While designed primarily to move massive wind turbine blades, the WindRunner aircraft under development by Radia could serve military applications, with the Pentagon and US Congress taking an interest in the aircraft’s utility for the DoD.
Complex logistical calculations can take hours or days. With Air Mobility Command’s new ARTIV software, “the run to get all of that data takes between five and 10 minutes," according to retired Gen. Paul Selva, whose company makes the tech.
It’s about improving existing platforms with autonomy, and applying AI, edge computing, quantum encryption, and sensor fusion.
The investment in transitioning Rocket Cargo "is focused on utilizing vehicles that traverse from or through space to transport DoD materiel anywhere around the world within tactically responsive timelines," the Space Force's FY25 budget request says.
While the Pentagon is still figuring out how to effectively ferry supplies across the Indo-Pacific theater, a top TRANSCOM official warned that the command may not have all the tools it needs to accurately track supplies in transit.
A congressionally authorized program to recruit private ships to assist the federal government was expanded at US Transportation Command's request.