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.
The U.S., South Korea, and Japan flew an unusual trilateral flight with two U.S. B-52H Stratofortress bombers escorted by two Japan Air Self-Defense Force F-2s, and two ROK Air Force KF-16 fighters—both countries’ respective variants of the F-16—July 11. That same weekend, the top military officers of the three nations…