Air Force Special Operations Command has completed its AOA for a replacement for its Vietnam-era MC-130 Combat Talon aircraft. AFSOC’s Capt. Elizabeth Paul noted that the new aircraft—now known as M-X—will need to carry more and fly farther and faster than a CV-22. Of course, the M-X must “be highly survivable” because the “exponentially increasing array of threats” make this aircraft a “difficult niche in which to maintain a robust capability,” she said. The M-X probably will push “advanced, low-observable technologies to new levels,” Paul added. Estimated fielding date, under the current acquisition system, said Paul, is 15 years from program start.
More than 100 Guardians across the globe have started wearing the Space Force’s prototype service dress uniform three times per week as part of “wear testing”—the final stage before the uniform is produced and rolled out to Guardians everywhere in 2025.