Muellner said Boeing is putting greatest emphasis on persistent intelligence-surveillance-reconnaissance assets, along with long-range strike, “because those are the two areas that our customers say are their greatest needs.” Toward that end, Boeing is emphasizing unmanned aerial systems with long endurance—“the unblinking eye,” Muellner said—range and sensors. However, he cautions that the sensor is not enough, that the information must be networked and distributed to provide overall situational awareness.
Generational improvements to combat propulsion performance have never been more pressing for the U.S. as it seeks to ensure continued air dominance in tempestuous theaters like the Indo-Pacific. GE Aerospace's XA100 is the most advanced combat engine in the world, and if implemented it would power a strong future for…