On Another Note About VTOL Aircraft: The Defense Science Board has been working diligently to assess what the military will need in the way of vertical take off and landing (VTOL) and short take off and landing (STOL) aircraft through the first half of the 21st century. A report by this DSB task force is due in June. The tasking memo notes that the lack of investment in rotary wing aircraft “may have produced” aircraft that are “poorly suited” to current and future missions, but it also says their design may be inherently wrong for the “non-linear battlefield.”
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth vowed to undertake far-reaching reforms on the way the U.S. military buys weapons, promising a sweeping overhaul of the way the Defense Department determines requirements, handles the acquisition process, and tests its kit. The fundamental goal, which Hegseth underscored in a 1-hour and 10-minute speech…
