In a move to get beyond the current FAA restriction that allows unmanned aerial vehicles to operate in national air space but not in concert with manned aircraft, the Air Force wants to build an “experience base” from which the FAA would agree that UAVs provide an “equivalent level of safety” to a similar class of manned aircraft. The Air Force has issued a request for information to develop a modeling, simulation, and analysis environment to investigate and “derive initial capability requirements” for what the FAA terms the “see and avoid” rule applied to manned aircraft operating in the national airspace. Interested vendors have until Oct. 9 to respond.
The Air Force plans to add external weapons pylons on the B-1B bomber, both to increase the number of aircraft that can test hypersonic missiles and expand the Lancer’s loadout as USAF transitions to the B-21 bomber.