For nearly three years, airmen at Balad AB, Iraq, have been installing extra armor on convoy vehicles, helping to fortify them against Improvised Explosive Devices. That work is coming to an end this month. The airmen have armored more than 1,300 vehicles, but now, officials say, the need for add-on armor is dwindling. More and more vehicles arrive in Iraq with armor kits already installed.
A combined Navy and Air Force program is seeking to build a smaller version of a ubiquitous air-to-air missile that could give advanced aircraft, such as the Collaborative Combat Aircraft, greater magazine depth in a high-end fight.