The Air Force and DARPA have begun a formal collaboration making use of DARPA’s Prognosis program for F-15 and F-16 fighter engines—F100s and F110s. The research agency launched Prognosis a few years ago to develop the means to predict future operating capability or remaining usable life of critical components. Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne last month visited the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center at Tinker AFB, Okla., where he signed a memorandum of agreement for the effort. The jointly funded effort will provide the ALC with a series of engine systems prognosis tools, according to a June 4 Air Force Materiel Command release. The MOA runs through Fiscal 2013.
The Smithsonian’s announcement that an F-117A Nighthawk, tail number 85-0818, is headed to the Smithsonian Institution’s National Air and Space Museum, or NASM, is welcome news. The acquisition of this Nighthawk fills a long-standing historical gap—indeed, need—in the collections of what is generally considered the world’s premier air and space…
