From “Truck” To “It” Machines: Speaking to reporters at the Dubai Air Show, retired Gen. Ronald Fogleman, former US Air Force Chief of Staff, praised the evolution in thinking about unmanned aerial vehicles, which he said had once been treated like “trucks.” Now, he said, UAV capability to provide real-time combat intel is “beyond our expectations.” According to a news report by the Shephard Group, Fogleman emphasized that UAV technology has not been fully exploited and that ever more UAVs will employ “smart, small munitions and even energy weapons.” (Read our article “Will We Have an Unmanned Armada? Here.)
The Air Force has embraced new technical approaches like open mission systems and rapid software updates for cutting-edge aircraft like the B-21 and Collaborative Combat Aircraft. Increasingly, though, the service is also working to apply these to its older, “legacy” aircraft, officials said this week.