Air Mobility Command has been asking EADS about its huge Airbus A380 as a potential Air Force One-class VIP transport or C-5 freighter replacement, reports Flight International. The journal says the AMC feelers “may be linked” to the problems with the C-5 modernization program. It would seem more likely this is just the usual forward-thinking effort, looking for potential competitors. Meanwhile, Air Force Research Lab is pursuing a program termed “Speed Agile Concept Demonstration.” It would produce a concept for a multi-mission mobility aircraft possibly incorporating efficient transonic flight, runway independence, and robust flight controls, among other elements. AFRL expects to award a contract in January and wants to be able to run simulated testing of the technology by 2010.
The U.S., South Korea, and Japan flew an unusual trilateral flight with two U.S. B-52H Stratofortress bombers escorted by two Japan Air Self-Defense Force F-2s, and two ROK Air Force KF-16 fighters—both countries’ respective variants of the F-16—July 11. That same weekend, the top military officers of the three nations…