The Air Force will be limited to just one E-10 next-generation intelligence-surveillance-reconnaissance airplane to test new technology, notably new radars. Senior service officials believe any idea of taking the program operational is kaput. (Read our article on battlespace awareness here and how the E-10 program demise evolved here.) There is discussion of the Air Force hitching a ride on the Navy’s new 737-derived multimission maritime reconnaissance aircraft, instead. USAF’s Airborne Laser attack aircraft—currently being managed by the Missile Defense Agency—also will be put on a back burner, remaining, at most, a technology demonstrator. (Read our 2003 article here for background; a defense of the program here; and current comments here.)
Celebrating 100 Years of Liquid-Fueled Rockets
March 11, 2026
March 16, 2026, marks 100 years since Dr. Robert H. Goddard launched the world’s first liquid-fueled rocket. Over the past century, new and ever more capable liquid-fueled rockets have literally propelled humanity into space. Why liquid-fueled rockets?