? And I couldn’t answer that in the affirmative.”

EXCLUSIVE: Air Force Special Operations Command grounds CV-22 Ospreys due to safety issue

EXCLUSIVE: Air Force Special Operations Command grounds CV-22 Ospreys due to safety issue
EXCLUSIVE: Air Force Special Operations Command grounds CV-22 Ospreys due to safety issue

AFSOC Commander Lt. Gen. Jim Slife ordered the safety standdown on Tuesday in the wake of two safety incidents that had occurred over the past six weeks, with a total of four such events occurring since 2017, AFSOC said.

L3Harris Sky Warden attack plane wins SOCOM’s Armed Overwatch program

L3Harris Sky Warden attack plane wins SOCOM’s Armed Overwatch program
L3Harris Sky Warden attack plane wins SOCOM’s Armed Overwatch program

L3 Harris could produce up to 75 AT-802U Sky Warden aircraft to replace US Special Operations Command’s U-28 Draco.

Way up in the air: World View looks to expand customer base for its ‘Stratollite’ balloon

Way up in the air: World View looks to expand customer base for its ‘Stratollite’ balloon
Way up in the air: World View looks to expand customer base for its ‘Stratollite’ balloon

The company has demonstrated the capability to do ‘pattern of life’ monitoring, staying over a 40 kilometer area for more than four days, said CEO Ryan Hartman.

Air Force Special Operations Expects Amphibious MC-130J Test Next Year

Air Force Special Operations Expects Amphibious MC-130J Test Next Year
Air Force Special Operations Expects Amphibious MC-130J Test Next Year

Notably, Slife called out the need to operate in and around “an island environment that is not serviced by a major fixed operating base runway.”

Could ‘Weather Intelligence’ Take The Pentagon By Storm?

Could ‘Weather Intelligence’ Take The Pentagon By Storm?
Could ‘Weather Intelligence’ Take The Pentagon By Storm?

A weather “data coverage gap exists in areas that we operate on a regular basis in the military,” says Dan Stillman, director of marketing for Tomorrow.io’s space and government division.

Special Ops Undergoing Historic Transformation, AFSOC Says

Special Ops Undergoing Historic Transformation, AFSOC Says
Special Ops Undergoing Historic Transformation, AFSOC Says

“The SOF that we have is not the SOF we will need” for the future, head of Air Force Special Ops Command, Lt. Gen. James Slife, warned today.

Anduril Buys Mini-Drone Maker Area-I

Anduril Buys Mini-Drone Maker Area-I
Anduril Buys Mini-Drone Maker Area-I

The new owners bring venture capital and software expertise to upgrade Area-I’s ALTIUS mini-drone, already a favorite in Army experiments with ‘Air-Launched Effects.’

AFSOC Pitches  New Light Attack Plane To Congress

AFSOC Pitches  New Light Attack Plane To Congress
AFSOC Pitches New Light Attack Plane To Congress

“The whole reason we’re doing this is because the National Defense Strategy talks about the need to do cost effective [counter-terrorism] operations, cost effective irregular warfare,” AFSOC commander Gen. Slife said.

SOCOM Multi-Mission Plane Competition Heats Up

SOCOM Multi-Mission Plane Competition Heats Up
SOCOM Multi-Mission Plane Competition Heats Up

SOCOM has budgeted $106 million in 2021 to buy the first five of up to 75 Armed Overwatch aircraft to perform close air support for its troops on the ground, light attack and ISR missions. The planes would replace Air Force Special Operations Command current fleet of U-28 Draco aircraft.

Air Force Weaponizing Cargo Planes For All-Domain Ops: ‘Bomb Bay In A Box’

Air Force Weaponizing Cargo Planes For All-Domain Ops: ‘Bomb Bay In A Box’
Air Force Weaponizing Cargo Planes For All-Domain Ops: ‘Bomb Bay In A Box’

“You’ve got to create enough capacity so that long-range punch is really a punch,” Maj. Gen. Clint Hinote said.

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Raytheon AI: Fix That Part Before It Breaks

Raytheon AI: Fix That Part Before It Breaks
Raytheon AI: Fix That Part Before It Breaks

A modern mechanized military lives or dies by maintenance. But what if a computer could warn you when your weapons and vehicles were about to break, so you could fix them before they ever let you down?