We Need the 
Raptor for China: Speaking at an AEI forum, Michael Vickers of the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments says the Air Force’s “job one” is “hedging against the rise of China.” He also had a simple prescription for carrying out this mission: Save the F/A-22. According to Vickers, the way to accomplish this feat is to scale back the F/A-22 program or kill “the big sucking chest wound” known as the Joint Strike Fighter.
The Air Force Research Lab has awarded quantum computing firm IonQ a $7.5 million follow-on contract to bridge the gap between the lab and the field for the highly advanced technology.