The Air Force’s new airdrop system, now dubbed “Screamer” JPADS, is on track for more technical tests this month, followed by a technical evaluation in December. After it passes the tests, JPADS is bound for delivery to troops overseas as early as February, reports Aeronautical Systems Center. The Air Force is now calling the system Screamer JPADS because the 2,000-pound package falls at a swift 100 mph. The system was successfully tested in Afghanistan in August. Also, aircrews from Little Rock AFB, Ark., and Minneapolis-St. Paul ARS, Minn., tested the system at 17,000 feet, dropping 2,000-pound and 10,000-pound GPS-guided pallets.
A combined Navy and Air Force program is seeking to build a smaller version of a ubiquitous air-to-air missile that could give advanced aircraft, such as the Collaborative Combat Aircraft, greater magazine depth in a high-end fight.