Engineers and technicians at the Arnold Engineering and Development Center in Tennessee have finished aerodynamic tests on a two-percent model of the blended-wing-body concept aircraft in the center’s 16-foot transonic wind tunnel. AEDC journalist Philip Lorenz III reports that the tests were used to evaluate the BWB flight characteristics at higher Mach numbers than it underwent earlier this year at NASA’s Langley facility in Virginia. The Air Force Research Lab is working with NASA and Boeing to develop the unmanned BWB and expects to begin flight testing a test vehicle dubbed X-48B at Edwards AFB, Calif., later this year. Boeing began ground tests at Edwards with the X-48B last fall and expected to begin flight tests earlier this year. AFRL’s interest is in developing a potential large capacity aerial refueling or cargo aircraft.
Pentagon Releases Cost of Living, BAH Rates for 2026
Dec. 30, 2025
The Pentagon will pay cost of living allowances to 127,000 service members in the continental U.S. in 2026, an increase of 66,000 members in 2025. Airmen and Guardians across the U.S. will also receive an average increase of 4.2 percent for their Basic Housing Allowance, compared to the 5.4 percent…
