U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL)

By Garrett Reim
Cobalt-60 is a radioactive isotope of cobalt that generates heat as it decays.
Space Exploration

By Brian Everstine
AFRL’s Global Lightning prototyping effort began in 2018.
Satellites

By Guy Norris
Sierra Space will study a scaled-up version of its Ghost logistics supply spacecraft concept.
Operations & Safety

By Ben Goldstein
Autonomy is coming to commercial aviation. Its first stop: the Cessna Caravan.
Advanced Air Mobility

By Vivienne Machi
The demonstration saw Northrop Grumman’s hybrid satcom terminal connect with a ViaSat-3 F1 satellite in Geosynchronous orbit at Ka frequencies.
Satellites

By Graham Warwick
Piasecki Aircraft has conducted the first tethered hover flights of the Ares tilt-duct vertical-takeoff-and-landing demonstrator.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Garrett Reim
The U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) recently cut the ribbon on its new Collaborative Automation for Manufacturing Systems Laboratory.
Emerging Technologies

By Brian Everstine
The U.S. Air Force has proposed a high-altitude balloon program as an option for the broader Replicator initiative to accelerate new autonomous systems.
Sensors & Electronic Warfare

By Vivienne Machi
The Pentagon is exploring using commercial launch vehicles for point-to-point delivery by the 2030s.
Space

By Brian Everstine
The U.S. Air Force’s engine office says it is open to all option to power a future air refueling aircraft and a potential re-engining of the C-17 as requirements are refined.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Brian Everstine
Pressure is mounting on Next Generation Adaptive Propulsion effort to keep new U.S. development of fighter power plants going.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Graham Warwick
Photonic navigation sensors; Airbus and quantum computing; in-space refueling; alternatives to GPS for PNT.
Emerging Technologies

By Graham Warwick
GE’s small hybrid core; on-site hydrogen on demand; 3D-printing magnesium; and very-low-orbit space tracker.
Emerging Technologies

By Graham Warwick
LeoLabs has won a contract from the Air Force Research Laboratory and AFWerx innovation unit to develop an S-band 2D direct radiating array ground-based radar.
Commercial Space

By Steve Trimble
Development work on the U.S. Air Force’s experimental, hypersonic Mayhem vehicle has been paused following the completion of an early design milestone.
Missile Defense & Weapons

By Guy Norris
The 4,000-lb.-thrust Draper has now amassed more than 50 hot fire tests.
Missile Defense & Weapons

By Steve Trimble
U.S. Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall on May 2 flew on a highly modified version of the Lockheed Martin F-16 that was operated by an artificial intelligence (AI) agent.
Budget, Policy & Operations

By Brian Everstine
Collaborative Combat Aircraft and Survivable Airborne Operations Center selections favor private companies as major primes set sights on larger awards.
Budget, Policy & Operations

By Guy Norris
Piasecki Aircraft has unveiled a small air-launched UAV designed to glide autonomously from altitude and deliver logistics payloads.
Army Aviation Association of America

By Brian Everstine
The U.S. Air Force announced April 24 that it selected General Atomics and Anduril to continue designs for the first phase of its CCA program.
Army Aviation Association of America

By Brian Everstine
There are individual hybrid satcom terminal programs underway across each of the services.
Space Symposium

By Steve Trimble
About three years before its first scheduled fielding, the U.S. Air Force’s Collaborative Combat Aircraft fleet has a new group of F-16-based testbed aircraft.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Steve Trimble
Umbra Space is the latest commercial space company to show that bistatic coupling of two radar satellites could be used to implement moving target indication.
Sensors & Electronic Warfare

By Guy Norris
Hypersonic aircraft developer Hermeus has unveiled its first flying test vehicle—Quarterhorse Mk. 1—at its Atlanta facility.
Missile Defense & Weapons

By Graham Warwick
Our roundup of the main aerospace and defense stories making the news this week.
Aircraft & Propulsion