Air Force Research Lab personnel at Edwards AFB, Calif., recently provided oversight on the third validation test-firing of Aerojet’s Block B solid rocket booster. The test lasted only 90 seconds, but it was the third success in a row, confirming the modified booster design, said Aerojet President Scott Neish. Lockheed Martin uses the Aerojet Block B on the Atlas V expendable launch vehicle.
The Collaborative Combat Aircraft will be operational in the late 2020s, several years before the Next-Generation Air Dominance family of systems, Air Force officials told the House Armed Services tactical aviation panel. The CCAs will first be “shooters,” then electronic warfare platforms, then sensors, in that order, they added.